Autonomous security agents need complete data. Here's how to check if yours is ready.

Endpoint agents play a crucial role in ensuring the security of devices within an organization. However, a significant gap exists when it comes to reporting the absence of these agents. A recent report conducted by Axonius and the Ponemon Institute shed light on this issue, revealing that 12.7% of devices in a typical inventory are missing their expected security agent. This gap poses a serious challenge for SOC teams who rely on these agents for monitoring and protection.

The absence of an agent on a device means that it is essentially invisible to management consoles and security tools. This creates blind spots in the organization’s security posture, leaving them vulnerable to potential threats. Additionally, unauthorized installations of software or services, such as Claude Enterprise, can go undetected by endpoint telemetry alone, further exacerbating the problem.

The increasing adoption of autonomous investigation and remediation tools by SOC and XDR vendors further underscores the importance of addressing this gap. These tools rely on the same incomplete data provided by endpoint agents, potentially leading to automated actions based on inaccurate information. This could result in faster response times, but also increase the risk of overlooking critical security issues.

Three key signals have highlighted the urgency of closing this visibility gap. A survey by Gravitee found that 88% of companies have experienced AI-related security incidents, with only a small percentage having full security approval for their agents. The Cloud Security Alliance’s Agentic Trust Framework emphasizes the need for verified data governance before allowing autonomous agents to take action. These findings underscore the importance of addressing data quality and accuracy issues before deploying autonomous security tools.

To address this gap, organizations can consider three approaches: a dedicated integration layer, platform-native EDR and XDR intelligence, and CMDB modernization. Each approach has its own tradeoffs, and organizations should carefully evaluate their specific needs before making a decision.

Data from Axonius customers has shown the scale of the visibility challenge, with many organizations only seeing a fraction of their actual network assets. By implementing out-of-band verification and consolidating data from multiple sources, organizations can significantly improve their asset coverage and security posture.

Before allowing autonomous SOC actions, organizations should ensure that their EDR and asset data are reliable and accurate. A checklist of five gates can help organizations assess their readiness for autonomous remediation and identify areas that need improvement.

In conclusion, addressing the visibility gap in endpoint security is crucial for organizations looking to enhance their security posture. By implementing out-of-band verification, improving data governance, and deploying the right tools, organizations can better protect their assets and respond effectively to security threats.