Detecting and responding to endpoints with FortiEDR: What you need to know

Endpoints – laptops, servers, workstations – are the real battlefield in cyberspace today. They are where the threat is most often first encountered, and they are the gateway for attackers trying to infiltrate our network. In an era when attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, polymorphic and often fileless, traditional methods of protection are proving insufficient. We need more than just a shield – we need an intelligent guardian that not only blocks known evils, but can detect subtle signs of intrusion and react before disaster strikes. This is precisely the role played by FortiEDR, an advanced Endpoint Detection and Response solution from Fortinet. At nFlo, we’ve seen firsthand how crucial modern endpoint protection is becoming, so we’re bringing you closer to a technology that can be the foundation of your organization’s security.

What exactly is Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)?

Imagine a traditional antivirus as a security guard at the door, checking a list of known intruders. If it recognizes someone – it doesn’t let them in. But what if the attacker is new, clever and not on the list? This is where Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) comes in. It’s much more than just checking the guest list. Rather, EDR is an experienced detective who is constantly watching everything that happens inside the building (at the endpoint). It analyzes behavior, looks for suspicious activity, connects seemingly insignificant events and can identify a threat even if it has never seen it before. What’s more, the EDR not only detects, but also reacts – it can proactively stop an attack and help you understand exactly what happened.

Why might traditional antivirus no longer be enough for my endpoints?

For years, antiviruses (AVs) were the backbone of endpoint protection. They relied mainly on signatures – known patterns of malware. However, the threat landscape has changed dramatically. Today’s cybercriminals use techniques that easily bypass traditional AVs:

• Polymorphic and metamorphic malware: Changes its code with each infection, rendering signatures useless.
• Fileless attacks: They use legitimate system tools (e.g. PowerShell) for malicious purposes without leaving a file trail.
• Zero-day exploits: Exploit previously unknown software vulnerabilities for which there are no signatures or patches yet.
• Advanced Evasion Techniques: Specially designed to fool AV detection mechanisms.

Traditional antivirus, waiting for a familiar pattern, becomes helpless against these methods. What is needed is an approach that focuses not only on what the file is, but more importantly on what it does and how the entire system behaves.

What sets FortiEDR apart from other endpoint security solutions?

FortiEDR is not “just another antivirus.” It’s a comprehensive endpoint protection platform with several key features:

• Real-time, pre- and post-infection protection: FortiEDR not only blocks known threats before they execute, but more importantly, it can detect and stop malicious activity after the first line of defense may have already been bypassed, before data encryption or information theft occurs.
• Emphasis on automation: The system is designed to minimize the need for manual intervention, automatically analyzing events and taking corrective action.
• Broad attack surface coverage: Protects not only against malware, but also against exploits, fileless attacks and other advanced techniques.
• Native integration with Fortinet Security Fabric: Works in synergy with other Fortinet solutions to create a cohesive and automated security ecosystem (more on that in a moment).

How does FortiEDR detect advanced and hidden threats in real time?

The secret to FortiEDR’s effectiveness is its ability to continuously monitor and analyze behavior on the endpoint in real time. Instead of focusing solely on static file analysis, FortiEDR watches what’s going on in the operating system: what processes are running, how they communicate with each other, what changes they make to the registry, what files they try to access and what network resources they connect to.

This allows it to pick up subtle but suspicious sequences of actions that may indicate an attempted attack – even if no known malicious file is involved. It is this behavioral analysis that allows it to unmask hidden threats that escape traditional detection methods.

What detection techniques (e.g. AI, behavioral analysis) does FortiEDR use?

FortiEDR takes a multi-layered approach to detection, combining various advanced techniques to ensure maximum effectiveness:

• Policy-based filtering before execution: The first line of defense that can block unwanted applications or scripts based on defined rules.
• Machine learning (AI/ML) after execution: This is the heart of the system. AI algorithms analyze the behavior of running processes in real time, comparing them with learned models of normal and malicious activity. This allows detection of previously unknown malware variants and zero-day attacks.
• Real-time behavioral analysis: The system tracks sequences of actions and interactions between processes, looking for patterns typical of attacks (e.g., attempts to escalate privileges, modify critical system files, communicate with C2 servers).
• Protection against exploits: FortiEDR monitors techniques often used by exploits to take control of applications (e.g., ROP, heap spray) and can block them before they do damage.
• C&C communication detection: Identifies and blocks attempts to connect to known Command & Control servers used by attackers.

The combination of these techniques creates a robust safety net capable of capturing a broad spectrum of threats.

Does FortiEDR effectively protect against ransomware and zero-day exploits?

Yes, these are two areas where FortiEDR particularly shines, precisely because of its behavioral approach.

• Protection against ransomware: Instead of relying on signatures (which, for new ransomware variants, often don’t exist), FortiEDR monitors behavior indicative of an encryption attempt. When it detects a process massively modifying a user’s files in a manner typical of ransomware, it can block it immediately, preventing data loss. What’s more, it can often automatically reverse the changes made by the blocked process.
• Protection against zero-day exploits: Exploits using unknown vulnerabilities (zero-day) are invisible to signature-based systems. FortiEDR focuses on the techniques used by exploits (e.g., how memory is manipulated). By detecting and blocking these techniques, it can stop a zero-day attack, even if it does not know the specific vulnerability being exploited.

Keyboard Sage Quote (Dr. Evelyn Reed): “In the fight against ransomware and zero-day, the question is not ‘Do I know this adversary?’ but ‘Do I recognize its insidious moves?’ FortiEDR focuses on just those moves.”

How does FortiEDR provide full visibility of activity on my endpoint devices?

The foundation for effective detection and response is deep visibility into what is happening at the endpoint. FortiEDR achieves this by continuously collecting rich telemetry from the agent installed on the device. This data includes:

• Information about running and stopped processes.
• Details of network connections established by applications.
• Monitor file operations (creation, modification, deletion).
• Track changes to the system registry.
• Data on loaded modules and libraries.
• User activity information.

All this data is analyzed locally by the agent and (depending on the configuration) sent to a central management console. This gives security teams unprecedented insight into activity on devices, enabling them not only to detect threats, but also to understand the exact course of an attack (known as an attack chain) during post-incident investigation.

What automatic corrective actions does FortiEDR take when an incident is detected?

The power of EDR lies not only in detection, but also in rapid, automated response. FortiEDR can take a series of actions on its own to stop an attack and minimize its impact, without having to wait for an analyst to intervene:

• Killing a malicious process: Immediately terminate the operation of a process deemed to be malicious.
• Quarantine files: Move infected or suspicious files to a secure quarantine.
• Host isolation: cuts off the infected device from the network to prevent the threat from spreading to other systems (lateral movement). The device can still communicate with the FortiEDR console for further analysis and management.
• Communication blocking: Preventing a process from communicating with specific IP addresses or domains (e.g., C2 servers).
• Automatic cleanup and restore: In some cases (e.g., after ransomware has been blocked), FortiEDR may attempt to automatically remove changes made by the attacker and restore files.

These automated actions drastically reduce response time, which is absolutely crucial in stopping rapidly spreading threats.

Can I customize the response rules in FortiEDR to fit the specifics of my organization?

Yes, flexibility is an important feature of FortiEDR. Although the system offers default, recommended policies and response scenarios (called playbooks), administrators have the ability to customize them to fit their organization’s specific needs and environment. Custom rules can be created that specify:

• What events or sequences of events are to be treated as an incident.
• What specific automatic actions are to be taken in response to different types of incidents.
• What exceptions are to be used for specific trusted applications or processes to avoid false positives.

The ability to create groups of devices with different policies allows for granular security management in diverse IT environments.

How does FortiEDR help reduce response time (MTTR) to cyber attacks?

Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) are key performance indicators for a security system. FortiEDR significantly reduces both of these metrics:

• Shorter MTTD: With continuous behavioral monitoring and AI analysis, FortiEDR can detect threats much faster than traditional methods, often within seconds or minutes of their appearance.
• Dramatically reduce MTTR: Automation of corrective actions (process kill, host isolation, etc.) eliminates the delays associated with the need for manual analysis and human intervention. Response can be almost instantaneous.

Reducing these times from hours or days to minutes can be the difference between a minor security incident and a major business crisis involving data loss, downtime or reputational damage.

How does FortiEDR support the post-incident investigation process (Incident Investigation)?

Even with the best protection, incidents can happen. In such a situation, it is critical to quickly and accurately understand what happened, how the compromise occurred, and the extent of the compromise. FortiEDR provides SOC teams and security analysts with powerful tools to support the investigation:

• Detailed telemetry logs: Access to historical endpoint activity data allows you to retrace the course of an attack step by step.
• Attack Chain Visualization: A graphical representation of the sequence of events, showing how the attacker got into the system, what processes it ran and how it tried to spread.
• Root Cause Analysis: Tools to help identify the root cause of an incident (e.g., which file or which vulnerability was exploited).
• Threat Hunting Capabilities: collected telemetry data can be used to proactively search for hidden threats or traces of previous undetected compromises.
• Remote device access (optional): The ability to securely remotely connect to an infected (even isolated) device for deeper forensic analysis.

These features significantly speed up and facilitate the investigation process, allowing you to learn lessons faster and strengthen your defenses for the future.

Does FortiEDR also protect endpoints when they are offline or outside the corporate network?

Yes, this is one of the significant advantages of the FortiEDR architecture. A FortiEDR agent installed on an endpoint operates autonomously. This means that all key detection mechanisms (behavioral analysis, ML, exploit protection) and basic response actions (e.g., process blocking) are executed locally on the device, even if it has no connection to the central management console or corporate network.

When the device reconnects to the network, the agent will synchronize the collected logs and statuses with the console. This provides continuous protection for mobile workers, remote workers and in network failure situations.

What operating systems and platforms are compatible with the FortiEDR agent?

FortiEDR offers broad compatibility to protect diverse IT environments. The agent is available for the most popular operating systems, including:

• Windows: Various client (e.g., Windows 10, 11) and server versions.
• macOS: Newer versions of Apple’s system.
• Linux: major server and desktop distributions.

Availability for specific system versions is constantly being updated, so it’s always a good idea to check the latest Fortinet documentation or consult with nFlo experts.

How does FortiEDR integrate with the broader Fortinet Security Fabric architecture?

FortiEDR is not a lone island – it is designed as an integral part of the Fortinet Security Fabric ecosystem. This native integration brings significant benefits:

• Sharing threat information: FortiEDR shares information about detected incidents and suspicious indicators (IOCs) with other Fabric components, such as FortiGate firewalls, FortiSandbox sandboxes and FortiAnalyzer analysis systems.
• Coordinated, automated response: detection of a threat on an endpoint by FortiEDR can automatically trigger actions on other devices. For example, FortiGate can block the infected host’s communication with the Internet or other network segments, and FortiNAC can move the device to a network quarantine.
• Unified visibility (via FortiAnalyzer/FortiSIEM): Logs and alerts from FortiEDR can be centrally collected and correlated with data from across the infrastructure, providing a more complete picture of the security situation.

This synergy makes it possible to create a much more cohesive, automated and resilient defense system than would be possible with isolated tools. At nFlo, we have deep experience in designing and implementing such integrated architectures based on Security Fabric.

Can I integrate data from FortiEDR into my SIEM or SOAR systems?

Yes. Fortinet understands that many organizations use existing platforms for security information and event management (SIEM) and orchestration, automation and response (SOAR). FortiEDR offers open APIs and off-the-shelf mechanisms (e.g., Syslog or CEF uploads) to integrate with popular third-party SIEM/SOAR solutions. This allows data and alerts from FortiEDR to be integrated into the organization’s central monitoring and incident management system.

What is the process of implementing FortiEDR in an existing IT infrastructure?

FortiEDR deployment is designed to be as simple and least intrusive as possible. The typical process we support at nFlo includes the following steps:

1. Planning: analyze the environment, define device groups and security policies.
2. Installation of a management console: Deploy a central console (available as a cloud or on-premise solution).
3. Agent deployment: Distribution of FortiEDR lightweight agent to endpoints (possible using standard software management tools, e.g. GPO, SCCM, Intune).
4. Policy configuration: applying appropriate security policies to different groups of devices. It often starts with monitoring mode (“simulation mode”) to observe performance and fine-tune the rules.
5. Tuning and optimization: analysis of events and alerts, creation of possible exceptions for trusted applications, gradual transition to active blocking mode (“prevention mode”).
6. Training and knowledge transfer: Training the client’s team on how to use and manage the platform.

Thanks to nFlo’s experience, the process runs smoothly, ensuring that the benefits of FortiEDR deployment are quickly realized.

< Box: Key Business Benefits of FortiEDR >

FortiEDR implementation is an investment that brings concrete results:

1. Minimized Cyber Attack Risk: Effective protection against ransomware, zero-day exploits and advanced malware reduces the risk of costly incidents, downtime and data loss.
2. Instant Response: Automation reduces response time from hours to minutes, reducing potential damage.
3. Increased Security Team Efficiency: Relieving analysts of manual alert analysis and response allows them to focus on strategic tasks.
4. Deep Visibility and Understanding: Detailed telemetry data facilitates post-incident investigations and proactive threat hunting.
5. Regulatory Compliance Support: Facilitates compliance with data protection and incident reporting requirements (e.g., RODO, PCI DSS).

How does FortiEDR help you meet regulatory and compliance requirements?

Many regulations and standards (such as RODO/GDPR, PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIS2) require organizations to use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect data and systems, as well as quickly detect and report on incidents. FortiEDR directly supports these goals by:

• Advanced data protection on endpoints: Prevents unauthorized access, modification or encryption of data by malware.
• Rapid detection of violations: Enables compliance with strict incident reporting deadlines.
• Detailed logging and auditability: Provides evidence of security mechanisms and allows analysis of incident progression, which is crucial during audits.
• Controls applications and devices: Helps enforce security policies required by certain standards.

Having a modern EDR solution, such as FortiEDR, is often seen as a key element in building a compliant system.

How can I assess whether FortiEDR is the right EDR solution for my organization?

FortiEDR is a powerful tool that will benefit most organizations, but it is especially worth considering if:

• You are concerned about advanced threats such as ransomware, fileless attacks and zero-day exploits.
• You want to increase the visibility of what is happening on your endpoints.
• Your security team is overloaded with alerts from traditional systems.
• You need to automate and speed up incident response.
• You already have other Fortinet solutions and want to take advantage of the Security Fabric synergy.
• You must meet stringent regulatory requirements for data protection and incident response.

The best way to evaluate is to talk to experts and, if possible, test the solution in your environment (Proof of Concept).

In summary, FortiEDR is much more than an evolution of antivirus. It is an intelligent, proactive and automated endpoint protection platform that is essential for defending against today’s complex cyber threats. Providing deep visibility, advanced detection mechanisms and lightning-fast response, FortiEDR is becoming a key component of a modern security strategy.

Want to learn more about how FortiEDR can secure your organization? Contact the nFlo team. Our experts will help you choose the right solution and guide you through the implementation process, providing solid protection for your most valuable assets – your data and systems.