Agentless Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Agentless EDR Protects Legacy, Resource-Constrained, and Sensitive IT and OT Systems

Agentless endpoint detection and response (EDR) can make an ideal cybersecurity and OT security solution when on-device software agents are not an option.

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) combines cybersecurity capabilities that help organizations detect, investigate, and respond to threats on endpoints. Many EDR solutions use agents installed on supported hosts—such as desktops, servers, and cloud VMs—to collect endpoint telemetry and take response actions.

That being said, certain types of environments such as long-running legacy IT and OT systems require a more delicate approach to security monitoring and control. That is, agentless may be needed for unsupported OS environments, legacy financial systems and legacy healthcare systems, and systems used by utilities, manufacturing plants, critical infrastructure operators, and government organizations. Agentless EDR can also be preferable for resource-constrained devices, systems that cannot be modified, or environments where additional endpoint software could affect operations or performance.

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What Is Agentless EDR?

Agentless does not necessarily mean there is no interaction with the endpoint. It means no persistent EDR software agent is installed on the monitored endpoint. Monitoring can instead use a centralized hub and existing interfaces, logs, APIs, network access, and OS-native services.

Agent-based, or host-based, EDR differs from agentless EDR deployment in several major ways.

Pros and Cons of Agentless EDR, aka Hub-Based EDR

Agent-Based EDR

More granular device telemetry, behavioral visibility, and process-level insight
Can involve greater cost
Requires agent installation, updates, and upkeep
Can provide real-time on-device detection
Can provide rapid local response and enforcement
Local detection and enforcement do not always depend on connectivity to a central hub

Agentless/Hub-Based EDR

Less invasive and less likely to affect endpoint performance. Tradeoff: less granular device telemetry and behavioral visibility
Can be less expensive, but cost varies by deployment
Less endpoint software maintenance and management; can be easier when large numbers of difficult-to-manage devices are involved
Detection depends on what the hub can collect and how frequently it receives or retrieves data
Less direct control over the device can affect response and enforcement
Some detection and response capabilities depend on connectivity between the hub and monitored device

Hybrid Agent-Based and Agentless EDR

Atomicorp offers both approaches with its Atomic OSSEC EDR solution: a host-based agented deployment or a hub-based agentless deployment. This gives enterprises flexibility to choose the appropriate deployment model for different systems, including container environments.

Or we can support a hybrid agent-based and agentless environment, in which an organization has both ordinary endpoints that can run agents and specialized systems that cannot or should not.

A hybrid EDR approach lets organizations use security agents where they make sense and agentless monitoring where they do not. For example, a manufacturer can install EDR agents on engineering workstations and servers while monitoring sensitive OT and industrial control system (ICS) equipment without adding software to those systems.

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With the agentless implementation of Atomic OSSEC you still get continuous monitoring and log-based malware and intrusion detection, compliance benchmarking, file integrity monitoring, automated response rules, and data loss prevention.

Protect endpoints for as little as $5 per device per month, with bulk pricing available.

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Agentless Endpoint Detection and Response FAQ Section

When is agentless EDR preferable to an on-device EDR agent?

Agentless endpoint detection and response (EDR) can be preferable when a host system is too sensitive, resource-constrained, specialized, or operationally important to have additional software installed on it. Examples include legacy and unsupported systems, vendor-controlled equipment, specialized appliances, and some OT and ICS environments where availability and performance requirements make installing and maintaining agents impractical or impossible.

Agentless EDR can also make sense when organizations have large numbers of systems that are difficult to modify or maintain. In hybrid or mixed environments, organizations can use agents where deeper device visibility and local enforcement are needed while monitoring other systems agentlessly. The Atomic OSSEC EDR supports agent-based, agentless, and hybrid EDR deployment models.

What should organizations consider before deploying agentless EDR?

Organizations should understand the tradeoffs between agent-based and agentless EDR. Without an on-device security agent, monitoring may not provide the same depth of device telemetry, process-level and behavioral visibility, or rapid local enforcement available from agent-based EDR.

Organizations should also consider connectivity, the logs and interfaces available from each system, access requirements, and how quickly security data can be collected and analyzed. For some environments, the answer does not have to be one approach or the other. Instead, a hybrid deployment can provide agent-based protection where agents make sense and agentless monitoring where they do not. Atomic OSSEC supports these approaches with agent-based and agentless EDR capabilities alongside antivirus and antimalware, intrusion detection, file integrity monitoring (FIM), automated response, and other security controls.

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