Edge device
Equipment that sits at the boundary between your network and the internet, like a firewall, VPN, router or email gateway.
Edge devices are reachable from anywhere on the internet by design. That makes them the first thing attackers scan for, and flaws in them are some of the most exploited in CISA's catalog.
They're also easy to forget. A firewall in a closet can run for years without updates, because nobody logs in to it day to day.
Why it matters to you: Know what edge devices you have and who updates them. On Patch Sonar, they sit under "Firewalls, VPNs & network gear" and "Remote access & IT tools".
Related terms
- Authentication bypassA flaw that lets an attacker get past a login screen without a valid password.
- Remote code execution (RCE)A flaw that lets an attacker run their own commands on your computer or server from somewhere else, often over the internet.
- RansomwareMalicious software that locks up or steals a business's files and demands payment to get them back.