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Continuous monitoring of an organization’s attack surface – digital and physical assets that connect to the internet – is possible with attack surface management.
Attack surface management (ASM) is a cybersecurity solution that continuously monitors and assesses an organization’s internet-connected assets. The goal of ASM is to establish a detailed picture of a company’s IT assets, both digital and physical, to quickly and accurately detect weaknesses and vulnerabilities. ASM provides unique value to businesses because it’s performed from the perspective of a cyber attacker. This means ASM goes above and beyond basic IT hygiene solutions by covering not just known assets but also unknown and rogue assets. A comprehensive ASM program can save an organization time, money, and reputational damage by minimizing cyber attacks and data breaches.
The term might be new, but you’re already familiar with your organization’s attack surface. The attack surface is made up of technology assets that connect to the internet to access, process, and store company data. This can include hardware, software, cloud assets, and SaaS. Here’s a more in-depth look at what your attack surface includes:
Attack surface management begins with identifying and mapping your organization’s digital assets. This applies to internal and external attack surfaces and extends to unknown or rogue assets. Modern attack surface management solutions often mimic the tools used by actual attackers in order to accurately identify potential attack vectors.
It’s important to provide some context to IT assets since each carries a different risk. Attack surface management analyzes each asset to determine its exposure level and threat risk. Factors considered may include the asset’s usage, IP address, network connection points, and ownership.
Once we understand the risk level of each asset, we’ll rank them based on priority. This lets you tackle the most dangerous vulnerabilities during the remediation phase. Risk scoring is based on various factors, including the asset’s visibility, its potential for exploitation, and whether or not it’s been exploited in the past. The score also factors in how complex the vulnerability is to fix. It’s important to note that attack surface management scoring is based on objective criteria, unlike pen testing and red teaming, which is more subjective in nature. This makes the results of attack surface management easy to interpret, prioritize, and take action on.
With continuous testing, you can keep an eye on any vulnerabilities or threats that arise within your ever-changing attack surface. Each day, new users are added, and new devices are connected to your organization’s network, creating new opportunities for potential attacks. An attack surface management solution provides 24/7 coverage and can catch new risks and security gaps as they arise.
With the data gathered from the first four phases, your IT team should be able to identify, prioritize, and remediate security risks.
Conducting attack surface management yields a variety of valuable benefits for your organization.
Organizations often try to improve their cybersecurity by reducing their attack surface. This approach may include limiting user access and reducing the number of internet-connected devices. However, this can leave unknown exploits or vulnerabilities open to attack. Attack surface management tools offer real-time monitoring, analysis, and remediation across all of your organization’s digital assets.
ASM also improves how well your internal team is able to detect and respond to threats. Having an up-to-date picture of your organization’s attack surface can expedite the process of identifying, blocking, and remediating attacks.
Some industries, like the payment card processing industry and healthcare industries, require strict adherence to data security and privacy regulations. Routine ASM will help your organization stay in good standing with industry-specific laws, regulations, and standards.
Continuous threat monitoring can reduce the overall impact of cyber attacks. According to the IBM report Cost of a Data Breach 2021 (page taken down https://www.ibm.com/downloads/cas/OJDVQGRY), automated security solutions can save companies up to $3.81 million if a breach does occur.
Attack surface management can be a challenging undertaking for organizations of all sizes. Here are some of the stumbling blocks associated with this type of security solution:
Organizations face increasingly complex attack surfaces with the rise of cloud technology, IoT, and work-from-home employment. This increase in complexity can make it difficult for organizations to define their overall attack surface. For example, some organizations may not include cloud resources or SaaS applications in their inventory despite being potential attack vectors. Attack surface management can accurately map your organization’s assets, from known to unknown assets and even rogue elements.
Keeping up with a dedicated ASM program requires consistency, structure, and time commitment. Many organizations find this challenging, especially smaller companies with limited resources. Additionally, organizations may struggle to align their ASM programs with other cybersecurity and IT activities. For example, an organization may want to prioritize speed when rolling out a new software feature, but expediting this process can lead to undiscovered vulnerabilities. ASM provides an additional layer of detection and security across your company.
The cybersecurity threat landscape is constantly evolving, with new threats emerging almost daily. The latest exploit might blindside organizations that rely on outdated or manual ASM solutions. This is often an issue with in-house ASM programs where the budget is limited or staffing is small. Luckily, cybersecurity companies leverage the latest ASM solutions to identify old, obsolete technology before an attacker gets their hands on it.
Uncovering vulnerabilities in your IT system is just the first step in shoring up your cyber defenses. Next, you’ll have to put your team’s recommendations into action. The remediation process begins with prioritizing which vulnerabilities to tackle first. As a rule of thumb, starting with the most high-risk issues is best since they’re likely to cause the most damage. Your attack surface management vendor can help you determine which issues require the most urgent attention and provide suggestions on how to remediate any flaws in your defenses.
The majority of data breaches aren’t the result of highly sophisticated attacks but basic cyber security lapses. Attack surface management will help you better understand your organization’s security gaps and threat exposure. From there, your team can implement strategic solutions to keep sensitive data protected from attackers. And if your company does face a cyber attack, you’ll be in a better position to quickly identify the attack and stop it in its tracks.
Continuous Human & Automated Security
Continuously monitor your attack surface with advanced change detection. Upon change, testers and systems perform security testing. You are alerted and assisted in remediation efforts all contained in a single security application, the Sprocket Platform.