Modern hybrid IT environments now include cloud infrastructure, remote workers, various third-party dependencies, virtualisation, and on-premises data centres. This increase in Internet-facing assets and services has made hackers seek out vulnerabilities in websites, cloud services, servers, and many other network-connected systems. And more often than not, these exposed assets are either completely forgotten or overlooked, presenting an easy entry point for threat actors to exploit and access your internal network.

Due to this ever-increasing digital footprint, organisations struggle to see and control all the potential access paths into their IT environments. This is where attack surface management (ASM) comes in to provide the required visibility and control, and we outline below why every organisation needs it.

The importance of attack surface management

Prioritising the organisation's mitigation measures requires clearly understanding one's susceptibility and exposure to cyber-attacks. The challenge these days is that hackers have a large target area to work with, given the increasing number of external-facing assets and systems modern businesses use.

Attack surfaces can be physical or digital, but much of the risk and concern stems from the latter. This is because the digital aspect encompasses all the information and assets about the company online, which could provide a way into their IT environment.

An organisation's digital attack surface includes:

• Known and unknown assets (SSL certificates, registered domains, shadow IT, orphaned but active user accounts)
• Impersonating assets, such as fake domains created by hackers to defraud unsuspecting business partners and customers.
• Third-party assets with access to the organisation's IT ecosystem.

It can be incredibly time-consuming to manually track all this data, and doing so is also destined for failure. The traditional approaches cannot keep up with the fluidity and dynamism of modern attack surfaces, and hackers constantly probe the Internet for exposures, not on an ad hoc basis.

Defining attack surface management

ASM is a dedicated and continuous approach to identifying, monitoring, and managing all assets and exposures connected to the Internet for potential risks and attack vectors. The need for constant visibility warrants continuity to stay on top of your Internet-exposed assets and digital footprint to better manage cyber risks.

ASM allows a deeper understanding of the organisation's attack surface, exposure, and vulnerabilities. The insights derived from it also inform IT security teams which activities are a priority for reducing the attack surface and, ultimately, overall vulnerability.

Key capabilities of ASM solutions

1. Contextual prioritisation

The discovery and inventory process of the business's attack surface usually generates a ton of data, and it is essential to know that they will have varying levels of risk. ASM solutions can provide prioritised alerting that hones in on the highest-risk exposures and provides actionable context to deal with them first.

2. Digital footprint discovery

Identifying all Internet-connected assets and exposures is the first step to managing your attack surface, which is easily achieved with an automated and continuous discovery process. You can leverage various discovery methods, from advanced processes like scanning the clear and dark web and using open-source intelligence to more simple ways like scanning provisioned IP addresses and subnets.

3. Continuous monitoring

Continuous security monitoring is key to any effective ASM solution. As existing assets switch states, new assets get added to the IT ecosystem, or third-party code becomes vulnerable, this round-the-clock monitoring tracks and flags such developments into your risk profile.

Benefits of ASM

Below is a quick rundown of the tangible benefits of having a comprehensive ASM solution:

• Facilitates quick visibility into critical external exposures such as unnecessary open ports, leaky cloud buckets, and expired SSL certificates.
• Intelligence from illicit clear and dark web marketplaces where hackers may sell stolen credentials from your organisation's users.
• Swift remediation of exposures and high-risk vulnerabilities by cutting through the noise and allowing security teams to address the riskiest assets.
• Support your remote or hybrid employees while reducing the security concerns regarding external access to internal systems.
• Gain total visibility into potential shadow IT assets that your security teams are unaware of and may pose a significant risk to your systems and data.
• Identifying and mitigating potential attack vectors proactively minimises the company's risk of data breaches.
• Demonstrating a commitment to securing every component of your digital infrastructure will have stakeholders and customers more trusting of your company.

Conclusion

Modern ASM solutions are indispensable as they provide a real-time view of an organisation's digital footprint and help proactively remediate its digital risks. With the risk of suffering a cyber attack now at an all-time high, it pays to have unrivalled visibility into your attack surface.

Ensure all-around protection for your IT environments today with the help of our cybersecurity professionals at GROUP8. Our industry-leading cybersecurity services in Singapore include everything from VAPT to endpoint security to bolster your security posture and fend off all known and unknown threats. Contact us today for more details.