Attack Surface Management (ASM) helps organisations find and secure every possible entry point from cyber threats. This article will cover what ASM is, why it matters, and steps for implementing it effectively.
Attack Surface Management (ASM) is a proactive approach to cybersecurity that focuses on continuously monitoring and analysing an organisation's external attack surface management for vulnerabilities and potential attack vectors. This involves identifying both known and unknown vulnerabilities across IT assets, analysing how these vulnerabilities could be exploited, and taking remedial actions to mitigate them. The primary goal of ASM is to reduce the risk of cyber attacks by ensuring that all potential entry points are secure. An organisation’s attack surface encompasses all vulnerabilities and potential entry points that threat actors can exploit, making it a critical component of cybersecurity.
With the rise of remote work, attack surfaces have become larger and more complex. Continuous monitoring, discovery, and reduction of potential vulnerabilities enable ASM to help organisations stay ahead of threats and improve their overall security posture.
Attack Surface Management (ASM) revolves around continuous identification and evaluation of an organisation’s assets. Effective ASM tools offer comprehensive visibility into potential vulnerabilities through ongoing identification and evaluation of these assets. This ensures that security teams are aware of all possible entry points and can take appropriate action to secure them.
A critical aspect of ASM is risk assessment, which helps prioritise vulnerabilities based on their potential impact and likelihood of exploitation. Focusing on the most critical vulnerabilities first allows organisations to allocate resources more efficiently and improve their overall security posture. The security team plays a crucial role in this process by prioritising risks based on various factors and organisational priorities.
Effective ASM tools should also include features for asset classification and contextual risk assessment, allowing for a more nuanced analysis.
Attack surfaces can be divided into three primary categories. These are digital, physical, and social engineering types. Each type demands specific security measures. In what follows, we sketch out the specifics around each type of attack surface, exploring their characteristics and the security measures needed to mitigate associated risks.
The digital attack surface includes all assets that are connected to the internet, including the organisation’s attack surface. This encompasses:
Organisations are increasingly migrating their operations to the cloud. This digital footprint expansion creates additional potential entry points for cyber threats. Common vulnerabilities within the digital attack surface include misconfigurations, outdated software, and unauthorised applications. To mitigate these risks, employ strategies such as reducing code execution and implementing microsegmentation. Microsegmentation helps manage the attack surface by limiting its size and restricting lateral traffic within a network, thereby reducing the chances of a successful breach.
The physical attack surface focuses on endpoint devices, mobile devices, physical office locations, and security measures to prevent unauthorised physical access. Effective physical security involves monitoring devices, implementing strict access controls, and tracking hardware assets to ensure they are secure from physical attack surfaces. Protecting sensitive data stored on physical devices from unauthorised access and theft is part of risk mitigation strategies associated with device theft and insider threats.
To harden physical security, organisations can use measures such as:
These measures help protect against physical breaches and ensure that only authorised individuals can gain access to critical areas and devices, including the implementation of security controls.
The social engineering attack surface exploits human vulnerabilities through tactics like phishing, pretexting, baiting, and impersonation. Cybercriminals often leverage information gathered from social media and other sources to manipulate and deceive individuals into compromising security.
Educating employees on cybersecurity and how to identify suspicious activities reduces the likelihood of successful social engineering attacks.
Attack vectors are the paths that cybercriminals use to gain unauthorised access to a system. Some of the most common attack vectors include weak passwords, compromised credentials, and unpatched software. Weak passwords and compromised credentials are frequently exploited by attackers through brute force and phishing attacks.
Phishing attacks are particularly insidious as they rely on tricking users into revealing personal information by masquerading as legitimate communications from trusted sources. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, on the other hand, overwhelm a target’s resources, leading to service outages and accessibility issues. Public web applications are also vulnerable to attacks, including code injection, making them a common target for cybercriminals.
Addressing these attack vectors involves implementing strong password policies, regular software updates, and robust email security measures. Understanding and mitigating common attack vectors significantly reduces the risk of cyber attacks for organisations.
Implementing effective Attack Surface Management (ASM) involves several critical steps, including asset discovery, continuous monitoring, and regular security assessments. Each of these components plays a vital role in ensuring comprehensive security coverage and mitigating potential risks.
The following sections delve into each of these steps in detail.
Effective ASM requires a thorough inventory of both known and unknown assets to ensure comprehensive security coverage. This process, known as asset discovery, involves identifying all IT assets, including digital, physical, external, shared networks, and unknown assets. Establishing a continuous cycle of asset management is crucial for maintaining real-time visibility into devices, networks, and systems.
Asset discovery encompasses the mapping of various types of assets. This includes digital, physical, and external assets, as well as shared networks and social media entry points. Identifying unknown assets, personal devices, orphaned software, and hardware ensures that no potential entry point is overlooked.
Attack surface analysis involves a comprehensive identification and assessment of an organisation’s attack surface, encompassing all digital, physical, and external IT assets, shared networks, and social media entry points. By thoroughly mapping out these assets, organisations can gain a clear understanding of their attack surface and pinpoint potential vulnerabilities and attack vectors. This step is crucial for establishing a baseline from which to monitor changes and identify new threats as they emerge.
Once the attack surface has been analysed, the next step is risk prioritisation and remediation. This involves evaluating the identified vulnerabilities based on factors such as business impact, severity, exploitability, and the cost and effort required for remediation.
Continuous monitoring is essential for real-time detection of new vulnerabilities and immediate alerts for security teams. This ongoing surveillance of digital assets helps identify vulnerabilities as they emerge. Automated systems facilitate ongoing surveillance and classification of IT assets and their vulnerabilities.
Regular security assessments, including vulnerability scans and penetration tests, are essential for recognising and mitigating security gaps. These evaluations help organisations identify potential vulnerabilities and prioritise remedial measures to address them.
Limiting attack surface expansion is a critical strategy for reducing the risk of cyber attacks. As organisations grow and evolve, their attack surfaces can expand, creating new entry points for potential threats. Implementing strategies to control this expansion is essential for maintaining a robust security posture.
One effective approach is to adopt zero-trust policies, which strengthen the entire infrastructure by ensuring that only authorised individuals and devices can gain access to the network. This reduces the number of potential entry points and enhances overall security.
Eliminating complexity within the network is another key strategy. By disabling unnecessary or unused software and devices, organisations can simplify their network architecture, making it easier to manage and secure. Regularly scanning for vulnerabilities allows security teams to quickly identify and address potential issues before they can be exploited.
Network segmentation is also vital for minimising the size of the attack surface. By creating barriers within the network, organisations limit the movement of attackers and contain potential breaches. This approach, combined with employee training on best practices and recognising the signs of an attack, significantly reduces the risk of successful cyber attacks.
One effective strategy is to disable unnecessary or unused software and devices, which can eliminate potential entry points for cyber threats. Identifying and eliminating unnecessary attack vectors and implementing security best practices is crucial for effective attack surface reduction.
A zero-trust security model ensures that only authorised individuals have access to networks, reducing entry points to potential attacks. Network segmentation, achieved using tools such as firewalls and microsegmentation, can limit access and reduce risks. Establishing strict policies for software installation can prevent unauthorised applications from being added to the network, further reducing the attack surface.
Conducting routine audits helps identify and eliminate unmonitored or outdated systems that may expand the attack surface.
Modern ASM solutions automate the discovery of IT assets, improving visibility and security. This continuous monitoring and classification of IT assets and their vulnerabilities enable organisations to respond promptly to emerging threats.
Integrating automation with existing cybersecurity tools enhances threat detection and reduces false alarms. Intelligent automation, employing AI and machine learning, further improves threat exposure management and enhances resilience against potential attacks. Automating ASM allows organisations to quickly identify and secure assets, maintaining cybersecurity more effectively.
Choosing the right ASM tools is critical for effective Attack Surface Management. These tools should provide a complete overview and continuous monitoring of IT assets. Understanding the capabilities of ASM software helps organizations evaluate and select the right tools for their needs.
Digital attack surfaces, including web applications, APIs, and cloud services, are crucial focal points for cybersecurity. Selecting ASM tools that cater to these areas ensures comprehensive security coverage and effective risk mitigation.
By continuously monitoring, discovering, and reducing potential vulnerabilities, ASM helps organisations stay ahead and enhances their overall security posture. The key components of ASM, including asset discovery, continuous monitoring, and regular security assessments, ensure comprehensive security coverage and prompt response to emerging threats.
Implementing effective ASM strategies, leveraging automation, and selecting the right ASM tools are crucial for maintaining robust cybersecurity. By understanding and addressing the different types of attack surfaces and common attack vectors, organisations can build a proactive approach to safeguarding digital assets in a fast-moving cyber landscape.
Attack Surface Management (ASM) is the continuous monitoring and analysis of an organisation’s attack surface to identify vulnerabilities and potential attack vectors, ultimately aimed at reducing the risk of cyber attacks.
The key components of ASM are asset identification, risk assessment, continuous monitoring, and regular security assessments. These elements make for effective asset management and risk mitigation.
The primary types of attack surfaces are digital, physical, and social engineering, each necessitating targeted security strategies for effective management.
Automation enhances ASM by streamlining processes like asset discovery, vulnerability detection, vulnerability management, and remediation, which allows for continuous monitoring and quick responses to emerging threats. This leads to more effective and efficient security management.
Disabling unnecessary software and devices, adopting a zero-trust security model, implementing network segmentation, and conducting routine audits are effective strategies to significantly reduce an organisation’s attack surface. These measures collectively enhance security and mitigate potential vulnerabilities.