Top 3 reasons why attack surface management (ASM) is not enough

Top 3 reasons why attack surface management (ASM) is not enough

 

Background and definitions

Over the last few years there were large investments by most enterprises in vulnerability management, patching management, and attack surface management and monitoring.

These are important activities that are tied together, but due to the large amount of data and work involved in this process and the continuous nature of the vulnerability management and patching management process, the time to remediation is long. Without adding strong security measures to address critical risks outside the ongoing management and patching process, Enterprises are going to be at risk from targeted cyber attacks.

 

What is attack surface management?

Attack surface management is the process of identifying and addressing vulnerabilities and potential entry points for attacks on an organization’s network, systems, and data. This involves conducting regular assessments and scans to identify vulnerabilities, analyzing the potential impact of those vulnerabilities, and implementing measures to mitigate the risks they pose.

 

What is vulnerability management?

Vulnerability management is the ongoing process of identifying, analyzing, and mitigating vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. This process involves regularly scanning systems and software for vulnerabilities, prioritizing vulnerabilities based on their potential impact and ease of exploitation, and applying patches or other mitigations to address those vulnerabilities.

 

What is patching management?

Patching management is the process of identifying and applying patches or updates to address vulnerabilities in an organization’s systems and software. This process involves regularly checking for available patches, testing them to ensure they don’t cause any unintended consequences, and deploying them in a timely manner to minimize the window of opportunity for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities.

 

Three main reasons why attack surface management (ASM) is not enough

Attack surface management (ASM) is a cybersecurity strategy that involves identifying, analyzing, and reducing the number and severity of vulnerabilities in an organization’s systems and networks. While ASM is an important part of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, it is not a complete solution for protecting against cyber threats and can be insufficient for the following reasons:

 

1. ASM focuses on vulnerabilities that are known or suspected to exist, but it cannot protect against unknown vulnerabilities or zero-day attacks.

 

2. ASM does not address a broad type of security risks such as misconfigurations, broken access, weak credentials and more.

 

3. ASM does not provide real-time protection against active attacks, as it is focused on identifying and addressing vulnerabilities before they are exploited.

 

 

Enterprises need to enhance their security posture to be able to prevent targeted attacks

While all of these activities are important for maintaining the security of an organization’s systems and data, they are not enough to address the full range of risks posed by targeted attacks, such as advanced persistent threats (APTs). This is because the scope of attack surface management, vulnerability management, and patching management is limited to the organization’s internal systems and assets. However, attackers frequently target an organization’s external assets, such as websites, cloud infrastructure, and applications, as a way to gain access to the organization’s internal systems and data.

 

To address these risks, enterprises need to add external attack surface protection to their security stack. External attack surface management and protection is the process of identifying and addressing vulnerabilities and potential entry points for attacks on an organization’s internet-facing assets. This involves regularly assessing and scanning the organization’s external assets to identify misconfigurations and vulnerabilities, analyzing the potential impact of those misconfigurations or vulnerabilities, and implementing measures to mitigate the risks they pose.

 

 

 

Why you need to apply external attack surface management and protection now

There are several reasons why it is important to deploy a solution for external attack surface management and protection now.

 

1. Attack surface is widening fast posing a challenge to the security teams

The IT ecosystem is constantly growing, and this growth has been accelerated by the move to remote work, digitalization, and cloud transformation. This has created an expanding attack surface that is becoming increasingly complex and dispersed. As a result, organizations today lack the capabilities required to validate their security coverage across all of their assets, including on-premises systems, cloud infrastructure, internet of things (IoT) devices, and software as a service (SaaS) applications.

 

2. Threat is getting bigger with growth in attacks quantity and sophistication

Attackers have become more sophisticated in recent years, and cutting-edge attack tools are more accessible for bad actors. This means that organizations are at an increased risk of being targeted by sophisticated attacks that are designed to evade traditional security measures.

 

3. Regulatory compliance requirements mandating external attack surface protection

Finally, regulatory compliance requirements are increasingly mandating the need for external attack surface management and protection. Many industries, such as healthcare and financial services, have strict requirements for the security of external assets, and failure to meet these requirements can result in significant fines and reputational damage.

 

External attack surface management and protection

It is worth noting that external attack surface management and protection is just one component of a comprehensive security strategy and will help secure the “virtual perimeter” against targeted attacks. Organizations should also have robust internal security measures in place, such as firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and network segmentation, to protect against threats that originate from within the organization. In addition, organizations should have a robust incident response plan in place to handle situations where an attack does occur, as well as regular employee training to educate employees about the importance of cybersecurity and how they can help to protect the organization’s assets.

 

One of the key challenges of implementing an external attack surface management and protection solution is the sheer volume of internet-facing assets that an organization may have. This can include websites, cloud infrastructure, and applications, as well as internet of things (IoT) devices and software as a service (SaaS) applications. Managing and securing all of these assets can be a daunting task, especially for larger organizations with a large and dispersed attack surface.

To address this challenge, it is important for organizations to have a clear understanding of their external attack surface and the assets that are critical to their business. This will allow them to prioritize their efforts and focus on the assets that are most at risk.

 

It is important to note that external attack surface management and protection is not a one-time effort, but rather a continuous process that requires ongoing monitoring and maintenance. This is because the threat landscape is constantly evolving, and new vulnerabilities are being discovered all the time.

As a result, it is essential for organizations to have a process in place for regularly scanning and assessing their external assets to identify misconfigurations and new vulnerabilities and apply patches or other mitigations as needed.

 

Ovalsec – The next generation attack surface protection platform

 

To address the risk of targeted attacks against their IT infrastructure, enterprises need to add external attack surface protection to their security stack. Ovalsec offers an advanced external attack surface management and protection platform that provides organizations with the tool they need to identify and mitigate misconfigurations and vulnerabilities and reduce the risk of being targeted by attackers.

 

Ovalsec’s external attack surface management and protection platform provides organizations with advanced risk detection techniques to improve security and help prevent targeted attacks. The platform uses real world attacker methodologies and cutting-edge attack techniques to give organizations full visibility on their external attack surface and help them close security gaps and reduce the risk from targeted cyberattacks.

 

Implementing an external attack surface management and protection solution can be a complex and time-consuming process, especially for organizations with a large and dispersed attack surface.

 

Another benefit of Ovalsec’s external attack surface management and protection platform is that it is designed to be easy to use and integrate with existing SOC systems.

Ovalsec is a cloud-based SaaS solution, which doesn’t require any integration and takes about one minute to deploy. The platform provides a single pane of glass view of the organization’s external attack surface, which makes it easy for security teams to identify and prioritize vulnerabilities and risks and take action to mitigate them. The platform also includes automation capabilities that allow security teams to automate the process of scanning, assessing, and mitigating vulnerabilities, which can significantly reduce the time and effort required to maintain the security of the organization’s external assets.

 

The benefits of an external attack surface solution far outweigh the costs. By reducing the risk of being targeted by sophisticated attacks, organizations can save themselves significant time, money, and reputational damage that can result from a successful attack. In addition, implementing an external attack surface management and protection solution can help organizations to comply with regulatory requirements and demonstrate to customers and other stakeholders that they are taking their security seriously.

 

Conclusion: Security leaders must go beyond traditional measures to protect against targeted attacks

In conclusion, while attack surface management, vulnerability management, and patching management are important activities for maintaining the security of an organization’s systems and data, they are not enough to address the full range of risks posed by targeted attacks, such as advanced persistent threats (APTs). By implementing a comprehensive security strategy that includes external attack surface management and protection, organizations can improve their security posture and reduce the risk of being targeted by sophisticated attacks.