Attack Surface Management For Internet-Faced Assets

Attack surface management is the practice of monitoring an organization's IT infrastructure for potential attack vectors. Attackers are constantly looking for new ways to exploit vulnerabilities, so it is important for businesses to have a process in place to identify and address these risks. By understanding the various components that make up your attack surface, you can take steps to reduce the risk of a successful breach. In this blog post, we will discuss the basics of attack surface management for internet-faced assets and how you can implement it in your business.

What is an Attack Surface?

Your attack surface is the sum total of all the potential points of entry that an attacker could use to gain access to your systems and data. This includes everything from open ports and exposed services to unpatched vulnerabilities and weak passwords. The larger your attack surface, the greater the risk of a successful attack. Attack surface management is about reducing this risk by identifying and addressing potential security risks.

When it comes to internet-facing assets, your attack surface can be divided into these categories:

• Network infrastructure: This includes the internet interface of network devices (switches, firewalls, VPNs, and other devices) that make up your network. Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities in these devices to gain access to your internal network.
• Web applications: These are the applications and websites that are accessible to users on the internet. A web application contains many attack vectors due to its nature. Every user input, each third-party library (including plugins and templates), each page, directory, and error message can be used to find critical information and vulnerabilities. Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities in these applications to gain access to sensitive data or launch attacks against other systems.
• IP addresses / Services: IP addresses are the unique identifiers that identify your internet-facing assets. Services are the applications and protocols that run on these IP addresses. Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities in these services to gain access to your systems or launch attacks against other systems.
• Other Information: DNS records, WHOIS information, and email addresses can all be used to identify potential targets. Attackers can use this information to launch targeted attacks or collect intelligence about your organization.
• Humans: Social accounts, employees, and contractors all have may access to your systems and data. Attackers can exploit these relationships to gain access to your systems or launch attacks against other systems.

How to Implement Attack Surface Management?

Attack surface management is a continuous process that should be incorporated into your overall security strategy. Here are some steps you can take to get started:

• Discover all assets: The first step is to inventory all of the devices and applications that make up your attack surface. The assets can be a domain, IP addresses, web applications, network infrastructure, and more. (You can add any IP addresses, domains, or URLs as assets at https://app. securityforeveryone.com)
• Identify potential risks: Once all assets have been discovered, the next step is to identify potential security risks. This includes identifying open ports, unpatched vulnerabilities, weak passwords, and exposed services. (We test 2000+ vulnerabilities in full scan, or you can use free membership to use limited scans)
• Monitor changes: Attack surface management is not a one-time effort. It is important to continuously monitor your attack surface for changes. This includes monitoring for new assets, changes to existing assets, and changes in the risk landscape. (Continuous security can do this for you effortlessly.)
• Address risks: Once potential risks have been identified, it is important to address them. This may include patching vulnerabilities, hardening systems, and implementing security controls. (With the aid of advanced support, you may get assistance from our specialists.)

Reducing Your Attack Surface

Now that we understand what an attack surface is and how to implement it, let's take a look at how you can reduce the risk of a successful attack.

Here are some tips:

• Keep systems up to date: Attackers often exploit known vulnerabilities to gain access to systems. By keeping your systems up to date, you can reduce the risk of a successful attack.
• Remove / Disable unnecessary inputs: The more assets you have, the greater your attack surface. Remove any inputs and any assets that are not needed to reduce your exposure.
• Harden systems: Attackers often target weak passwords and unpatched vulnerabilities. By hardening your systems, you can make it more difficult for attackers to compromise them.
• Implement security controls: Attackers often exploit weak security controls to gain access to systems. By implementing strong security controls, you can make it more difficult for attackers to compromise your systems.

Attack surface management is a critical part of securing your organization's data and systems. By taking steps to discover, monitor, and reduce your attack surface, you can make it more difficult for attackers to succeed.

Security for Everyone can help you implement an attack surface management program that fits your needs. Visit our marketplace to learn more.

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