According to Forrester, External Attack Surface Management (EASM) will emerge as a market category in 2021 and gain popularity in 2022. In another report, Gartner concludes that vulnerability management vendors are expanding their offerings to include attack surface management (ASM) for suites. Provides a comprehensive offensive security solution.
Recognition by global analysts has officially put ASM on the map and evolved the way security leaders approach cybersecurity.
Why now is the right time to manage your attack surface
Today’s businesses rely more than ever on digital assets. Changes over time include increased use of the cloud, more remote workers, and a massive expansion of digital assets through mergers and acquisitions.
As a result, the enterprise-managed known and unknown attack surface has expanded, providing more avenues for malicious actors to enter the environment.
For example, consider the following parable. If you have only one entrance to your house, you can attach 100 keys for extra security. But if your house has 100 doors, each door can only have one key. In this case, reducing the number of doors in your home, or assets for attackers to enter, creates a more secure environment. This is where attack surface management comes into play.
Role of EASM in Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM)
EASM differs from similar market categories such as cyber attack surface management (CAASM) and security risk assessment services, but the differences are subtle. In his recent Gartner® report, the authors recommend further education about the role her ASM plays within Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) to help security leaders drive their programs forward. .
Gartner defines CTEM as “a set of processes and capabilities that enable companies to continuously and consistently assess the accessibility, exposure, and usability of their digital and physical assets.”
Five Phases of Continuous Threat Exposure Management
- scoping
- discover
- prioritization
- inspection
- mobilization
Attack Surface Management leverages the first three phases of CTEM: inventory of known digital assets, continuous discovery of unknown assets, and human intelligence to prioritize critical exposures for timely remediation. We help you scope, discover and prioritize by supporting your business through In some cases, offensive security providers take this a step further by performing penetration tests against identified vulnerabilities to validate vulnerabilities and prove exploitation. This is a true testament to her ASM partner.
“By 2026, organizations that prioritize security investments based on an ongoing exposure management program will be three times less likely to suffer a breach.”
Attack surface management supports scoping, detection and prioritization
Let’s take a closer look at the first three phases of CTEM.
- scope: Identify known and unknown exposures by mapping your organization’s attack surface.
- discover: Discover misconfigurations and vulnerabilities within your attack surface.
- Prioritization: Evaluate the potential for exploitation of exposures. The best attack surface management platforms combine technological innovation and human ingenuity to validate alerts and add context to help prioritize remediation efforts.
Address the expanding attack surface
Defining where ASM fits into existing security strategies can help leaders choose the right mix of technologies for their offensive security programs.
NetSPI has been recognized as an Authorized EASM Vendor by Gartner® and Forrester. Explore NetSPI’s ASM platform or request a conversation to advance your aggressive security program.
Note: This expert-contributed article was written by Jake Reynolds. Jake is a graduate of his Science in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He specializes in enterprise web development and currently leads research and development of new penetration testing technologies at NetSPI.
NetSPI is a leading attack security company that provides comprehensive penetration testing, attack surface management, breach and attack simulation solutions. With 20 years of experience, our cybersecurity experts protect prominent organizations around the world, including top banks, cloud providers, healthcare companies, and Fortune 500 companies. Headquartered in Minneapolis, it has offices in the US, Canada, UK and India.
