Attackers have many ways to try and break into your network, but with the attack surface mapping technique, you can identify all risky entry points and then take steps to close them off or make them more secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goal of attack surface mapping is to determine which parts of a system need to be tested for security vulnerabilities or where a hacker could attack your network or application. It is important to understand that this does not mean you need to secure everything on your list, but it does help you prioritize what needs more attention. Let’s put it into some perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An attack surface is defined as a total of external-facing entry points for unauthorized access to break into your system. Hackers could creep into your system through your attack surface, containing all possible attack vectors, a.k.a vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A malicious actor could exploit your attack surface and breach past your firewalls to access, for example, your:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unattended attack surfaces are like ticking time bombs awaiting a threat actor to exploit and explode. Once past your firewalls, hackers could expose sensitive corporate data, ask for ransom, and place malware into your network, among many other destructive actions. Hacks like these are costly and corrosive for companies of all sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As per a study, the global average cost of a data breach<\/a> in 2022 has increased to $4.35 million. What’s alarming is that another study examining 500 firms across 13 countries has shown that the average time to spot a data breach is around 206 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cybersecurity experts divide attack surfaces into three categories: digital attack surfaces, physical attack surfaces, and social engineering attack surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The digital attack surface encompasses the entire set of vulnerabilities and potential entry points within an organization’s digital infrastructure, which malicious actors might exploit. This includes both sanctioned and unsanctioned assets, ranging from servers, network ports, and software applications to websites, code, and the often covert realm of “shadow IT<\/a>,” where employees might use unauthorized devices or applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Download a free eBook<\/a>: An MSP\u2019s Guide to Combating Shadow IT<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The physical attack surface refers to all the vulnerabilities, access points, and exposure areas in an organization’s physical environment that can be exploited by malicious actors. This includes not just the tangible infrastructure such as buildings, access doors, and communication hardware, but also the people who can be targeted for social engineering or coercion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Factors like building access control mechanisms, surveillance systems, hardware disposal processes, and even employee awareness programs can influence the size and security of the physical attack surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The social engineering attack surface refers to the vulnerabilities introduced by people’s susceptibility to manipulation and deception within an organization. It’s about how easily individuals can be tricked into revealing information or taking actions that compromise security. Examples include falling for phishing emails or letting unauthorized people into secure areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attack surface mapping or attack surface analysis is about an analyzing system in place to see the vulnerable areas in an application. The primary goal of attack surface mapping is understanding the weak spots in your infrastructure, letting cybersecurity experts know about them, and finding ways to reduce the attack surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, attack surface analysis is a process that can be used to identify and prioritize the attack surface of an application. It is a technique for understanding the attack vectors available to an attacker, and it can be used to spot vulnerabilities in the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some attack points include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attack surface mapping helps organizations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attack surface analysis is typically conducted by security architects and pen testers. However, developers should also understand and monitor attack surfaces as they build, design, and change a system. The process can be undertaken manually or using automated tools for attack surface management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The need for managing a growing attack surface has become inevitable as the technological environments grew complex and dispersed. From on-premises to SaaS applications, cloud, and supply chain touch points, companies face new attack vectors every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about all the possible risky areas in your company’s internal systems, like cloud usage and SaaS applications. Even something seemingly trivial as a Google Doc file can present an attack surface, let alone popular day-to-day SaaS applications like Slack, Jira, and GitHub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s fundamental for every organization to establish and maintain a strong security posture. That requires your weak spots of security hygiene to be internally visible so that you can map and address them before they are exploited. Regardless, most organizations fail to validate control coverage and identify cyber risks effectively and on time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned earlier, with the increase in digital assets sprawled across various cloud infrastructures and SaaS applications, enterprise IT requires new methods of visualizing and prioritizing management of a company’s attack surface. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The trending method for asset visibility is using Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM)<\/a> to aggregate assets and understand risk context. CAASM can help you better analyze your attack surface and tie a knot on attack vectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Defining the attack surface of your organization involves identifying all the potential points where unauthorized access or data breaches could occur, either digitally or physically. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you define your organization’s attack surface:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital Assets:<\/strong> List all software applications, operating systems, databases, networks, cloud services, APIs, web portals, and connected devices. Examine how data traverses your organization. Understand not just where it resides but also how it moves between departments, systems, or third parties. Recognize that data in transit can be vulnerable, just like stationary data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital:<\/strong> Review every digital doorway into your systems, from open network ports to user interfaces. Each represents a potential vulnerability if not properly secured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Physical: <\/strong>Consider every physical entrance, including doors, windows, and access gates. A single unsecured point can compromise an otherwise fortified establishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zero trust<\/a> policy requires all users, inside or outside an organization’s network, to be authorized, authenticated, and continuously validated for security purposes. In other words, no user should have access to your assets until they have proven their identity. This model revolves around a mindset that puts security over convenience to minimize attack surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Backups of data and code are widespread attack surfaces that hackers exploit. Applying strict protection protocols like immutability is a good rule of thumb to protect your backups. These protocols may include access restrictions and evaluating the vendor’s security measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, many companies of all sizes around the world rely on Amazon S3 buckets for cloud storage, while most are negligent of their access and security configurations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizations should restrict access to their resources and sensitive data, both internally and externally. In an average company, people continuously move in and out of work. Access permissions should be revoked as soon as a person leaves your organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You should always check your access control protocols as a part of your attack surface mapping operations. Best practices for access controls to avoid unauthorized access include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital assets, like repositories, credentials, API keys, and users, present vulnerability risks. As your company’s resources increase, so does your attack surface. You must automate your asset scanning and maintain it regularly to keep things working. Configurations drift, assets grow, and things break; you must be able to identify them before it’s too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Complexity elimination in terms of attack surface analysis can be a huge time-saver and productivity boost for your security and development teams. CAASM tools can uncover your threat vectors and automate the vulnerability scanning process. As one popular cybersecurity saying goes: you can’t secure what you can’t see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Securing the authorized and unauthorized SaaS applications used in your organization is also critical in minimizing the attack points hackers can exploit. A SaaS security tool can help you discover all the apps employees login, identify, and help you remediate the security risks in those applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attack surface mapping is a cybersecurity technique that helps identify an organization’s attack surface. It is a process that spots the different points of vulnerability in a system and provides recommendations for reducing the attack surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attack surface mapping can be done manually or with automated tools. Manual mapping is done by finding all security gaps in a given system and assigning them to one of three categories: low, medium, or high risk. Automated tools, on the other hand, are used to pinpoint vulnerabilities and provide recommendations for eliminating risk, but they automate the process and minimize oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our customers tell us that asset management<\/a> is also important for security and IT operations. JumpCloud is enhancing its platform<\/a> to unify SaaS, IT security, and asset management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Attack surface mapping is a cybersecurity technique that helps identify an organization’s attack surface. Here’s what you need to know about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":229,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"collection":[2775],"platform":[],"funnel_stage":[3016],"coauthors":[3218,2535],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat are the Types of Attack Surface?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Digital Attack Surface<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Physical Attack Surface<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Social Engineering Attack Surfaces<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is Attack Surface Mapping?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Why does internal attack surface analysis matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u200d1. Managing Complex and Growing Attack Surfaces<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Establishing a Strong Security Posture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Need for New Ways of Visualizing Dispersed IT Assets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Define the Attack Surface of Your Organization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Inventory Assets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Physical Assets:<\/strong> Note all office locations, data centers, server rooms, communication hardware, and employee devices.
Human Assets:<\/strong> Identify key personnel with privileged access, contractors, partners, or others with access to company information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Map Data Flows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Identify Access Points<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Review User Access<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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5. Check for Shadow IT<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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6. Analyze Previous Incidents<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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7. Understand Threat Landscape<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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8. Regularly Audit and Assess<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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9. Document and Update<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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10. Engage External Expertise (Optional)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to Reduce Your Internal Attack Surface<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Implement a Zero Trust Policy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Safeguard Your Backups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Maintain the Principle of Least Privilege<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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4. Regularly Scan Your Digital Assets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Leverage Tools and Surfaces for Visibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Secure SaaS Apps in Your Organization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Bottom line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n