Attack Surface Management
Do you have 100% of your organization’s attack surface inventoried? No, seriously. Do you know every device that’s logging into your network, including who it is, and when? Have you checked every proverbial door, window… basement, attic, heck, every nook and cranny? I would argue: probably not. In today’s environment, especially in this era of work-from-anywhere, the attack surface of today will most likely not be the same as tomorrow. To that end, attack surface management is a facet of Identity and Access Management that helps keep your organization safe.
How Is That Possible?
Think about it. Instead of logging in with their desktop computer from the office or even from their home, your employee could be a traveler, logging on with a laptop in a new country every week. The IP and MAC addresses of today could be completely different tomorrow, yet it’s the same person logging in to do their work from a new location.
However, people working from anywhere isn’t new information. We have collectively been adjusting to a more remote lifestyle since the beginning of 2020; and there have been many positive attitude adjustments to the changes. Things like reduced commute time, cooking at home instead of eating out, and spending extended periods of time in your hometown or getting to work remotely from an exotic location. These are great changes, but it means that your organization’s attack surface has increased dramatically.
Have You Adjusted Yet?
Who is out there to take advantage of a changing environment and zero day exploits? The bad guys! There are still criminals looking to gain access to your organization’s revenue and data. But this one isn’t a shocker… most cyber defenses aren’t as impenetrable as they were pre-pandemic.
What Changed?
Automation for one. Your concern should be the speed at which malicious actors can enter environments today. Threat actors are using automated scanning tools and bot networks to continuously scan the web for vulnerabilities. Just like you running errands and eating lunch at home, so the threat actors have adjusted to this new normal. When they return to their work station, what do they have? A prepared lead list of exploitable sites, ready to be prioritized and targeted. Where it used to take days to parse the data and find the vulnerabilities, it now takes hours, or even minutes, to take advantage of vulnerabilities and weak entry points into a network.
Your Defense Has To Be Just As Quick.
It’s probably time to go see the “cyber chiropractor” for an adjustment because having good threat intel, understanding your risk exposure, and layered defense will help your organization automate your response to an unwanted intruder. The US Marine Corps describes warfare as involving the application of art, science, and will. Cyberwarfare is no different. It is defenders and attackers compete against one another, using creative strategies, technical methodology and sheer willpower to gain an advantage over the other.
Including attack surface management as a part of your identity and access management plan can help you keep ahead of the hackers.
How Else Can You Stay Ahead Of The Curve?
Ensure you’re not the easy target in the neighborhood.
- Implement continuous monitoring / scanning of anything in your environment touching the internet.
- Complete an asset discovery. You can’t protect what you don’t know about.
- Analyze your environment to determine your risk exposure
- Prioritize your attack surface based off your analysis and business impact
- Remediate gaps to be proactive in your mitigation efforts
Need help? Reach out. Idenhaus can help with every facet of your cybersecurity needs- from drafting a roadmap for your cybersecurity plans, to implementing new changes and updating old strategies. Talk to our experts today to get started with your best cybersecurity plan yet. You can schedule some time with one of our experts here.
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By going to work quickly to solve the most challenging cybersecurity and identity management problems, Idenhaus takes the pain out of securing corporate information and assets for companies that aspire to maximize their potential in this digital age. You can contact us here..
