How Does Attack Surface Management Protect Data?
Tags: webdev, beginners, tutorial
Published: 2023-02-16 07:09:32

In cybersecurity, data protection is focused on keeping threat actors out of the infrastructure.

Therefore, having multiple solutions that guard the points within the architecture where a cybercriminal could try to get illicit access is essential.

Even more, it should also prevent the further lateral movement of the intruder in case it manages to get into the network.

How can you [prevent malicious activity in the first place](https://www.dataversity.net/seven-preventative-cyber-security-tips-smes-should-take-today/)?

One of the tools that have proven to be the major asset in the discovery of assets that are at risk of hacking is attack surface management.

In what way does it secure data? That's something we're uncovering today.

**Cataloging the Assets Within Attack Surface**
One of the main [capabilities of the attack surface management tool](https://cymulate.com/solutions/attack-surface-management/) is that it can scan the surface at all times, find the assets that the company has (such as data), and analyze whether the information is at risk.

The final goal of the management tool is to uncover which assets are exposed and secure them before they cause a data breach or unauthorized access within the infrastructure.

Besides data, the management tool also seeks any software and hardware that is used for work, assets that are no longer active, components that have been created by the malicious actor to harm the company, assets that are controlled by another vendor, and more.

Once the solution discovers another asset of a company, it adds it to the dashboard. For security teams, this means that they have the records of all the most important data, hardware, and software of a company in a single place.
Such increased visibility is also important once the assets are linked to the specific vulnerabilities that the company has. That is, they can easily see which information or tools expose the company to hackers.

When the data is registered, the ASM approaches it as a threat actor to determine whether they present a major risk to a company's data - whether they have to be taken care of right away.

For the critical threats and flaws that are detected, security analysts can read about the suggested ways to mitigate the issue and patch up flaws on the dashboard.

**Automated Discovery of New Vulnerabilities**
Considering that the attack surface management tool is automated, it can work in the background 24/7 and repeat the cycle of scanning, asset discovery, classification, and generating reports.

Since businesses now have more data and devices than ever, automation is the only way to track and analyze all of it on time.

Many of the assets that are uncovered and categorized by the attack surface management would otherwise bypass the traditional security tools such as Firewalls or Endpoint Detection and Response.

Moreover, it has to be evaluated whether the assets are endangered by both old and new threats.

Attack surface management is linked to MITRE to test the assets that have been identified against both well-known exploits and those that have been recently found in the wild.

[The MITRE ATT&CK Framework is a vast knowledge base](https://attack.mitre.org/), a library of all the latest hacking techniques. What's more, it also describes how the specific flaw can be patched up for stronger security.

The last feature that is automated is the report of the latest findings. It elaborates on which assets are discovered exactly and whether they represent a major risk for the company, and what to do about it.

**Identifying Leaked Information On the Internet**
Internet-facing assets available to a potential hacker must also be considered during the asset discovery and analysis. They might be putting the data at risk without the company's knowledge.

For example, passwords might be available on the dark web or hacking forums, and a worker might access a website that compromises the systems (if they're infected with malware) or connects to the network with a device that hasn't been approved by the company.

An external attack surface management tool that can find such liabilities is designed to [detect leaked credentials and shadow IT](https://www.dataversity.net/shadow-it-not-a-problem-or-worse-than-ever/).

Passwords that can grant unauthorized access to a hacker and information about the employees that could lead to a social engineering attack, such as successful phishing schemes, are a cause of concern.

Another challenge is that the external attack surface is rapidly growing as more data is available online and more employees connect to the network with their own devices.
How to tell which information and flaws could damage the infrastructure of a company?

As attack surface management approaches the surface as an adversary, it assesses whether the leaked or publicly accessible records can, in fact, enable illicit access to hackers.

To do so, it relies on automated red teaming, which tests the surface against known and recently updated exploits that might endanger the records. During the exercise, the attacks are simulated in a safe environment.

Red teaming evaluates the security teams and security 24/7. The goal is to determine if they would be ready in the case of a real attack. It runs in the background and doesn't affect the actual systems.

**Stopping Malicious Attacks On Time**
To wrap things up, attack surface management aids security teams in stopping cyber threats that might endanger data - [such as ransomware and data breaches](https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/blog/ransomware-facts-threats-and-countermeasures).

Employee passwords available on the internet, personal devices workers use at work, and unpatched vulnerabilities are some of the cybersecurity issues that might enable hacking activity.

The tool automatically collects, analyzes, and tests all the assets to report on the dashboard whether the information is at risk.

Also, it prescribes possible solutions on how to improve security and prevent high-risk issues (e.g. leaked passwords) from endangering the system.

Working non-stop and updating the dashboard means that security teams can trace the vulnerabilities in real time and patch them up before they escalate into major incidents and critical data is lost forever.