Attack surface monitoring is a cybersecurity practice that focuses on continuously identifying and assessing an organization’s assets and potential attack vectors. Given the continuous expansion of attack surfaces, it is essential for security teams to conduct a nonstop sweep of their exposure.
Attack Surface Monitoring: A Deep Dive
What Are the Foundations of Effective Attack Surface Monitoring?
Robust attack surface monitoring depends on several factors. We’ll dive into each of them below.
Well-Engineered Asset Discovery Methods
Among the strongest foundations of attack surface monitoring are extended and reliable asset discovery methods. Like all other cybersecurity and attack surface-related processes, monitoring relies on a comprehensive and reliable asset catalog.
Organizations must be able to identify and catalog all their systems and applications, particularly those that are external-facing and more visible to attackers like websites, APIs, open ports, and cloud services, as their exposure and accessibility make these assets prime targets for exploitation.
It’s also essential to use asset discovery methods that produce the highest number of true positives and minimal number of false positives, allowing organizations to focus on real threats and, therefore, improve efficiency in securing their attack surface.
Accurate Vulnerability Catalog
An accurate representation of vulnerabilities is another key factor in the effectiveness of attack surface monitoring. That means a clear and up-to-date record of the weaknesses in your organization’s assets is required to ensure your monitoring is accurate.
Whether they are misconfigurations or security issues listed as part of the Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) or Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system, you need to fully understand their impact, severity level, and the assets they affect.
Structured Vulnerability Management Strategy
Attack surface monitoring is only effective when supported by a robust vulnerability management strategy. This strategy involves cyber risk prioritization since not all security issues carry the same level of importance. As part of the prioritization process, security teams may use vulnerability scoring systems like the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) and Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), which cover insights from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog.
Additionally, most vulnerability management strategies include risk mitigation techniques like automated patch management for critical vulnerabilities to minimize the exposure window, where possible. Since patches are not silver bullets, security teams may still need to test them to avoid introducing new vulnerabilities or causing system disruptions.
For vulnerabilities without available patches, organizations may opt to specify and implement compensating controls or alternative methods to help mitigate risks. All these should be incorporated into your attack surface monitoring strategy to make it effective.
Why Does Attack Surface Monitoring Matter to CISOs?
CISOs and other security leaders need all the help they can get in the face of attack surface expansion, coupled with the relentless innovation of cyber attack methods.
Attack surface monitoring can play a crucial role as CISOs race against the clock by enabling security teams to identify and address vulnerabilities faster. It also provides real-time visibility into their attack surface, thereby enhancing their organization’s understanding of its overall cybersecurity posture.
As a result, security executives can gain insights needed to make informed decisions about security investments, resource allocation, and risk mitigation strategies. Moreover, attack surface monitoring also allows CISOs to minimize the risk of regulatory fines and penalties since all assets are accounted for and secured.
How Can Organizations Integrate Attack Surface Monitoring into Their Overall Security Strategy?
There are several important factors to consider when incorporating attack surface monitoring into your cybersecurity strategy.
First, the monitoring process should align with your unique needs. Organizations that rely on multiple vendors and use an extensive technology stack, for instance, need to ensure their monitoring process provides visibility across all technologies and associated vulnerabilities.
The tools used for this process should also integrate well with existing solutions to streamline security operations and avoid difficulty with vulnerability data sharing and correlation.
Finally, attack surface monitoring should let you keep up with the latest security threats and trends. Monitoring systems, therefore, must be able to tap into relevant threat and vulnerability intelligence sources and standards.
Key Takeaways
- Attack surface monitoring is the continuous identification and assessment of an organization’s assets and potential attack vectors.
- Among its foundations are reliable asset discovery methods, an accurate representation of vulnerabilities, and an efficient vulnerability management strategy.
- The process helps CISOs implement fast vulnerability response, obtain real-time visibility into their attack surface, make informed decisions, and comply with regulations.
- Any tool used to implement the monitoring process must align with an organization’s unique needs, work well with other solutions, and tap into deep vulnerability intelligence.
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