External Attack Surface Management (EASM) is a critical tool in the modern cybersecurity landscape. It plays an indispensable role in identifying, managing, and mitigating risks affiliated with organizations’ exposed digital assets.
In this article, we will dissect how EASM is influencing the cybersecurity industry, its key components, efficacious solutions, and best strategies to maximize its benefits.
Contemporary digital landscapes are typified by rapidly evolving digital footprints, and the structure of a typical business’s digital perimeter is more fluid, complex, and multifaceted than ever before. Amidst this dynamism, nurturing strong cyber hygiene has never been more pertinent.
Compliance with regulatory requirements, addressing frequent security incidents, and managing hidden or unmanaged shadow IT assets are the present day’s immense cybersecurity challenges.
A strategic solution to these prevalent challenges is External Attack Surface Management (EASM). It fosters a harmonious alignment of technologies, processes, and tactics to ascertain and control the cybersecurity risks that threaten an organization’s digital assets.
EASM is a multifaceted discipline that pivots around several key elements:
- Asset discovery and ongoing monitoring
- Thorough risk assessment
- Swift and targeted risk mitigation
- Constant adaptation and evolution to the changing digital landscape
Understanding External Attack Surface Management
External Attack Surface Management, often abbreviated as EASM, promotes the judicious management of cybersecurity risks that gravitate towards an organization’s external-facing digital assets. The expansive nature of today’s digital supply chains, coupled with an organization’s sizable digital footprint, amplifies the criticality of proactive EASM strategies for risk management.
However, understanding EASM calls for a detailed examination of its key activities:
- Monitoring: Real-time scanning of the organization’s digital perimeter provides clarity about its structure and vulnerabilities. Monitoring facilitates the detection and documentation of rogue assets and unknown assets that might have slipped under the radar.
- Identifying: Continuous discovery and contextualizing of external digital assets are pivotal. Be it software assets or hardware systems, EASM is instrumental in comprehending their interconnections and dependencies.
- Reducing: Once identified and monitored, the next step is to minimize each identified asset’s attack vector. Thorough mapping of these attack vectors, combined with rigorous risk assessment, paves the way for targeted risk mitigation.
- Mitigating Risks: Based on risk profiles, EASM provides a robust framework for risk mitigation. It sets forth prioritized remediation workflows to address the heightened risk areas and ensures that these are resolved quickly and effectively.
The primary objective of EASM methodologies is to secure an organization’s internet-facing assets. By fending off the threat actors and cybercriminals’ malicious inductions, EASM propels a security-first culture within the organization and supports its constant adaptation to the fluctuating threat landscape.
Components of EASM
External Attack Surface Management is underpinned by a suite of sophisticated cybersecurity tools. Leveraging technology for asset discovery and management, risk identification, vulnerability assessment, and risk mitigation not only streamlines the process but elevates the effectiveness of EASM.
Key components include:
- Vulnerability scanners: These tools are integral to identifying vulnerabilities within an organization’s external digital assets. They provide real-time scanning capabilities and continuous vulnerability assessment, which aid in the prompt detection of threats.
- Penetration testing tools: These cybersecurity tools simulate a real cyber attack and test the security measure’s resilience, helping the organization identify weak points and mitigate potential risks proactively.
- SIEM solutions: Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions provide a unified view of an organization’s security landscape by collecting and analyzing log and event data from various sources in real-time. SIEM is crucial for detecting risks and potential cyber threats.
- Asset management solutions: These solutions facilitate the ongoing discovery and monitoring of an organization’s digital assets. They provide a comprehensive view, enabling the organization to assess the health and security of each asset.
- Risk mitigation software: Software that assists in managing, measuring, and mitigating risks. These tools, such as BlueFort and Snyk, enable the creation of remediation workflows and ensure risks are readily addressed.
Implementing EASM
Implementing EASM is a strategic decision that begets tangible benefits. Organizations must conscientiously plan their approach and ensure the appropriate alignment of people, processes, and tools to extract the maximum advantage.
Consider the following guidelines when implementing EASM:
- Assemble a dedicated team: Put together a skilled team entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the EASM implementation process. This team could include IT administrators, security analysts, and compliance officers.
- Choose the right tools: The cybersecurity tools you choose play a critical role in enabling efficient asset discovery, security monitoring, risk management, and mitigation. It’s strongly recommended to opt for comprehensive and integrated solutions such as UpGuard BreachSight, which offer extensive visibility and control over your digital assets.
- Adopt an asset-first, risk-based approach: High-risk assets should be flagged and prioritized. Such an approach ensures resources are deployed efficiently and the organization’s most sensitive and valuable assets are protected first.
- Promote a security-first culture: Everyone in the organization, regardless of what role they play, carries some responsibility towards maintaining security. Therefore, cultivating a security-first culture among the workforce is crucial. This extends to frequent security awareness training, mandating security practices, and promoting a proactive attitude towards cyber hygiene.
- Leverage security intelligence: Stay vigilant and informed about the evolving threat landscape. Integrating threat intelligence feeds into your EASM processes will facilitate timely detection and prompt response, ultimately strengthening your defenses.
Evolving External Attack Surface Management
External Attack Surface Management (EASM) is not just a buzzword, but a fundamental aspect of modern cybersecurity. By helping organizations identify, manage, and mitigate risks associated with their digital assets, it provides a crucial line of defense against cyber attacks.
An effective EASM strategy coupled with the right set of tools not only amplifies your security posture but empowers you to maintain strong cyber hygiene. It sheds light on previously unknown assets, unravels potential vulnerabilities, and proffers a blueprint to craft remediation strategies. The real-time, continuous monitoring enables swift adaptations to evolving threat landscapes.
In essence, EASM paves the way for an organization to guard its digital perimeter proactively, protect critical assets, and stay a step ahead of lurking cyber threats – thus nurturing a more secure digital ecosystem.
- How to Evaluate Cybersecurity Risks in SME Supply Chains - August 25, 2024
- Cybersecurity Strategies for SMEs in the Financial Sector - August 21, 2024
- Creating a Cybersecurity Checklist for Small Businesses - August 17, 2024
