Brief about Siemba's External Attack Surface Management
Instead of reprimanding staff for using unmanaged assets, organizations should employ a unified security stack to secure assets, networks, and sensitive data. But this framework should assume that no user or device can be trusted by default and requires verification before granting access to resources. This helps organizations better manage their attack surface and protect against external threats.
Easier said than done, right? How do you tackle the seemingly impossible task of managing unmanaged assets? Or, more specifically, how would you strengthen your zero-trust strategy after all?
Consider a large enterprise that wants to modernize by rapidly migrating critical applications to the cloud. And driven by the need for agility and scalability, individual team members across departments spin up cloud instances and services—often independently. But security teams, traditionally focused on the internal network perimeter, struggle to keep pace with this distributed infrastructure. Unbeknownst to security leadership, several cloud assets may get inadvertently exposed to the public internet due to misconfigurations or inconsistent telemetry settings. These shadow assets, such as neglected subdomains or unsecured IPs, fall outside the security team’s direct visibility and become prime targets for malicious attackers.
This uncontrolled [external] expansion of the attack surface is precisely the problem External Attack Surface Management (EASM security) solves. EASM functions like a digital reconnaissance team for your organization. It continuously discovers and inventories all your internet-facing assets—the ones visible to potential attackers—so you can understand your external attack surface from an attacker's perspective.
And so, to better understand how EASM fits into your security framework, it’s important to distinguish it from Internal Attack Surface Management (IASM):
Because of the relentless push for digital transformation, organizations are operating increasingly complex, distributed infrastructures. Cloud adoption, touted for its agility, can often result in fragmented asset landscapes due to skill gaps and shoddy strategies. Remote work has also dissolved the traditional network perimeter, extending the attack surface far beyond the guarded walls. And when you factor in mergers and acquisitions, you're often inheriting IT environments with unknown vulnerabilities and blind spots.
This explosion of complexity is further compounded by the rise of Shadow IT. Engineering teams, contending with short deadlines and shrinking budgets, can often bypass formal IT processes and deploy their own applications and services. But these unsanctioned resources, operating outside the security team's purview, frequently become easy entry points for attackers. Not knowing what you have exposed is no longer a viable security posture.
The cost of inaction in this environment is steep. An unmanaged external attack surface is essentially an open invitation to threat actors. Of course, the potential consequences are well-known, but bear repeating: data breaches, regulatory fines, reputational damage, and significant financial losses. These aren't abstract risks; they are the very real outcomes of leaving your external attack surface unchecked.
This is why EASM isn't just a "good to have" – it's a critical component of modern security strategy. But beyond just reacting to threats, EASM enables a fundamentally more proactive security posture. With continuous visibility into your external-facing assets, EASM empowers security teams to shift from reactive firefighting to preemptive risk reduction. This proactive stance is imperative in today's threat landscape, where attackers are constantly probing for weaknesses with AI in the ever-expanding digital perimeter.
To manage and secure your external attack surface, EASM platforms typically offer a range of essential features designed to continuously monitor, assess, and prioritize vulnerabilities. These core functionalities include:
EASM platforms continuously and automatically discover your internet-facing assets. And this goes beyond known inventory and actively seeks out all externally visible systems, applications, and infrastructure – mimicking how an attacker would map your attack surface. It includes everything from web applications and APIs to cloud storage buckets and exposed databases, even those spun up outside of traditional IT oversight.
Once assets are discovered, EASM platforms analyze them for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and potential exposures. This analysis goes beyond simple port scanning, delving into application behavior, certificate validity, exposed services, and potential data leaks. Because the underlying goal is to understand the security posture of each identified asset from an external attacker's viewpoint.
EASM doesn't just surface vulnerabilities; it helps prioritize them based on risk. By considering factors like exploitability, potential impact, and asset criticality, EASM platforms enable security teams to focus on the most pressing issues first. This risk-based prioritization is crucial for efficient resource allocation and effective risk reduction.
The external attack surface is dynamic. EASM provides continuous monitoring of discovered assets for changes in security posture, new vulnerabilities, and emerging threats. Real-time alerts notify security teams of critical issues, allowing for rapid response and preventing potential breaches before they occur. This ongoing vigilance is essential in today's rapidly evolving threat landscape.
Building an effective EASM program requires the right combination of technology, expertise, and a proactive approach. Here's how Siemba can help you achieve that:
EASM is most effective when it’s part of a holistic security strategy. Siemba's Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) platform provides a comprehensive approach to proactively identify, prioritize, and manage vulnerabilities across your entire attack surface. With EASM natively integrated into our CTEM platform, you gain a unified view of your security posture and can make informed decisions on where to focus your resources.
Siemba's AI-powered automation eliminates blind spots faster than traditional methods. Unlike manual asset discovery, Siemba continuously scans for new exposures in real-time, ensuring you have an up-to-date view of your attack surface. This proactive approach helps you stay ahead of emerging threats and prevent potential breaches.
Siemba combines automation with on-demand ethical hacker specialty, ensuring that vulnerabilities are prioritized based on the likelihood of a real-world attack. This threat-centric approach helps your security team focus on the most critical issues first, enabling efficient remediation and risk reduction.