Attack Surface
The attack surface of an organization is the total sum of all points where an unauthorized user (an attacker) could potentially try to enter an environment and cause damage. This concept is crucial in cybersecurity because it directly relates to an organization's vulnerability to cyberattacks. A larger attack surface generally means more points of weakness that an attacker could exploit. It's essential to consider the attack surface from both an external and internal perspective, encompassing various technical, strategic, operational, and financial elements.
1. External Attack Surface
The external attack surface comprises all digital assets and resources that an organization exposes to the internet or any other external network. These are the points of interaction visible and accessible to attackers outside the organization's direct control.
Technical Avenues:
Websites and web applications.
Email servers and systems.
Domain Name System (DNS) servers.
Firewalls and other network perimeter devices.
Cloud services and storage.
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers.
Virtual Private Network (VPN) access points.
IoT devices connected to the internet.
Strategic Avenues:
Public statements or disclosures that reveal technical details.
Partnerships or third-party relationships that grant external access.
Data Exposures:
Data leaks on public websites or repositories.
Information available through search engines (e.g., cached pages).
2. Internal Attack Surface
The internal attack surface consists of vulnerabilities and potential entry points within an organization's internal network and systems. While external attackers need to find a way in, internal attackers (or external attackers who have gained access) can move directly within this surface.
Technical Avenues:
Workstations and laptops.
Internal servers and databases.
Network devices (routers, switches).
Internal applications and software.
Mobile devices connected to the network.
Wireless networks.
Internal APIs.
Privileged accounts and access controls.
Operational Avenues:
Insider threats (disgruntled employees, etc.).
Physical security weaknesses (unsecured access to server rooms).
Lack of employee security awareness.
Inadequate security policies and procedures.
Financial Avenues:
Vulnerabilities in financial systems and applications.
Access to sensitive financial data.
Key Considerations for Both:
Vulnerabilities: Weaknesses in the above areas (software flaws, misconfigurations, etc.).
Access Controls: How users and systems are authenticated and authorized to access resources.
Data Security: How sensitive data is stored, processed, and transmitted.
Complexity: More complex systems generally have a larger attack surface.
Interconnectivity: Connections between systems increase the attack surface.
Understanding and minimizing the attack surface is a fundamental principle of cybersecurity.
ThreatNG is specifically designed to help organizations understand and manage their attack surface. It provides capabilities to identify vulnerabilities and reduce risk across various attack vectors.
ThreatNG's external discovery process is crucial for mapping the external attack surface. ThreatNG performs unauthenticated discovery to identify all externally facing assets, providing a comprehensive view of an organization's digital footprint. This process mirrors how an attacker would conduct reconnaissance to identify potential entry points. By operating without connectors, ThreatNG ensures that all externally facing assets, including websites, applications, cloud services, and any other systems exposed to the internet, are discovered.
ThreatNG's external assessment modules provide in-depth analysis of various components of the attack surface:
Web Application Hijack Susceptibility: ThreatNG analyzes externally accessible parts of web applications to identify potential entry points for attackers. This assessment helps identify vulnerabilities in web applications, such as outdated software or missing security headers, which can increase the attack surface.
Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility: ThreatNG assesses the risk of subdomain takeovers by examining subdomains, DNS records, and SSL certificate statuses. Subdomains with expired certificates or misconfigurations represent a significant part of the attack surface that attackers can exploit.
BEC & Phishing Susceptibility: ThreatNG assesses the risk of Business Email Compromise (BEC) and phishing attacks by analyzing domain intelligence and dark web presence. Lookalike domains and compromised credentials increase the attack surface for these attacks.
Brand Damage Susceptibility: ThreatNG evaluates the potential for brand damage by identifying factors that attackers could exploit, such as the availability of lookalike domains or negative sentiment on social media.
Data Leak Susceptibility: ThreatNG identifies potential sources of data leaks, such as exposed cloud storage or compromised credentials. These exposures increase the surface of the data leak attack.
Cyber Risk Exposure: ThreatNG assesses overall cyber risk by examining domain intelligence, code secret exposure, and cloud and SaaS exposure. Exposed code repositories or vulnerable server configurations contribute to a larger cyber risk attack surface.
Supply Chain & Third-Party Exposure: ThreatNG assesses risks from vendors and partners, identifying vulnerabilities in their technology stack that could impact the organization's attack surface.
Breach & Ransomware Susceptibility: ThreatNG assesses the likelihood of breaches and ransomware attacks based on the external attack surface and dark web intelligence. Exposed sensitive ports or compromised credentials increase this attack surface.
Mobile App Exposure: ThreatNG analyzes mobile apps for security vulnerabilities, such as hardcoded credentials, which can expand the attack surface.
ThreatNG's reporting capabilities provide clear and actionable insights into the attack surface. By highlighting the most critical vulnerabilities and exposures, these reports help security teams prioritize remediation efforts.
The attack surface is dynamic, with assets and vulnerabilities constantly changing. ThreatNG's continuous monitoring ensures that organizations remain aware of any changes that could introduce new attack vectors.
ThreatNG's investigation modules provide detailed information about specific aspects of the attack surface:
Domain Intelligence: This module offers a comprehensive view of an organization's domain infrastructure, helping to identify and analyze attack surface components like subdomains and DNS records.
Sensitive Code Exposure: This module discovers exposed code repositories, a critical attack surface vector.
Mobile Application Discovery: This module allows security teams to investigate mobile apps, another essential part of the external attack surface.
Search Engine Exploitation: This module helps identify information leakage via search engines, which can be considered part of the attack surface.
Cloud and SaaS Exposure: This module provides visibility into the organization's cloud and SaaS footprint, a crucial aspect of the external attack surface in cloud environments.
ThreatNG's intelligence repositories provide valuable context for understanding attack surface risks. For example, information on known vulnerabilities helps prioritize remediation efforts.
Working with Complementary Solutions
ThreatNG's attack surface management capabilities complement other security tools:
Vulnerability Management: ThreatNG's external vulnerability assessments enhance internal scanning, providing a complete view of the attack surface.
SIEM: Integrating ThreatNG's findings into a SIEM platform can improve threat detection and response by providing external attack surface context.
Examples of ThreatNG Helping
ThreatNG identifies an exposed web application with a known vulnerability and enables its remediation, reducing the web application's attack surface.
ThreatNG discovers an exposed cloud storage bucket, helping to reduce the data leak attack surface.
ThreatNG's "Code Secret Exposure" module finds exposed API keys, allowing for their removal and a reduced attack surface.
Examples of ThreatNG Working with Complementary Solutions
ThreatNG's vulnerability data is fed into a vulnerability management system to prioritize patching.
ThreatNG's findings on exposed services are integrated into a SIEM to detect potential attacks.
ThreatNG empowers organizations to comprehensively understand their external attack surface, identify vulnerabilities, and proactively reduce risk.
