Attack Surface Discovery

Attack surface discovery, in the context of cybersecurity, is identifying and inventorying all the potential entry points (or attack vectors) that a malicious actor could use to exploit an organization's systems and data. It's like a detective meticulously searching for every possible way a burglar could break into a house – checking windows, doors, the roof, even the chimney!  

This process is crucial for understanding and managing an organization's security posture. It involves identifying all exposed assets, both physical and digital; attackers could target them. This includes:  

• Network devices: Routers, switches, firewalls, servers, etc.  

• Software applications: Web applications, mobile apps, APIs, etc.  

• Cloud services: Cloud storage, databases, virtual machines, etc.  

• IoT devices: Smart devices, sensors, industrial control systems, etc.  

• Human factors: Employees, contractors, and third-party vendors.  

Attack surface discovery involves various techniques, including:

• Scanning and enumeration: Using automated tools to scan networks and systems for exposed ports, services, and vulnerabilities.  

• Open-source intelligence (OSINT) gathering: Collecting information from publicly available sources, such as search engines, social media, and websites.  

• Threat intelligence: Leveraging intelligence feeds and databases to identify known vulnerabilities and attack patterns.  

• Manual testing: Conducting manual testing and analysis to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses that automated tools might miss.  

By conducting thorough attack surface discovery, organizations can comprehensively understand their vulnerabilities and prioritize security efforts to mitigate potential risks.

How ThreatNG Helps with Attack Surface Discovery

ThreatNG is designed to provide comprehensive attack surface management, and it addresses the key aspects of attack surface discovery in several ways:

• External Discovery: ThreatNG performs purely external unauthenticated discovery, and it does this without using connectors. This is crucial because it allows ThreatNG to see the organization's attack surface from an outsider's perspective, mirroring how a potential attacker would view it.

• External Assessment: ThreatNG doesn't just discover assets; it also assesses them to determine potential vulnerabilities. Here are some examples of how ThreatNG's external assessment helps in understanding the attack surface:

  • Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility: By analyzing subdomains, DNS records, and SSL certificate statuses, ThreatNG identifies subdomains that an attacker could take over. This is important because subdomain takeovers can lead to phishing attacks or brand damage.

  • Cyber Risk Exposure: ThreatNG considers various parameters, including certificates, subdomain headers, vulnerabilities, and sensitive ports, to determine cyber risk exposure. Exposed ports and vulnerabilities are key components of an organization's attack surface.

  • Code Secret Exposure: ThreatNG discovers code repositories and checks them for the presence of sensitive data, such as API keys or passwords. Exposure of code secrets significantly expands the attack surface.

  • Cloud and SaaS Exposure: ThreatNG evaluates the organization's cloud services and SaaS solutions, providing visibility into cloud-based aspects of the attack surface.

  • Mobile App Exposure: ThreatNG discovers an organization’s mobile apps in marketplaces and analyzes them for potential vulnerabilities. Mobile apps can represent a significant part of an organization's attack surface.

• Reporting: ThreatNG provides various reports, including inventory reports. These reports give organizations a clear view of their discovered assets, a fundamental aspect of attack surface understanding.

• Continuous Monitoring: ThreatNG continuously monitors the external attack surface. This is essential because the attack surface is dynamic and changes frequently. Continuous monitoring helps organizations stay on top of new exposures.

• Investigation Modules: ThreatNG's investigation modules provide detailed information about discovered assets, enabling security teams to dig deeper and understand potential risks.

  • For example, the Domain Intelligence module provides insights into subdomains, including exposed ports and potential vulnerabilities. The Sensitive Code Exposure module helps identify exposed credentials and sensitive information in code repositories.

• Intelligence Repositories: ThreatNG uses intelligence repositories that contain information on vulnerabilities, and other relevant data. These repositories provide context to the discovered assets and help assess their risk.

Working with Complementary Solutions

While the document doesn't provide specifics on integrations, ThreatNG's capabilities align well with other security solutions:

• ThreatNG's attack surface discovery data can be integrated with vulnerability management tools. This would enable organizations to correlate external attack surface data with internal vulnerability scans for a more complete picture.

• SIEM systems can ingest ThreatNG's external threat intelligence to improve threat detection and incident response.