Attack Surface Mapping in cybersecurity is like creating a detailed map of all the possible entry points an attacker could use to get into your systems and data. Imagine your organization as a building – the attack surface includes all the doors, windows, vents, and even the walls that someone could exploit to gain unauthorized access.

What it is:

• Identifying and analyzing all potential vulnerabilities: It systematically identifies all the assets, components, and entry points within your IT environment. This includes hardware, software, networks, cloud services, applications, APIs, and human factors.

• Understanding the attack vectors: It's about finding the entry points and how an attacker might exploit them. This includes identifying the methods and techniques they might use to gain access, steal data, or disrupt operations.

Why it's important:

• Proactive security: By understanding your attack surface, you can proactively identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before attackers find them.

• Prioritization of resources: It helps you focus your security efforts on the most significant risk areas, ensuring that your resources are used effectively.

• Reduced risk: Minimizing your attack surface reduces the likelihood of successful attacks and the potential impact of security breaches.

• Improved compliance: Attack surface mapping helps you meet regulatory requirements and industry standards by demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of your security posture.

Key components of an attack surface:

• Physical: Servers, laptops, mobile devices, network devices, and office spaces.

• Digital: Software, applications, databases, operating systems, websites, and cloud services.

• Human: Employees, contractors, and third-party vendors with access to your systems.

• Social: Social media, online forums, and other platforms where information about your organization might be shared.

Attack Surface Mapping is a crucial step in managing cybersecurity risk. It provides a comprehensive view of your organization's vulnerabilities, enabling you to strengthen your defenses and protect your valuable assets.

ThreatNG is a comprehensive cybersecurity platform that provides a holistic view of an organization's external attack surface and digital risk posture. Let's explain how its features and capabilities address your outlined areas.

How ThreatNG Helps with Attack Surface Mapping and Digital Risk Protection

ThreatNG's core strength lies in its ability to discover and assess a wide range of potential vulnerabilities and threats across an organization's digital footprint. Here's how it tackles specific areas:

• Web Application Hijacking & Subdomain Takeover: ThreatNG's Domain Intelligence module analyzes external-facing web applications and subdomains, identifying weaknesses in DNS records, SSL certificates, and other factors that could allow attackers to hijack or take control of these assets.

• BEC & Phishing: By combining Sentiment and financial findings (analyzing news, social media, and financial data), Domain Intelligence, and Dark Web Presence, ThreatNG can assess an organization's susceptibility to Business Email Compromise (BEC) and phishing attacks. This helps identify potential brand impersonation attempts or compromised accounts used for malicious purposes.

• Brand Damage: ThreatNG takes a multi-faceted approach to assess brand damage susceptibility. It considers attack surface intelligence, digital risk intelligence, ESG factors, sentiment analysis, financial health, and domain information to identify potential threats to an organization's reputation.

• Data Leak: By analyzing Cloud and SaaS Exposure, Dark Web Presence, Domain Intelligence, and financial indicators, ThreatNG can identify potential data leakage points and assess the risk of exposing sensitive information.

• Cyber Risk Exposure: This comprehensive assessment considers various factors, including domain security, code repository exposure, cloud security, and compromised credentials on the dark web, to provide a holistic view of an organization's overall cyber risk.

• ESG Exposure: ThreatNG evaluates an organization's vulnerability to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks by analyzing sentiment, financial data, and publicly available information. This helps identify potential ethical practices, social responsibility, and regulatory compliance issues.

• Supply Chain & Third-Party Exposure: By analyzing Domain Intelligence, Technology Stack, and Cloud and SaaS Exposure, ThreatNG helps organizations understand the risks associated with their supply chain and third-party vendors. This includes identifying potential vendor systems vulnerabilities that could impact the organization.

• Breach & Ransomware Susceptibility: ThreatNG assesses the likelihood of a breach or ransomware attack by considering factors like exposed sensitive ports, known vulnerabilities, dark web presence, and financial indicators.

Complementary Solutions and Examples

While ThreatNG offers a comprehensive suite of tools, it can be further enhanced by integrating with complementary solutions:

• Vulnerability Scanners: These tools can provide deeper insights into specific vulnerabilities identified by ThreatNG.

• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems: Integrating SIEM solutions like Splunk or IBM QRadar can help correlate ThreatNG's findings with internal security logs for a more complete picture of security events.

• Threat Intelligence Platforms: ThreatNG's intelligence repositories can enrich these platforms with additional context and threat data.

Examples:

• Bug Bounty Programs: ThreatNG's intelligence on in-scope and out-of-scope bug bounty programs can help organizations understand the known vulnerabilities within their software and prioritize remediation efforts.

• SEC Form 8-Ks: ThreatNG can identify any reported security incidents or data breaches that might indicate increased risk by analyzing SEC filings. This information can be used to address potential vulnerabilities and improve security posture proactively.

Investigation Modules and Intelligence Repositories

ThreatNG's investigation modules provide deeper insights into specific areas of risk:

• Domain Intelligence: This module provides a wealth of information about an organization's domain, including DNS records, subdomains, certificates, IP addresses, exposed APIs, and known vulnerabilities. This information is crucial for identifying weaknesses in an organization's online presence.

• Social Media: Monitoring social media for mentions of the organization can help identify potential brand impersonation attempts, phishing campaigns, or negative sentiments that could impact reputation.

• Sensitive Code Exposure: This module scans public code repositories for sensitive information like API keys, credentials, and security configurations. This helps prevent data breaches and unauthorized access.

• Search Engine Exploitation: This module helps identify sensitive information that may be inadvertently exposed through search engines, such as error messages, configuration files, or privileged folders.

• Cloud and SaaS Exposure: This module identifies both sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud services and potential misconfigurations or vulnerabilities in cloud storage buckets.

• Dark Web Presence: Monitoring the dark web for mentions of the organization, compromised credentials, or ransomware activity can provide early warnings of potential threats.

ThreatNG offers a robust and comprehensive approach to attack surface management and digital risk protection. Combining extensive discovery and assessment capabilities with continuous monitoring, reporting, and collaboration features empowers organizations to proactively identify, prioritize, and mitigate security risks. Its intelligence repositories and investigation modules provide valuable insights into various threat vectors, enabling organizations to strengthen their defenses and protect their critical assets.