Attacker-Relevant Security Posture
Attacker-relevant security Posture evaluates an organization's security with a specific focus on the aspects most likely to be seen and exploited by an attacker. It prioritizes the attacker's perspective to understand better and mitigate real-world threats.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Emphasis on Attack Vectors: It concentrates on the security elements that an attacker would actively target to gain unauthorized access, steal data, or disrupt operations.
External Viewpoint: A key component is assessing security from an external standpoint, mirroring how an attacker outside the network would perceive the organization's defenses.
Observable Weaknesses: It highlights vulnerabilities and misconfigurations that are easily discoverable and exploitable, even if they might seem less critical from an internal perspective.
Prioritization of Impact: It often involves prioritizing security issues based on their potential impact if exploited by an attacker. For example, an easily exploitable vulnerability in a public-facing web server would be a high priority.
Dynamic Nature: Attacker-relevant security Posture acknowledges that the threat landscape constantly changes and requires continuous monitoring and assessment.
Real-World Scenarios: It uses real-world attack scenarios and attacker tactics to guide security assessments and improvements.
ThreatNG is designed with an attacker-centric approach, emphasizing the external view and identifying exploitable weaknesses. Its capabilities provide valuable insights into what an attacker sees and how they might target an organization.
External Discovery: The Attacker's Reconnaissance
ThreatNG's external discovery mirrors an attack's reconnaissance phase. Performing purely external and unauthenticated discovery maps out the organization's digital footprint from the attacker's perspective. This reveals the assets an attacker can see and potentially target, such as websites, applications, and exposed services.
External Assessment: Identifying Exploitable Weaknesses
ThreatNG's external assessment modules go beyond simply listing assets; they actively identify weaknesses that an attacker could exploit:
Web Application Hijack Susceptibility: This assessment focuses on how an attacker might compromise web applications. It identifies vulnerabilities like outdated software, missing security headers, and exposed entry points, prime targets for attackers. For example, ThreatNG can detect the absence of security headers like Content Security Policy, which an attacker could exploit to launch cross-site scripting attacks.
Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility: ThreatNG assesses the risk of subdomain takeovers, a common attacker tactic. It identifies vulnerable subdomains with expired certificates or misconfigurations that an attacker could hijack. These are attractive targets as they can be used for phishing or malware distribution.
BEC & Phishing Susceptibility: This assessment evaluates the organization's susceptibility to email-based attacks, a prevalent attacker vector. ThreatNG identifies weaknesses like lookalike domains or lack of email authentication (SPF, DMARC, DKIM) that an attacker could exploit for phishing.
Data Leak Susceptibility: ThreatNG identifies potential sources of data leaks that an attacker could target. These include exposed cloud storage, vulnerable SaaS applications, and compromised credentials, all of which provide attackers with access to sensitive information.
Cyber Risk Exposure: This assessment provides a broad view of the organization's attack surface, highlighting vulnerabilities in certificates, subdomain headers, and exposed ports. These are all potential entry points for an attacker. For instance, ThreatNG can detect exposed ports running vulnerable services, providing attackers a direct path into the network.
Code Secret Exposure: ThreatNG specifically looks for exposed code repositories containing sensitive information like API keys or credentials. These are high-value targets for attackers seeking access to systems and data.
Mobile App Exposure: This assessment analyzes mobile apps for vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit, such as hardcoded credentials or insecure data storage.
Positive Security Indicators: ThreatNG identifies security strengths while focusing on attacker-relevant weaknesses. This provides a balanced view, showing what might deter an attacker. For example, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) can make web application attacks more difficult.
Reporting: Prioritizing Attacker-Centric Risks
ThreatNG's reporting prioritizes findings based on their relevance to an attacker. This helps security teams focus on the most critical vulnerabilities an attacker will likely exploit.
Continuous Monitoring: Staying Ahead of Attackers
Threat actors constantly change their tactics. ThreatNG's continuous monitoring helps organizations stay ahead by detecting new vulnerabilities and changes in their attack surface that might be attractive to attackers.
Investigation Modules: Deep Dive into Attacker Tactics
ThreatNG's investigation modules provide detailed information that helps security teams understand how an attacker might exploit vulnerabilities:
Domain Intelligence: This module provides in-depth information about an organization's domain infrastructure, revealing potential attack vectors related to DNS, email, and subdomains.
Sensitive Code Exposure: This module allows security teams to analyze exposed code repositories and understand how attackers could use leaked credentials or API keys to gain access.
Search Engine Exploitation: This module helps identify information leakage via search engines, a common reconnaissance technique used by attackers.
Intelligence Repositories: Understanding Attacker Behavior
ThreatNG's intelligence repositories provide valuable context about attacker behavior and trends:
Dark Web Presence: Information about ransomware groups and compromised credentials helps security teams understand the threats most relevant to them.
Known Vulnerabilities: Data on known vulnerabilities helps prioritize remediation efforts based on how likely an attacker is to exploit them.
Working with Complementary Solutions: A Coordinated Defense
ThreatNG's attacker-centric view complements other security solutions:
Vulnerability Management: ThreatNG's external vulnerability assessments can be combined with internal scanning to provide a more complete picture of an organization's Attacker-Relevant Security Posture.
SIEM: ThreatNG's findings can be integrated into a SIEM to provide external context for security events, helping security teams understand and respond to attacks more effectively.
ThreatNG empowers organizations to see their security as an attacker does, enabling them to prioritize risks, strengthen defenses, and proactively mitigate potential attacks.
