Internal Process Exposure
In cybersecurity, Internal Process Exposure refers to the inadvertent or malicious disclosure of an organization's internal processes, workflows, or sensitive information related to those processes, which attackers can exploit to gain unauthorized access or compromise systems. This can include:
Business processes: Documentation of workflows, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and internal policies.
Technical processes: Network diagrams, system configurations, security procedures, and incident response plans.
Data handling processes include data flow diagrams, classification schemes, and retention policies.
Employee information includes internal contact lists, organizational charts, and roles and responsibilities.
Importance of Awareness from an EASM and Digital Risk Perspective
Understanding the organization's and its parties' level of internal process exposure is crucial for effective external attack surface management (EASM) and digital risk mitigation. Here's why:
Identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities: Exposed internal processes can reveal weaknesses and vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. Organizations can prioritize and address the most critical risks by understanding the extent of exposure.
Preventing social engineering attacks: Attackers can use exposed information about internal processes and employee roles to craft convincing social engineering attacks, tricking employees into divulging sensitive information or granting unauthorized access.
Protecting against targeted attacks: Exposed technical details about internal systems and security procedures can enable attackers to launch more targeted and effective attacks.
Maintaining compliance: Some regulations and industry standards require organizations to protect specific internal processes and information. Failure to do so can result in compliance violations and penalties.
Managing third-party risk: Organizations must be aware of their partners' and contractors' internal process exposure to prevent supply chain attacks and other risks.
By actively monitoring and managing internal process exposure, organizations can reduce their attack surface, protect their critical assets, and maintain a strong security posture.
ThreatNG can help organizations identify and manage internal process exposure through these key capabilities:
1. External Discovery: ThreatNG's extensive discovery capabilities exceed identifying assets. It scans various external sources like document-sharing platforms, public code repositories, and even social media to uncover any exposed internal processes or sensitive information related to them.
2. External Assessment: ThreatNG assesses the identified exposures to determine the risk they pose.
Data Leak Susceptibility: By correlating exposed data with internal process information, ThreatNG can assess the potential impact of a data leak on critical business operations.
ThreatNG leverages multiple assessment ratings to address internal process exposure risk:
BEC & Phishing Susceptibility: Assesses the likelihood of social engineering attacks that may exploit exposed internal processes or employee information.
Brand Damage Susceptibility: Evaluates the potential for brand damage due to exposed internal processes that reveal security weaknesses or unprofessional practices.
Cyber Risk Exposure: Considers exposed internal processes and technical details when determining the overall cyber risk exposure.
3. Continuous Monitoring: ThreatNG monitors the organization's external presence for any changes or new exposures, including document updates, code repositories, or online discussions that may reveal internal processes.
4. Investigation Modules: ThreatNG offers various investigation modules to delve deeper into identified exposures.
Online Sharing Exposure Module: Provides detailed information about exposed internal processes on online platforms, including the specific content and context.
Sensitive Code Exposure Module: Can identify code comments or documentation that inadvertently reveal internal processes.
Domain Intelligence, IP Intelligence, and Social Media Modules: These can help gather context around exposed information, potentially revealing how internal processes were leaked or discussed.
5. Reporting: ThreatNG provides detailed reports on the organization's security posture, including information relevant to internal process exposure. This helps organizations understand their risks and prioritize remediation efforts.
6. Intelligence Repositories: ThreatNG leverages its intelligence repositories, including dark web data and compromised credentials, to assess whether threat actors are actively discussing or exploiting exposed internal processes.
7. Working with Complementary Solutions: ThreatNG integrates with other security tools, such as SIEM systems and data loss prevention (DLP) solutions, to enhance monitoring and protection against internal process exposure.
Examples of ThreatNG Helping:
Identifying leaked internal documentation: ThreatNG discovers a document on a public file-sharing service detailing the organization's incident response plan. The organization can then remove the document and update its security practices.
Preventing social engineering attacks: ThreatNG identifies an exposed organizational chart detailing employee roles and responsibilities. The organization can then educate employees about social engineering tactics that might exploit this information.
Protecting against targeted attacks: ThreatNG discovers a code comment revealing the organization's internal network architecture. The organization can then review and strengthen its network security controls.
Examples of ThreatNG Working with Complementary Solutions:
Integrating with a DLP solution: ThreatNG's alerts on exposed internal processes are integrated with a DLP solution to prevent further data leakage.
Enhancing SIEM analysis: ThreatNG's findings enrich SIEM analysis by providing context about internal processes, allowing security teams to understand better and respond to security events.
