Project Management Software
Project management software plans, organizes, and manages resources to achieve specific project goals and objectives. It typically includes task management, scheduling, collaboration, budgeting, and reporting. This software can be deployed in various ways, including on-premise installations and cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) models.
Why Organizations Should Know All External Implementations, Third Parties, and Supply Chain for Cybersecurity:
Expanded Attack Surface: Every external SaaS-based implementation, third party, and supplier in the supply chain represents a potential entry point for cyberattacks. By identifying and understanding these connections, organizations can assess and mitigate the expanded attack surface, reducing the risk of breaches.
Data Flow Visibility: Project management software often handles sensitive data, including project plans, financial information, client details, and intellectual property. Knowing how this data flows through external implementations, third parties, and even the supply chains of your third parties helps organizations track and protect this information, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations.
Third-Party Risk Management: Third parties and suppliers can pose significant cybersecurity risks with inadequate security practices. Understanding their security posture and vulnerabilities is crucial for effective risk management. This knowledge allows organizations to set vendor security requirements, monitor compliance, and promptly address issues.
Incident Response and Recovery: Knowing all external connections enables a swift and targeted response to a cybersecurity incident. Organizations can quickly identify affected systems, isolate the breach, and implement recovery measures, minimizing the impact on operations.
Supply Chain Vulnerabilities: Cybersecurity threats can originate from direct third parties and deeper within the supply chain. Vulnerabilities in a fourth or fifth-party vendor can still impact the organization. By mapping the entire supply chain, organizations gain visibility into potential weak points and can take proactive measures to mitigate those risks.
Regulatory Compliance: Many industries have strict cybersecurity regulations. Identifying all external implementations and their associated entities ensures that the organization complies with these regulations, avoiding legal penalties and reputational damage.
Cyber Insurance Requirements: Cybersecurity insurance policies often require organizations to demonstrate a thorough understanding of their external connections and risks. This knowledge is essential for obtaining adequate coverage and ensuring that insurance claims are honored in the event of an incident.
How ThreatNG Helps Secure Organizations, Third Parties, and Supply Chain:
ThreatNG is an all-in-one solution for external attack surface management (EASM), digital risk protection (DRP), and security ratings. It can significantly enhance the security of an organization, its third parties, and its supply chain by identifying and mitigating risks associated with externally identifiable SaaS-based project management software implementations. Here's how it works and how it can integrate with complementary solutions:
Discovery and Visibility: ThreatNG discovers and maps all externally identifiable SaaS-based project management software implementations across the organization, its third parties, and the entire supply chain. It identifies shadow IT, unauthorized instances, and hidden connections, providing a comprehensive view of the external attack surface.
Risk Assessment and Prioritization: ThreatNG assesses the respective owner of each implementation's security posture, identifying vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and potential attack vectors. It analyzes configuration settings, user access controls, and data exposure risks. These risks are then prioritized based on their severity and potential impact, allowing organizations to focus on the most critical issues.
Continuous Monitoring and Alerting: ThreatNG monitors all discovered implementations for configuration changes, new vulnerabilities, and emerging threats. It generates real-time alerts, notifying security teams and relevant stakeholders of any identified risks, enabling them to take immediate action.
Remediation and Mitigation: ThreatNG provides actionable remediation guidance to address identified vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. It includes specific configuration changes, patching instructions, and best practices. It helps organizations collaborate with third parties and suppliers to implement security measures.
Integration with Complementary Solutions: ThreatNG seamlessly integrates with complementary security solutions, such as:
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): Correlates ThreatNG findings with other security events to comprehensively view the organization's security posture.
Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC): Automates risk assessments, track remediation efforts, and ensures compliance with industry regulations and internal policies.
SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM): Enhances visibility and control over the security posture of SaaS-based project management software implementations across the entire SaaS landscape.
Vulnerability Management: Streamlines the remediation process for identified vulnerabilities in SaaS-based project management software.
Example Workflow:
ThreatNG Discovery: ThreatNG discovers an unauthorized Asana instance used by a third-party vendor within the organization's supply chain.
Risk Assessment: ThreatNG identifies that the owner of the Asana instance is externally susceptible to many vulnerabilities and risks.
Prioritized Alert: ThreatNG generates a high-priority alert, notifying the organization's security team and the third-party vendor of the identified risks.
Remediation Collaboration: The organization collaborates with the third-party vendor, guided by ThreatNG's recommendations, to implement more robust password policies and enable MFA for the Asana instance.
Continuous Monitoring and Assurance: ThreatNG continues monitoring the Asana instance, ensuring that the implemented security measures remain in place and no new risks emerge. It guarantees the organization that the third-party vendor is maintaining a secure environment.
Desired Business Outcomes:
Reduced Attack Surface: ThreatNG helps organizations reduce their attack surface and minimize the risk of cyberattacks by identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in externally identifiable SaaS-based project management software implementations.
Improved Third-Party Risk Management: ThreatNG enables organizations to assess and manage the security posture of their third parties, ensuring that they adhere to security best practices and do not introduce undue risk into the supply chain.
Enhanced Compliance: ThreatNG helps organizations ensure compliance with industry regulations and internal policies by automating risk assessments and tracking remediation efforts.
Strengthened Security Posture: Integrating ThreatNG with complementary security solutions provides a holistic view of the organization's security posture, enabling more effective risk management and incident response.
Cost Savings: ThreatNG can help organizations avoid costly data breaches, downtime, and regulatory fines by proactively identifying and mitigating risks.
Improved Reputation: Demonstrating a commitment to cybersecurity and protecting sensitive data can enhance an organization's reputation and build trust with customers and partners.
A comprehensive understanding of all external implementations, third parties, and supply chains associated with project management software is not merely a best practice but a fundamental requirement for effective cybersecurity risk management.
