Remote Code Execution (RCE) is a critical security vulnerability that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code on a target system or application remotely. This means an attacker can take control of the system, steal sensitive data, install malware, or cause other significant damage without physical access.

RCE exploits can be triggered through various vulnerabilities, including:

• Software vulnerabilities: Unpatched software with known exploits can be targeted to gain RCE.

• Injection flaws: SQL injection, command injection, or other vulnerabilities can be exploited to execute code.

• File upload vulnerabilities: Unrestricted file uploads allow attackers to upload malicious files and execute them on the server.

Importance of Assessing Your Entire External Digital Presence

Modern organizations' attack surface is vast and extends beyond the primary website or application. It includes subdomains, cloud services, exposed APIs, third-party integrations, and legacy systems. If vulnerable to RCE, any of these components can be an entry point for attackers.

Assessing your entire external digital presence is crucial because:

• RCE exploits are highly impactful: Successful RCE attacks can lead to complete system compromise, data breaches, and significant financial loss.

• Attackers actively seek RCE vulnerabilities: RCE exploits are highly sought after by attackers due to their potential for significant damage.

• The digital landscape constantly evolves: New vulnerabilities and attack vectors emerge regularly, making continuous assessment essential.

How ThreatNG Helps Address RCE Exploits

ThreatNG, with its all-in-one external attack surface management approach, helps organizations proactively identify and mitigate RCE risks across their digital footprint.

1. Comprehensive Discovery and Inventory: ThreatNG's powerful external investigation capabilities provide a complete map of all exposed assets, including web applications, APIs, cloud services, and exposed code repositories.

2. Vulnerability Identification & Assessment: ThreatNG actively scans for:

   1. Known vulnerabilities: It checks for known RCE vulnerabilities in identified technologies and applications.

   2. Insecure code patterns: It analyzes exposed code repositories for potential RCE vulnerabilities.

   3. Misconfigurations: It looks for insecure settings in cloud services or web applications that could enable RCE.

3. Prioritization & Risk Management: Identified vulnerabilities are prioritized based on severity and potential impact, guiding security teams to address the most critical RCE risks first.

Collaboration with Complementary Security Solutions:

ThreatNG integrates with other security tools to provide a layered defense against RCE attacks:

• Web Application Firewalls (WAFs): ThreatNG can identify exposed web applications and their associated WAFs.It can then provide detailed information about identified RCE vulnerabilities, enabling the WAF to implement specific rules to block or mitigate such attacks.

• Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS): IPS solutions can detect and block exploit attempts in real-time. ThreatNG can provide valuable context about identified vulnerabilities to enhance IPS' detection capabilities.

• Vulnerability Management Tools: ThreatNG can feed discovered RCE vulnerabilities into vulnerability management systems for further analysis, tracking, and remediation.

Example Workflow

Let's imagine ThreatNG discovers a vulnerable content management system (CMS) version running on one of your subdomains. Here's how it might interact with other security solutions:

1. Discovery & Alert: ThreatNG identifies the vulnerable CMS and generates an alert highlighting the risk of RCE.

2. WAF Integration: Information about the vulnerable application and the type of attack is shared with the WAF.

3. WAF Rule Implementation: The WAF configures rules to block requests that attempt to exploit the CMS's known vulnerability.

4. Vulnerability Management Integration: The vulnerability information is sent to the vulnerability management system for further analysis and prioritization.

5. Patch Management: The vulnerability management system triggers a patch deployment process to update the CMS to a secure version, mitigating the RCE risk.

Remote Code Execution exploits pose a severe threat to organizations. ThreatNG's proactive approach to external attack surface management and its ability to collaborate with other security solutions empowers organizations to effectively identify and address RCE risks, safeguarding their systems and data from potential compromise.