In cybersecurity, "Security Credentials" are a broader data set than usernames and passwords. They encompass any information that grants access to a system, application, or data and can be used to verify the identity of a user, device, or process. They are the keys to your digital kingdom, protecting sensitive information and systems from unauthorized access.

What are Security Credentials?

Security credentials can include:

• Cryptographic Keys: These are used for encryption, decryption, and digital signatures. They ensure data confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. Examples include:

• Private Keys: Used to decrypt data or create digital signatures.

• Key Bundles: Collections of keys, often including public and private keys.

• API Keys: Unique identifiers used by applications to authenticate and access services provided by other applications.

• Access Tokens: Temporary credentials that grant access to specific resources for a limited time.

• Security Tokens: Physical or virtual devices that generate one-time passwords or codes for authentication.

• Biometric Data: Fingerprints, facial recognition, or other unique biological traits used for verification.

• Digital Certificates: Electronic documents that verify a user's or device's identity.

• Cloud Credentials: Access keys, secret keys, and other credentials used to access cloud services.

• Configuration Files: Files that store sensitive settings and parameters for applications and systems, including passwords, API keys, and other secrets.

Why are Security Credentials Important?

Protecting security credentials is crucial because:

• Prevent Unauthorized Access: Compromised credentials can allow attackers to access sensitive systems, steal data, disrupt operations, and cause significant financial and reputational damage.

• Maintain Data Confidentiality: Cryptographic keys protect sensitive data from unauthorized access and ensure its confidentiality.

• Ensure Data Integrity: Credentials help verify the integrity of data and ensure that it has not been tampered with.

• Enable Secure Communication: Credentials are used to establish secure communication channels and protect data in transit.

• Support Compliance: Many regulations and standards require organizations to protect security credentials to ensure data security and privacy.

Why Organizations Should Be Aware of Security Credential Presence and Exposure:

• Identify and Inventory: Organizations need to know their security credentials, where they are stored, and how they are used to protect them effectively.

• Assess Risk: Understanding the types of credentials and their sensitivity allows organizations to prioritize security efforts and mitigate the most significant risks.

• Implement Security Controls: Organizations should implement strong access controls, encryption, multi-factor authentication, and other security measures to protect credentials.

• Monitor and Detect: Continuous monitoring and threat detection systems can help identify suspicious activity and prevent unauthorized access.

• Respond to Incidents: Organizations must have incident response plans to address credential compromise incidents quickly and effectively.

Examples of Security Credentials and Their Risks:

• Cryptographic Keys (Private SSH key, Chef private key): Exposed private keys can allow attackers to impersonate legitimate users, access sensitive systems, and steal data.

• Other Secrets (Ruby On Rails secret token): Leaked secret tokens can compromise the security of web applications, allowing attackers to forge requests, access sensitive data, or take control of the application.

By understanding the importance of security credentials and implementing strong security measures, organizations can significantly reduce their risk of cyberattacks and protect their valuable assets.

How ThreatNG Helps Manage Security Credential Risks

• Discovery:

• Sensitive Code Exposure: This module is crucial. It scans public code repositories (GitHub, GitLab, etc.) and mobile apps to identify exposed security credentials, including API keys, access tokens, and configuration files containing sensitive information like database connection strings or encryption keys.

• Domain Intelligence: By analyzing websites and their subdomains, ThreatNG can uncover exposed APIs and development environments that might inadvertently reveal security credentials.

• Online Sharing Exposure: This module scans code-sharing platforms (Pastebin, Gist, etc.) for any organizational code containing security credentials.

• Archived Web Pages: ThreatNG analyzes archived versions of websites to identify instances where credentials might have been exposed in the past, even if they're no longer present on the live site.

• Dark Web Presence: ThreatNG scours the dark web for any mentions of the organization's credentials or evidence of credential compromise. This proactive approach helps identify potential threats before they materialize.

• Assessment:

• Data Leak Susceptibility: ThreatNG assesses the organization's overall susceptibility to data leaks, including those from exposed security credentials.

• Cyber Risk Exposure: This provides a comprehensive view of the organization's cybersecurity posture, including risks related to credential management.

• Security Ratings: ThreatNG generates security ratings that factor in credential exposure risks, providing a quantifiable measure of the organization's security posture that can be used for benchmarking and improvement.

• Continuous Monitoring: ThreatNG continuously monitors for new credential exposures and alerts the organization to any emerging threats. This real-time monitoring is essential for staying ahead of attackers.

• Reporting:

• Executive, Technical, and Prioritized Reports: ThreatNG provides tailored reports for different stakeholders, ensuring everyone, from executives to security analysts, can understand the risks and take appropriate action.

• Inventory Reports: These reports help track and manage all identified code repositories, online sharing platforms, and other sources of potential credential exposure.

• Collaboration and Management:

• Role-based access controls: ThreatNG ensures only authorized personnel can access sensitive credential exposure data.

• Correlation Evidence Questionnaires: These questionnaires facilitate collaboration between security and development teams to efficiently investigate and remediate credential exposure incidents.

• Policy Management: Customizable risk configuration and scoring allow the organization to define its risk tolerance for credential exposure and prioritize remediation efforts according to its specific needs and risk appetite.

Working with Complementary Solutions

ThreatNG can integrate with other security tools to enhance its capabilities:

• Secrets Management Solutions: Integrating with tools like HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager ensures secure storage and management of sensitive credentials, preventing hardcoding in code and enforcing access controls.

• Vulnerability Scanners: Combining ThreatNG with vulnerability scanners helps identify systems or applications with weak security configurations that might expose credentials.

• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems: Integrating with SIEM systems allows for centralized logging and analysis of security events, including credential exposure incidents, for improved threat detection and response.

Examples

• Scenario: ThreatNG discovers an employee inadvertently uploaded a configuration file containing database credentials to a public GitHub repository.

• Action: ThreatNG immediately alerts the security team, providing details of the exposed file and credentials. The team can then take steps to secure the repository, reset the database credentials, and conduct security awareness training for the employee.

• Scenario: ThreatNG identifies an outdated version of the organization's web framework with a known vulnerability that could lead to credential theft.

• Action: ThreatNG generates a report highlighting the vulnerability and its potential impact. The development team can then update the framework to a secure version and deploy it to mitigate the risk.

By combining its comprehensive discovery and assessment capabilities with continuous monitoring, reporting, and collaboration features, ThreatNG empowers organizations to effectively manage security credential risks, prevent unauthorized access, and protect their sensitive data and systems.