Status Communication
Status communication technologies encompass tools and platforms that allow organizations to communicate the operational status of their services, systems, and websites to both internal stakeholders and external customers. These platforms typically offer features such as:
Real-time status updates: Display the current status of systems, services, and websites with incident details and estimated resolution times.
Historical uptime data: Record past outages and performance issues for transparency and analysis.
Subscriber notifications: Send subscribers notifications about service disruptions and resolutions via email, SMS, or other channels.
Communication channels: Offering various communication channels, such as status pages, social media, and API integrations, for sharing status information.
Importance of Knowing If Your Organization Uses These Technologies:
Organizations must know whether status communication technologies are being used within their infrastructure, both sanctioned and unsanctioned, especially from a cybersecurity perspective. Here's why:
Unauthorized Access: Status communication platforms often have access to sensitive information about system configurations, outages, and vulnerabilities. If unauthorized individuals gain access, they could exploit this information to launch attacks.
Misinformation and Disruption: Hackers could compromise status communication platforms to spread misinformation about outages or security incidents, causing confusion and disruption.
Brand Reputation: Inaccurate or delayed status updates can damage an organization's reputation and erode customer trust. Ensuring the security and reliability of status communication is vital for maintaining a positive brand image.
Regulatory Compliance: In some industries, regulatory requirements exist for timely and accurate communication of service disruptions. Unsanctioned use of status communication tools could lead to non-compliance.
Statuspage and Cybersecurity Concerns:
Statuspage is a popular cloud-based status communication platform. While Statuspage implements security measures, organizations should be aware of potential risks associated with any cloud-based platform:
Data Breaches: Statuspage stores sensitive system information and subscriber data, which could be exposed to unauthorized parties through a breach.
Account Takeover: If attackers gain access to a Statuspage account, they could manipulate status updates or send false alerts.
DDoS Attacks: Status pages can be targeted by Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, making them unavailable during critical incidents.
ThreatNG: Identifying and Managing Risks from Status Communication Technologies
ThreatNG can be crucial in identifying and mitigating the risks associated with status communication technologies like Statuspage.
External Attack Surface Management (EASM): ThreatNG continuously scans the internet to discover all externally visible digital assets associated with your organization. This includes identifying status pages or other communication channels that share status information. ThreatNG can help assess the security posture of these platforms and identify potential vulnerabilities or misconfigurations.
Digital Risk Protection (DRP): ThreatNG monitors the dark web, social media, and other online channels for mentions of your organization, brands, or sensitive data. This includes detecting leaked credentials related to status communication platforms or discussing potential exploits.
Security Ratings: ThreatNG provides a comprehensive risk score by analyzing your organization's external attack surface and digital risk profile. This score includes an assessment of the risks associated with your organization's use of status communication technologies.
Example Workflow with Complementary Solutions:
ThreatNG Discovery: ThreatNG identifies an unauthorized Statuspage instance claiming to represent your organization.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Integration: ThreatNG sends an alert to your SIEM platform, triggering an incident response workflow.
Takedown Request and Communication: The security team investigates the unauthorized Statuspage, initiates a takedown request, and communicates the incident to stakeholders through official channels.
Overall Benefits:
By implementing ThreatNG, organizations can:
Gain Visibility: Discover all instances of status communication technologies your organization uses, both sanctioned and unsanctioned.
Mitigate Risks: Identify and address security vulnerabilities, unauthorized access, and potential misinformation campaigns.
Protect Brand Reputation: Ensure accurate and timely status information is communicated securely.
Enhance Security: Continuously monitor and improve the security posture of status communication platforms.
Maintain Compliance: Meet regulatory requirements regarding the communication regarding service disruptions.
