Protecting a company's information has never been easy, and today it's even more complicated. With the rise of hybrid work, the increasing use of SaaS applications for key functions, and the constant expansion of the cloud, attack surfaces are becoming broader and harder to control. This not only creates more opportunities for cybercriminals to find a breach but also poses a huge challenge for security teams.
This is where attack surface management comes in—a key strategy to identify and protect those vulnerable points before they become a bigger problem.
What is Attack Surface Management and Why Does It Matter So Much?
Attack surface management (ASM) is essentially the art of finding, analyzing, and reducing all those vulnerable points that cybercriminals could exploit to infiltrate your organization. It's a continuous process designed to give your security team a clear view of potential threats so they can get ahead of them before they become real problems.
What's interesting about ASM is that it is carried out from the attacker's perspective. In other words, the security team steps into the shoes of cybercriminals to identify which parts of your digital environment are most exposed and what doors could be open without you realizing it.
Within ASM, there is a more specific branch called external attack surface management (EASM), which focuses exclusively on protecting internet-connected assets such as web applications or cloud environments. ASM, however, goes one step further, offering a more comprehensive and deeper view of all possible entry points, both internal and external.
Key Pillars for Managing Your Attack Surface
Managing the attack surface is an ongoing process that closely resembles risk-based vulnerability management: it's always active because threats constantly evolve, and your company's digital environment never stops changing. For this management to be effective, there are four fundamental aspects you cannot overlook:
Asset Discovery and Mapping
The first step is to know exactly what you have in your digital environment. This includes applications, devices, endpoints, access points, and any other assets that are part of your network—even those you may not have known existed (commonly referred to as shadow IT).
This mapping is crucial because it gives you total visibility of your infrastructure, which is indispensable for both preventing attacks and responding quickly if something goes wrong. Additionally, don’t forget to include third-party assets, as these can also become vulnerable points if not properly managed.
Analysis and Prioritization
Companies often manage a massive number of applications, cloud assets, and users, meaning risks multiply rapidly. This is where prioritization becomes critical: you can't fix everything at once, so it's essential to focus on the most critical risks first.
To decide what to address first, ask yourself: "Where are we most at risk?" This question should guide your decisions, and it's even better if you complement your analysis with up-to-date threat intelligence to know which dangers are most urgent.
Remediation
This is the practical stage where you take action to correct the risks you've identified. This can include steps like:
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Applying security patches.
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Protecting Active Directory.
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Improving access controls.
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Correcting misconfigurations in the cloud.
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Training the team in security best practices.
The key here is to act in an organized manner and prioritize actions that offer the greatest impact on risk reduction.
Continuous Monitoring
Having full visibility of your environment is important, but equally crucial is constantly monitoring it. Threats change, and your infrastructure evolves, so proper monitoring will allow you to detect new risks in time.
Implementing a 24/7 monitoring system, like TecnetOne's SOC, gives you the advantage of identifying issues in real-time, reducing the chances of an attack succeeding or causing significant damage.
ASM vs Vulnerability Management: What's the Difference?
Attack surface management and vulnerability management have much in common, as both share the same goal: reducing security risks. Both follow a proactive approach aimed at staying ahead of threats, but there is a key difference that distinguishes them.
Vulnerability management focuses solely on detecting and correcting known vulnerabilities within the IT environment. It's an essential part of security, but its scope is more limited.
On the other hand, attack surface management goes far beyond that. It not only focuses on vulnerabilities but also analyzes all entry points that an attacker could exploit, even those that are undocumented or that may arise due to infrastructure changes. In that sense, vulnerability management is actually a subset of ASM. Both processes complement each other very well. For example:
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If your security team receives information about a new security patch, it can be integrated directly into the ASM prioritization plan.
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Similarly, when discovering new assets during the ASM mapping process, you may uncover vulnerabilities you previously didn't know existed.
Read more: What is the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy?
How to Effectively Manage Your Attack Surface: 5 Best Practices
The way a company manages its attack surface can vary greatly depending on its needs. Some organizations, for example, are growing rapidly and need to focus on gaining greater visibility, while others may prioritize protecting their identity systems due to a high number of employees working remotely.
Despite these differences, there are some key practices that any company can follow to strengthen its digital security.
Know and Define Your Attack Surface
The first step is to clearly understand what assets are part of your digital environment. This includes everything: applications, IoT devices, user endpoints, cloud environments, and any other connected tool. If you can't cover everything immediately, start by identifying the most important assets for your business, as those are usually the primary targets for cybercriminals.
Prioritize the Most Critical Vulnerabilities
While attack surface management goes beyond just finding vulnerabilities, they remain one of the primary entry points for attackers. Implementing a risk-based vulnerability management system will help you identify which security flaws pose the greatest danger and which should be addressed first. This will allow you to optimize efforts and better protect your most exposed assets.
Establish Clear Policies and Processes
Identifying risks is important, but without an action plan to address them, it's not very useful. Define clear procedures for managing vulnerabilities, reviewing access controls, strengthening network segmentation, and evaluating what security measures are being implemented. Ideally, these processes should align with your company's long-term security objectives.
Implement a Continuous Monitoring System
Having real-time visibility is key to responding quickly to any threat. A 24/7 monitoring system allows you to detect problems as soon as they arise, preventing an attack from causing major damage.
Maintaining an internal security team that continuously monitors your environment can be challenging and costly. That’s why many companies choose to work with specialized Managed Detection and Response (MDR) providers, who handle this monitoring professionally and efficiently.
Don’t Overlook the Human Attack Surface
When discussing security, we often think about endpoints, applications, and networks, but there’s one factor that is often overlooked: users. Cybercriminals are increasingly focused on deceiving employees through techniques like phishing or social engineering.
To protect this crucial part of your attack surface, it’s important to:
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Strengthen your identity management system (IAM).
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Train your team on digital security and threat awareness.
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Implement specialized tools for identity threat detection and response (ITDR).
Why is Attack Surface Management So Important?
Today, cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and harder to detect. According to recent data, 48% of organizations reported experiencing a security breach in the past 12 months.
Additionally, threats are evolving rapidly: cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting known vulnerabilities, combining them with techniques such as social engineering to access critical systems.
For example, an attacker could:
🔹 Trick an employee via a phishing email.
🔹 Use those stolen credentials to access a cloud application.
🔹 Then, exploit a vulnerability to gain privileged access to confidential information.
These types of attacks demonstrate that focusing solely on one area (such as vulnerabilities or cloud security) can leave other parts of the environment exposed.
Benefits of Effective Attack Surface Management
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Reduced risks in SaaS applications, cloud environments, and other digital assets.
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Proactive elimination of threats before they become serious problems.
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Improved response times thanks to increased visibility into the environment.
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Lower exposure to vulnerabilities, as attackers tend to exploit known flaws rather than zero-day vulnerabilities.
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A clearer view of your digital footprint to make more informed security decisions.
Conclusion
Digital security isn’t just about reacting when something goes wrong; it also involves anticipating problems. Combining both proactive measures to prevent risks and reactive actions to respond to incidents is the key for attack surface management (ASM) and other security strategies to be truly effective.
This approach not only strengthens your protection but also gives you a clearer view of your company's risk landscape. Moreover, it allows you to automate processes like threat detection and incident response, making everything faster and more efficient.
At TecnetOne, we understand that protecting your company isn’t something that happens overnight. That’s why we combine advanced technology with a team of security specialists to help you reduce risks and build a protection strategy that grows with you.
Our SOC uses artificial intelligence to provide robust and scalable defense, adapting to your company’s specific needs. Additionally, we offer personalized support with strategic advice that considers your business context and the particular risks you face.
Security is a journey, not a destination, and at TecnetOne, we’re here to support you every step of the way, helping you strengthen your security posture and continuously reduce your attack surface effectively.
