What Is Attack Surface Management?

Last Updated on August 18, 2023 by

In 2020 alone, small businesses with between 1 and 49 employees lost an average of $24,000 to cyber attacks. Losing $24,000 is enough to put most small enterprises out of business. That’s why smart business owners invest in a solid cybersecurity system to keep cyberattacks at bay.

Attack surface management (ASM) is arguably one of the most effective strategies for protecting your digital resources from external threats. But what exactly is attack surface management, and why is it so important for your business?

In today’s post, we’ll be looking at everything you need to know about ASM and its importance.

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Attack Surface Management: The Definition

Before we get into what attack surface management is, it’s important to first understand what an attack surface is.

An attack surface is a collective term for all your company’s IT assets that are susceptible to external attacks. This includes everything from the hardware, software, and data that your company owns.

Any organization’s attack surface is dynamic and changes over time with the organization’s growth. Your attack surface may grow to include cloud-based infrastructure, subsidiary networks, and resources held by third-party vendors.

With the definition of attack surface out of the way, let’s now look at what attack surface management is. Attack surface management is a framework that allows you to manage the security of your attack surface.

It’s a continuous process that lets you identify, classify, and analyze your digital infrastructure’s security.

You can divide ASM into two broad categories, namely:

  • Operations for monitoring and protecting digital assets exposed to the internet
  • Operations for protecting assets that are only accessible from within the organization

How Does ASM Protect Your Digital Infrastructure?

What sets ASM apart from other cybersecurity strategies is the approach it takes to fight cyber attacks. Unlike other strategies, ASM puts you in the shoes of the cyber attacker. It helps identify and secure loopholes that attackers might exploit to compromise your IT security.

What’s more, ASM acknowledges the dynamics and unpredictability of security attacks. In doing so, organizations can implement techniques like Attack Surface Reduction to help sidestep cyber attacks. This guarantees ultimate protection for your organization’s digital infrastructure.

Why Is ASM So Important?

ASM seems like a solid way to ward off cyber attackers, but is it worth the hype? Here are a few reasons why ASM is important for your business or organization:

  • It helps identify vulnerabilities in your attack surface that might lead to a security attack
  • Solidifies your IT security even in areas that you often overlook
  • Continuously strengthens your cybersecurity to ward off emerging threats

ASM is a must-have for any organization interested in protecting its security assets. It’s a worthwhile investment for any business.

Embrace Attack Surface Management and Boost Your Cybersecurity

Attack surface management is one of the most effective ways of protecting your organization’s digital resources. Work with a cybersecurity firm to implement ASM in your business or organization today.

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