ASM tools and strategies for threat management

Choose Your Armor

Conclusions

Keeping an eye on all areas of attack. The Nibelungs found this out to their own downfall. You can take some warnings from the Song of the Nibelungs that still apply today. The most dangerous attackers are people like Hagen von Tronje, who proceed with patience and thorough planning; today, this approach would be referred to as APT. The attacker is even more dangerous if they have detailed knowledge of attack surfaces – not least through carelessly disclosed internal information. Finally, the murder of Siegfried shows that exploiting even a small security vulnerability can have fatal consequences if the attacker exhibits determination and purpose.

Software solutions and SaaS offerings for attack surface management can support the defense team in their task. According to experts, ASM tools are particularly effective in large, confusing, and constantly changing IT landscapes and are helpful when you can no longer see the trees for the leaves, because they make it easier for security teams to gain an overview and set priorities promptly to close the most critical gaps as quickly as possible.

ASM can also play a role in industrial environments – at least if the industrial network is open to the Internet in the scope of Industry 4.0 or smart factory initiatives. Although cyber risk management is required by law (e.g., in NIS2), ASM is not. However, any company that becomes aware of attack surfaces as part of its risk management must respond. After all, you do not want potential attackers to find an attractively large target.

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