Best Attack Surface Management Platforms of 2024

Use the comparison tool below to compare the top Attack Surface Management platforms on the market. You can filter results by user reviews, pricing, features, platform, region, support options, integrations, and more.

Attack Surface Management Platforms Overview

Attack Surface Management (ASM) platforms are software tools used to detect, assess and mitigate security risks in a company’s IT infrastructure. They provide organizations with the visibility and control they need to reduce their attack surface and protect against cyberattacks. By monitoring external sources such as the Internet, social media accounts, cloud-based services, mobile applications and IoT devices, ASM platforms can quickly identify changes that could put an organization at risk.

With an ASM platform organizations can discover new assets connected to their networks – both on premise and in the cloud – whether or not those assets have been properly inventoried by IT teams. The platform also provides detailed insights into each asset's criticality level so that users can prioritize remediation actions based on threat potential. This helps organizations avoid overspending resources trying to secure noncritical systems when more vulnerable ones go unprotected.

ASM platforms use automated scanning technology to monitor for common security vulnerabilities such as misconfigurations or weak credentials. If any of these problems are detected, alerts are sent out via email or SMS notifications so team members can take action right away before threats escalate further into costly data breaches or other incidents resulting in reputation damage or regulatory fines.

Finally, modern ASM solutions often integrate with technologies like SIEMs (Security Incident Event Management System), VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), firewalls, NACs (Network Access Control) and other network security products so they become part of an overall defense strategy designed to block malicious actors from successfully penetrating a system via multiple vectors of attack.

In summary; Attack Surface Management Platforms provide a comprehensive view across all assets within your IT environment - both on premise and off - allowing you to accurately assess risk levels associated with each one before taking appropriate steps to secure them against unwanted intrusions or thefts of sensitive information by cybercriminals.

Why Use Attack Surface Management Platforms?

1. Automated Vulnerability Detection: Attack surface management platforms use automated vulnerability scanning capabilities to continuously identify potential vulnerabilities in the environment, so you can quickly take corrective action.
2. Improved Network Visibility: Attack surface management tools provide visibility into all connected components of the IT infrastructure, enabling organizations to gain better insight into their attack surfaces and make informed decisions about how to reduce risk exposures.
3. Comprehensive Risk Assessment: With attack surface management tools, organizations can get a comprehensive overview of their entire network’s threat landscape by tracking assets across multiple layers, devices and locations in real-time. This helps them prioritize risks more effectively based on contexts such as asset age and value or threats present in the environment at any given time.
4. Reduced Response Time: By automating many of the manual tasks involved with vulnerability assessment like patching processes, attack surface management platforms allow teams to reduce response times for patching critical vulnerabilities which prevents attackers from exploiting those weaknesses first before they're addressed by IT staff members..
5. Cost Savings: Since attack surface management eliminates much of the manual labor associated with managing secure IT infrastructure, it also results in cost savings for organizations since fewer resources are needed for ongoing security maintenance activities over time

The Importance of Attack Surface Management Platforms

Attack surface management platforms are becoming increasingly important in today's digital world, as they can help organizations protect their networks and data from malicious actors. Attack surface management is an umbrella term for a wide range of security solutions that monitor potential attack vectors, detect anomalies, and alert administrators so they can respond quickly to any threats.

The proliferation of devices on corporate networks, combined with the ever-growing number of applications being used to access them, has opened up many opportunities for attackers. Organizations need to be aware of the potential vulnerabilities that exist in their systems and take steps to reduce or eliminate them before attackers can exploit them. Otherwise, the consequences could be severe – loss or theft of sensitive data, financial losses due to fraud or ransom payments, and damage to brands and reputations.

With attack surface management platforms in place, however, companies are better enabled to identify weak points in their network infrastructure and address these issues before they become a problem. These solutions typically employ automated scanning technologies which continuously monitor various elements within an organization’s system architecture including hardware components such as servers and routers; operating systems; cloud accounts; applications; databases; web services etc., looking for signs of irregularities that may indicate attempted intrusion activities by external actors such as hackers. They also provide real-time alerts when suspicious activity is detected so administrators can respond swiftly before any significant damage has been done.

The platform will then give clear recommendations on how best to mitigate vulnerabilities found during its scan operations along with helpful guidance on how best practices should be implemented across areas such as user authentication measures, password complexity requirements, etc., in order to stay ahead of bad actors who are constantly aiming at finding new ways into corporate infrastructures through exploitable loopholes left open over time due lack diligence in keeping up with ever-changing security policies enforced by technology providers like Microsoft or Apple iOS updates, etc.

In conclusion therefore it is clear why attack surface management platforms have become essential components within modern-day enterprise IT security strategies - enabling organizations large & small alike more effective control over their tech environment allowing secure usage without compromising business operations & privacy.

Features Offered by Attack Surface Management Platforms

1. Automated Asset Identification: Attack surface management platforms provide automated asset identification by consistently collecting and organizing data from multiple sources, such as network scans, vulnerability scans, cloud services, web applications and system logs. This allows security teams to get a comprehensive view of what assets are available on the network so they can identify potential threats before they become a problem.
2. Security Risk Assessment: Attack surface management platforms provide detailed assessments of the security risk posed by identified assets in order to prioritize remediation efforts. This involves identifying weak points in security configurations or systems that could potentially be exploited by malicious actors and helping organizations develop strategies to mitigate those risks.
3. Vulnerability Scanning: Many attack surface management offerings include built-in vulnerability scanning capabilities that scan for common vulnerabilities across different technology layers (e.g., OSs, networks, and databases). The results of these scans are used to help organizations identify potential problems before attackers can exploit them.
4. Third-Party Vendor Risk Management: Attack surface management solutions allow organizations to better manage third-party vendor relationships with features like continuous monitoring of vendor performance and automatic notifications when changes occur within a vendor’s environment that could raise alarms about their security posture or reputation.
5. Regulatory Compliance Monitoring: These solutions enable businesses to monitor their compliance status with various regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA or GDPR; this helps ensure companies remain compliant despite changing regulations and business practices over time.

What Types of Users Can Benefit From Attack Surface Management Platforms?

• Developers: Attack surface management platforms allow developers to identify potential security risks and minimize attack surfaces by providing better visibility of their code and applications.
• Security Professionals: Attack surface management platforms provide an effective way to monitor the entire application environment, assess security risks, detect vulnerabilities, and respond quickly when an incident occurs.
• Compliance Officers: Attack surface management solutions enable compliance officers to track changes in the security landscape for any given system or organization, ensuring that regulatory requirements are met at all times.
• Enterprise Architects: With the help of attack surface management tools, enterprise architects can proactively address any impending threats within the IT infrastructure before they cause damage or disruption.
• System Administrators: By using attack surface management platforms, system administrators can analyze every component of a system in order to identify possible weaknesses or vulnerabilities so that corrective measures can be taken as soon as possible.
• Managed Service Providers (MSPs): MSPs benefit from using attack surface management platforms due to its capability of uncovering known and unknown threats across multi-cloud environments with varying technologies and endpoints.
• Risk Managers: The insights provided by attack surface monitoring helps risk managers assess current vulnerabilities in real-time and make informed decisions on how to mitigate them going forward.
• Regulatory Auditors: Regulatory auditors use information gathered through attack surface analysis as evidence for compliance checks against regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA or GDPR.

How Much Do Attack Surface Management Platforms Cost?

Attack surface management platforms (ASM) vary in cost, depending on the size of your organization and the type of solution you choose. For small businesses, ASM solutions may range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per year for basic services. Mid-sized companies typically spend anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 annually for an ASM solution that includes monitoring and alerting capabilities. Large organizations may pay up to $100,000 or more for comprehensive ASM solutions that include advanced features such as automated remediation and integration with other security tools.

In addition to initial setup costs, businesses should factor ongoing maintenance costs into their overall budget. As the attack surface—the number and types of access points exposed to potential threat actors—continually expands with new technologies like cloud computing and Internet-connected devices, periodic vulnerability assessments are needed to ensure effective protection against cyber attacks. Therefore, many organizations opt for subscription models in which they pay a recurring fee each month or quarter in order to receive regular updates on their system's vulnerabilities and risk profile.

Risks To Be Aware of Regarding Attack Surface Management Platforms

• Software vulnerability: Attack surface management platforms can be vulnerable to software bugs, which could allow malicious actors to bypass security protocols and gain access to confidential data.
• Network vulnerabilities: Attack surface management systems typically rely on a wide range of network-based services, such as firewalls, proxy servers, and intrusion detection systems. If any of these are misconfigured or vulnerable to attack, an attacker may be able to take control of the system and exploit its stored data.
• Human error: Despite the presence of automated tools and procedures in most attack surface management platforms, human errors still occur that can lead to security breaches. These include mistakes in setting up security controls or not following best practices when deploying systems.
• Malicious insiders: Attack Surface Management Platforms rely heavily on users within the organization who have privileged access—such as administrators or senior managers—to manage the system. If one of these users is maliciously motivated (or has been compromised by an outsider), they may be able to bypass normal authentication processes and gain access to sensitive information.
• External threats: External attackers are a common source of risk for organizations using attack surface management platforms. For example, attackers could use techniques such as phishing emails or credential stuffing attacks in order to gain access and potentially steal confidential data from the platform.

Types of Software That Attack Surface Management Platforms Integrate With

Attack surface management platforms can integrate with a variety of types of software, including vulnerability scanners (such as Qualys), security monitoring and logging tools (such as Splunk), configuration management systems (such as Puppet or Chef), cloud orchestration platforms (such as AWS or Azure), application development frameworks (such as Node.js and Ruby on Rails) and web application firewalls (such as F5). These types of software are all designed to help organizations manage their attack surface by providing real-time visibility into changes in the environment, automating compliance checks, and alerting teams when vulnerabilities arise. Integration with these types of software helps organizations quickly detect threats and weaknesses before attackers have time to exploit them.

Questions To Ask Related To Attack Surface Management Platforms

1. What features does the attack surface management platform offer?
2. Does the platform provide automated scans and reports on external web services, domains, and subdomains?
3. Is there an easy-to-use dashboard that allows you to quickly access scan results and manage potential threats?
4. How often are scans performed, in which order and at what level of detail?
5. Can the platform detect potential vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers?
6. Is there a way to customize rulesets so that only certain types of security issues are flagged or monitored in real time?
7. Are there options for creating alarms or alerts when new issues arise that require immediate attention?
8. How simple or complex is it for administrators to set up rules governing alerting behavior based on their specific needs?
9. Does the solution have threat intelligence capabilities such as identifying malicious actors associated with identified risks found on scans?
10. Is historical data available so administrators can compare current states with previous ones in order to spot changes over time?