Business today use online tools for everything: websites, servers, cloud apps, the list goes on. Each of these tools function as a door that hackers can enter. External Attack Surface Management (EASM) is just like checking every door and window at night to see if they're locked.
Think about it. Have you ever left an account or email active that you haven't used in years? Hackers thrive off that weak link. EASM closes some of those links before hackers have a chance to exploit them.
EASM can help with:
• Clear visibility - what is open to the internet;
• Continuous (24/7) monitoring - spotting weaknesses non-stop;
• Smart alerts - telling teams what they need to fix first;
• Less potential exposure to risk - the fewer doors open, the less chance they'll get attacked.
Pretty cool, huh?
For example:
• A team creates a cloud service and forgets to secure it; EASM finds it.
• IT finds it before the hacker notices it is unsecured and can fix it.
It's like a doorbell video camera that does not just record but alerts you when someone crosses your door.
And to be frank—wouldn't you rather hear from your own tools that there was a weak system instead of reading the news about your company getting hacked? Right.
So when you consider how companies take action to fight hackers, think about this: it's not about fixing everything once! It's about seeing the overall picture first and EASM helps do this.
What is EASM?
EASM finds and tracks all of the online assets that a company has. This includes online resources that IT sometimes forget about entirely, such as old accounts, old servers, unused accounts, etc. If a hacker can see it, EASM will help the company see it first.Think about it. Have you ever left an account or email active that you haven't used in years? Hackers thrive off that weak link. EASM closes some of those links before hackers have a chance to exploit them.
Why do companies need EASM?
Big companies have hundreds and thousands of online systems. There's no practical way to augment them manually.EASM can help with:
• Clear visibility - what is open to the internet;
• Continuous (24/7) monitoring - spotting weaknesses non-stop;
• Smart alerts - telling teams what they need to fix first;
• Less potential exposure to risk - the fewer doors open, the less chance they'll get attacked.
Pretty cool, huh?
So how does this help lower cyber risk?
When hackers want to spend some time cyber-attacking a business, they mostly start by mapping the internet and finding weak spots. EASM flips this script because implementing and using EASM allows companies to find their own weak spots first.For example:
• A team creates a cloud service and forgets to secure it; EASM finds it.
• IT finds it before the hacker notices it is unsecured and can fix it.
It's like a doorbell video camera that does not just record but alerts you when someone crosses your door.
My thinking on this
I favor tools that allow IT teams to not just spend time on alerts, but also get alerts on risks that matter. It prioritizes the risks which enables teams to act on what matters.And to be frank—wouldn't you rather hear from your own tools that there was a weak system instead of reading the news about your company getting hacked? Right.
Recommendations
Cyber risks will always exist, External Attack Surface Management will only help companies get ahead of risks, by identifying the forgotten or the weak systems, you will close the backdoor of the attacker's intent before they even knock.So when you consider how companies take action to fight hackers, think about this: it's not about fixing everything once! It's about seeing the overall picture first and EASM helps do this.