Attack Surface Management identifies exposed assets and weaknesses so defenders can reduce unknown entry points, prioritize fixes, and limit attacker access.
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Background for this topic.
Attack Surface Management continuously identifies and monitors all digital assets an organization exposes to potential attackers, including internet-facing systems, cloud resources, APIs, employee devices, and third-party connections. This process reveals where vulnerabilities or misconfigurations might exist, which attackers could exploit to gain unauthorized access or move laterally within networks.
Maintaining an accurate, up-to-date inventory of assets enables targeted vulnerability scanning and prioritizes remediation efforts. It also uncovers shadow IT and forgotten resources that often lack security controls. Automated discovery and monitoring tools help sustain visibility over evolving attack surfaces, reducing the risk of exploitation through unknown or unmanaged entry points. This practice is essential for minimizing exposure and supporting effective defensive operations.
RSA's Innovation Sandbox 2023 focused on the software supply chain, as well as attack surfaces exposed by generative AI, ML systems, and APIs.
According to Forrester, External Attack Surface Management (EASM) emerged as a market category in 2021 and gained popularity in 2022. In a different report, Gartner concluded that vulnerability management vendors are expanding their offerings to include Attack Surface Management (ASM) for a suite of comprehensive offensive security solutions