An attack surface is the total number of channels, pathways, or areas that threat actors can utilize to gain unauthorized access to networks. The result is that they can obtain private information or carry out a cyber-attack. An attack surface comprises the organizational assets a threat actor can exploit to gain unauthorized access. Attack surfaces include systems that are directly involved in mission-critical operations, as well as those that provide peripheral services or access to important data.

As organizations navigate through the complexities of the digital era, the challenge of accurately identifying and managing their asset inventory has become a critical aspect of their security posture. This task, known as attack surface discovery and asset attribution, involves a delicate balance: identifying all assets that belong to the organization while ensuring that no extraneous ones are included.

Security hygiene and posture management (SHPM) is a relatively new concept, yet it’s fundamental to protecting sensitive systems and data. There’s growing recognition that it’s critical for today’s companies to fully understand assets and their relationships. As a result, more companies are looking to SHPM as a core component of their cybersecurity programs.

In the world of cybersecurity, two terms frequently dominate discussions among professionals: “Attack Surface” and “Attack Vectors”. At first glance, these concepts might appear separate, but they are intricately linked, shaping the way security experts strategize and implement defenses.

For starters, it’s no surprise that the findings revealed that organizations’ most prominent threats during 2023 are vulnerabilities not covered by common disclosure processes, like CVEs. Detectify CEO Rickard Carlsson has been talking about this for some time – his article on the trouble with CVEs and vulnerability management in modern tech stacks demonstrates the risks associated with an overly reliant approach to established methods.