Forrester: ASM for complex cloud

Feb 14, 2022
2 minutes
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ASM can manage your complex cloud

Understanding your attack surface has never been more difficult and the task is only becoming more complex. It has never been easier for new cloud assets to be created outside of security processes and all indications show that organizations may not even know how dire the issue is. 

According to a report from Forrester, Find And Cover Your Assets With Attack Surface Management, some ASM tools discovered several hundred percent more cloud assets than organizations thought they were using, and on average, attack surface management tools initially discover 30% more cloud assets than security teams know they have.

This data matches closely what Cortex Xpanse has found with our own customers. On average, Xpanse customers find 35% more assets than they knew about, and Xpanse research shows companies add 3.5 new publicly accessible cloud services per day, on average. In one instance, a customer added 693 new publicly accessible cloud services in a single day.

Forrester notes that comprehensive asset data is essential for vulnerability risk management, and a quality ASM solution should provide the necessary data to prioritize risks for effective remediation. An ASM product can scan the entire internet continuously to provide fresh data that isn’t reliant on third-party data and can catch new risks as they arise, either due to a change in configuration or a new asset being created. 

With Xpanse this is exactly what customers get. Xpanse scans the entire internet multiple times a day in order to provide a comprehensive view of any organization’s attack surface, including data on the owners of all assets, software information, potential exposures, and a view of third-party partners. To help understand risks better, Xpanse can include data such as the nature of a vulnerability, its severity, and relevant information about where it was found in your network, including affected IPs, certificates, and domains.

Security begins with knowing your risks and that is only possible with a complete view of your attack surface. To learn more about attack surface management, please read the Forrester report, and if you’re ready to implement an ASM plan yourself, check out ESG’s ASM Buyer’s Guide

Download the Forrester report now


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