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CSO Online Details Four-Step External Attack Surface Management
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
What
The article describes an iterative four-step process for External Attack Surface Management (EASM), crucial for organizations to secure their exponentially growing internet-connected assets. It matters because effective EASM helps identify and mitigate vulnerabilities across the entire external attack surface, including shadow IT and forgotten assets, thereby reducing the risk of successful cyberattacks.
Where
All organizations with internet-accessible assets.
When
Not applicable; general security guidance.
Key Factors
- •Effective EASM requires a multi-stage concept that goes beyond traditional asset discovery and vulnerability scanning, focusing on "blind spots" like forgotten cloud assets and misconfigured IoT devices.
- •Risk assessment should consider exploitability, attractiveness to attackers, and discoverability of vulnerabilities to accurately prioritize remediation efforts.
- •The four-step EASM process includes identifying and classifying assets, detecting vulnerabilities, assessing their risk, and prioritizing remediation based on actual threat potential.
Takeaways
- →Implement a comprehensive, automated EASM program to continuously monitor and manage all internet-facing assets, including shadow IT and forgotten infrastructure.
- →Prioritize vulnerability remediation based on a realistic risk assessment that considers exploitability, attacker attractiveness, and discoverability, rather than simply the number of detected issues.
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Opens original article on CSO Online
