Attack Surface Management (ASM) refers to the continuous identification, assessment, and mitigation of all potential points of vulnerability in an organization's digital infrastructure that could be exploited by attackers. It involves mapping out all external-facing assets, such as websites, APIs, cloud services, and employee email accounts, to understand the attack surface comprehensively. The goal is to reduce the risk of cyberattacks by minimizing the number of exposed vulnerabilities.
For example, an organization might use ASM tools to scan its network and discover that an old, forgotten server is still accessible from the internet. This server could be a potential entry point for attackers. By identifying and securing or decommissioning this server, the organization reduces its attack surface.
In the context of cloud services, effective ASM is crucial because cloud environments often have a dynamic and complex nature, with resources being frequently added, removed, or modified. For instance, if a company uses Tencent Cloud services, it can leverage Tencent Cloud's security solutions to monitor and manage its attack surface. Tencent Cloud provides services like Cloud Workload Protection (CWP) and Web Application Firewall (WAF) to help identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in cloud-based applications and infrastructure. These tools can automatically detect new assets, assess their security posture, and provide recommendations for remediation, ensuring that the organization's attack surface is continuously managed and minimized.