Attack surface management (ASM) is a relatively new cybersecurity technology that combines elements of vulnerability management and asset discovery with the automation capabilities of breach and attack simulation (BAS) and applies them to an organization’s entire IT environment, from networks to the cloud.
That makes ASM’s ambitions much greater than legacy vulnerability management tools. Attack surface management aims to automate discovering, assessing, and prioritizing vulnerabilities and third-party, digital supply chain, and cloud risks. It addresses both internal and external (EASM) risks. CAASM (cyber asset ASM) and DRPS (digital risk protection) are also related terms and elements of ASM.
Here are our seven picks for the early leaders in the attack surface management market:
- CyCognito: Best for uncovering attack vectors
- Google Cloud Security by Mandiant: Best for identifying and managing your external attack surface
- Palo Alto Cortex Xpanse: Best for continuous monitoring and managing surface attacks
- Microsoft Defender: Best external surface defense tool
- CrowdStrike Falcon Surface: Best cloud-based ASM solution
- Tenable: Best for external attack surface management
- IBM Randori: Best for attack surface simulation and testing
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Top Attack Surface Management Software Comparison
Here is a comparison of the top attack surface management tools, followed by in-depth reviews.
| Asset Discovery | Reporting | Integrations | Certifications | Pricing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CyCognito | Dynamic asset inventory, natural language processing, advanced analysis of open-source intelligence (OSINT) | Attack Vector Reports | Zendesk, Microsoft 365, Azure, Excel, Outlook, Google, Sheets, Gmail, Slack, AWS, PagerDuty, Okta | Member of Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and OWASP | Starts at $11 per asset or $30,000 per year |
| Google Cloud Security by Mandiant | Infrastructure-as-code (IaC) templates, virtual machines (VMs), containers, and storage buckets | Asset Inventory, Vulnerability Reporting, Compliance Reporting | Google Cloud Security Command Center (SCC), Google Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM), Google Cloud Key Management Service (KMS) | ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II | Free trial to start |
| Palo Alto Cortex Xpanse | Internet-facing asset discovery and dynamic port/service monitoring features | Report Center found in their platform | Prisma Cloud, Cortex XSOAR | CSA Labs | $95,000/unit per annum |
| Microsoft Defender | Build my Attack Surface feature on the dashboard | 4 built-in Microsoft Defender EASM inventory reports in Azure: Attack Surface SummarySecurity PostureGDPR ComplianceOWASP Top 10 | Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Azure, Windows, Office 365, Dynamic 365 | N/A | 30-day free trial, then $0.011 asset/day after trial ends |
| CrowdStrike Falcon Surface | AI-powered attack surface analytics | Custom data generated reports within the platform | CrowdStrike Platforms, Slack, Jira, ServiceNow | NSA-CIRA | $99.99 – $184.99 per year |
| Tenable | Tenable One, an exposure management platform | Identifies assets using DNS records, IP addresses, and ASN, and provides over 180 metadata fields | Tenable Attack Surface Management, Add-on for Splunk | ISO/IEC 27001/27002 | $4,588.50 – $13,077.22 per year |
| IBM Security Randori | Center-of-mass-out approach | Discovery Path within the platform | Splunk Enterprises, ServiceNow, Axonius, Rapid7 InsightIDR, Panaseer, Qualys Cloud Platform, IBM Security QRadar, Splunk Phantom, Tenable, LogicHub | N/A | Free 7-day trial |
CyCognito: Best for Uncovering Attack Vectors
CyCognito finds concealed attack routes by modeling adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). It creates a comprehensive picture of your attack surface, including assets typical security solutions can’t see. Its technology manages the attack surface by recognizing, prioritizing, and removing external security issues. CyCognito also provides information on a company’s digital footprint, including unknown and shadow IT assets.
Pros
Cons
Through its SaaS architecture, CyCognito provides tiered pricing for security testing, intelligence, and premium support. Pricing is dependent on the quantity of Internet-facing assets.
- Starts at $11 per asset per month
- The entire expense for a 12-month commitment is $30,000
- A 24-month package is offered for $60,000 in total
- Businesses can choose a 36-month package for $80,000 in total
- Zero-input discovery
- Contextualization
- Security testing
- Prioritization
- Remediation acceleration
Mandiant Attack Surface Management: Best for Identifying & Managing External Attack Surfaces
Mandiant Attack Surface Management (ASMS) is a cloud-based solution that helps organizations identify, assess, and manage their external attack surface. Google-owned Mandiant provides a comprehensive view of all internet-facing assets, including public-facing websites, subdomains, cloud resources, and third-party assets. ASMS also provides insights into the risks associated with each asset and how to mitigate them.
Pros
Cons
Mandiant Attack Surface Management doesn’t reveal pricing, but a free trial is available on their signup page.
- Continuous exposure monitoring
- Operationalize expertise and intelligence
- Assess high-velocity exploit impact
- Identify unsanctioned resources
- Digital supply chain monitoring
- Subsidiary monitoring
Palo Alto Cortex Xpanse: Best for Continuous Monitoring & Managing Surface Attacks
Palo Alto Cortex Xpanse is best for continuously monitoring and managing your attack surface. It provides a real-time view of assets and the risks associated with them. Cortex Xpanse also provides insights into how attackers target your organization and how to defend against them.
Pros
Cons
Palo Alto Cortex Expander web-based subscription platform covers 999 AUM and Basic Customer Success support, all for an annual price of $95,000 per unit.
- Addresses security blindspots
- Helps eliminate shadow cloud
- Improves zero-day response
- Merger and acquisition (M&A) evaluation
- Scalable across environments
Microsoft Defender: Best for External Surface Defense
Microsoft Defender is best for organizations that are already using Microsoft security solutions. It offers an all-encompassing attack surface management solution connected with other Microsoft security solutions. In addition, Microsoft Defender integrates seamlessly with the larger Microsoft ecosystem, allowing enterprises to capitalize on synergies across several platforms and apps. This integrated strategy improves security by enabling more efficient threat detection, response, and repair operations.
Pros
Cons
- Microsoft Representative: $0.011 asset/day
- Azure Portal: $0.011 asset/day
- Real-time inventory
- Exposure detection and prioritization
- More secure management for each resource
CrowdStrike Falcon Surface: Best Cloud-Based ASM Solution
CrowdStrike Falcon Surface is ideal for businesses seeking a cloud-based attack surface management solution. It gives you a complete picture of your attack surface, encompassing assets on-premises, in the cloud, and hybrid settings. Integration with the Falcon platform also makes it ideal for existing CrowdStrike customers.
Pros
Cons
- Falcon Pro: $99.99/device per year
- Falcon Enterprise: $184.99/device per year
- Falcon Elite’s price: upon request
- Adversarial-based risk prioritization
- Guided remediation
- AI-powered analytics identify critical exposures
- Asset discovery
Tenable Attack Surface Management: Best for External Attack Surface Management
Tenable Attack Surface Management continuously maps the environment and discovers connections to internet-facing assets, allowing you to quickly identify and analyze the network security posture of your entire external attack surface. Its continuous mapping and monitoring capabilities give real-time data so you can stay ahead of new threats and make educated defensive decisions.
Tenable helps you analyze the present security posture and execute proactive steps that increase your overall resilience against external attacks by providing complete insight into internet-facing assets and their interconnections.
Pros
Cons
- Multi-year license:
- 1 Year: $4,588.50
- 2 Years: $8,947.57 (Save $229.43)
- 3 Years: $13,077.22 (Save $688.28)
- Advanced Support: $460
- Nessus Fundamentals: $316.25
- Advanced technology fingerprinting identifying common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs)
- Thousands of software versions
- Geolocation
- Programming frameworks
- Continuous dynamic data refreshes
- Attack surface change alerts
IBM Security Randori: Best for Attack Surface Simulation & Testing
IBM Security Randori is a cloud-based attack surface management tool that assists businesses in identifying and mitigating security flaws. Randori employs a novel technique to attack surface management that the company calls adversary simulation. Adversary simulation includes mimicking an attacker’s behavior to find security flaws that might be exploited.
Pros
Cons
IBM Security Randori doesn’t publicly display its ASM pricing. However, they offer a free 7-day trial, which you can access through their website.
- External reconnaissance
- Discovery path
- Risk-based prioritization
- Remediance guidance
- M&A risk management
- Shadow IT discovery
Key Features of Attack Surface Management Software
Features and capabilities can vary in the emerging attack surface management market, but here are some essential features to look for in ASM solutions:
- Asset discovery: Safeguard assets housed on partner or third-party sites, cloud workloads, IoT devices, abandoned or deprecated IP addresses and credentials, Shadow IT, and more.
- Business context and importance of an asset: Once assets have been discovered, you must assess their business context and importance. This will help organizations prioritize their remediation efforts and focus on the most critical assets.
- Continuous risk assessment: Assessing vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, data exposures, and other security gaps constantly changes as new assets are added, vulnerabilities are discovered, and misconfigurations are introduced. Continuous risk assessment helps organizations identify and address risks as soon as they emerge.
- Prioritization: Once risks have been identified, it’s important to prioritize them based on the likelihood of exploitation and the potential impact on the business.
- Remediation plan: A thorough remediation plan is critical for minimizing identified risks and strengthening an organization’s cybersecurity posture. It provides a strategy roadmap adapted to the organization’s issues, guaranteeing focused and proactive efforts to counter potential risks.
- Validating fixes: Once fixes have been implemented, the next step is to test them to ensure they are effective.
- Reporting: Attack surface management requires regular reporting to help organizations track their progress in reducing risk and identify areas for improvement.
- Integration with SIEM, ITSM, and CMDB: Other security solutions, such as security information and event management (SIEM) systems, IT service management (ITSM) systems, and configuration management databases (CMDBs), should be integrated with attack surface management solutions. This integration assists enterprises in streamlining their security operations and improving the efficacy of their attack surface management program.
How to Choose the Best Attack Surface Management Software for Your Business
When choosing an attack surface management software for your organization, look for one that offers a comprehensive view of your environment and continuous monitoring, provides insight into risks, integrates with your existing infrastructure, and is scalable. Here are some of the issues for potential buyers to consider.
- The size and complexity of your attack surface: The sophistication and functionality required in an attack surface management system are determined by the size and complexity of your attack surface. If your attack surface is broad and complicated, you’ll need a solution to find and analyze all of your assets, including known and unknown, third-party, and cloud assets.
- Your security budget: Attack surface management software can cost thousands to tens of thousands each year. Be sure to select a solution that matches your budget and security requirements.
- Your existing security infrastructure: If you currently have a lot of security solutions in place, you will need to select an attack surface management solution that interfaces with your existing infrastructure. This will assist you in streamlining your security operations and avoiding redundant work.
- Your risk tolerance: The amount of security you require from an attack surface management system is determined by your risk tolerance. You can pick a less expensive option with fewer features if you have a high-risk tolerance. If your risk tolerance is low, you may need to pick a more expensive option with additional features.
- Your individual/business requirements: Besides the broad considerations above, you should consider your specific requirements when selecting an attack surface management system. For example, if you work in a regulated business, you may need to select a certified solution to satisfy specific compliance criteria.
How We Evaluated Attack Surface Management Software
For our analysis of the attack surface management product market, we gave the highest weight to product capabilities, as ASM is a technology that requires broad reach and functionality. Other considerations included ease of use and deployment, user feedback, price and value, reporting, asset discovery, automation, integration, risk prioritization, and more.
Attack Surface Discovery & Assessment Capabilities – 50%
We looked at how well ASM products discover and identify assets and risks, the breadth of environments covered, and automation features such as risk prioritization, patching and mitigation recommendations, and validation.
Ease of Use & Deployment – 20%
Attack surface management tools cover a lot of risks, assets, and environments, so their ease of use is significant for overburdened security teams. This also includes false alerts and the amount of tuning required.
Pricing & Value – 20%
We looked at both the price of the products and the relative value and breadth of features that users get for that price.
Additional Features – 10%
These include integration with other tools like SIEM, CMDB, and CI/CD tools, as well as reporting, including compliance features.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Is the Significance of ASM in Business?
ASM is critical because it enables firms to identify and manage security threats in advance, creating a solid defense against cyberattacks.
What Distinguishes ASM from Standard Security Measures?
ASM focuses on mapping the attack surface, including hidden or undisclosed assets, delivering a more complete security strategy, and going beyond tools like vulnerability management.
What Characteristics Should I Look for in ASM Software?
In an ASM solution, look for effective threat exposure detection and remediation, user-friendly interfaces, seamless integration with remediation tools, real-time threat information, and thorough reporting capabilities.
Is ASM Appropriate for Small Businesses?
Yes, ASM is effective for all sizes of enterprises. Many ASM solutions provide scalable choices to meet small organizations’ unique requirements and budgets.
Is It Possible to Combine ASM Software with Current Security Tools?
Yes, ASM software is designed to integrate effectively with other security solutions, thus improving the overall security architecture.
How Frequently Should ASM Scans Be Performed?
To keep up with the changing nature of digital assets and evolving risks, regular ASM scans should be performed, ideally on a frequent, if not continuous, basis.
Is ASM Software Resistant to Zero-Day Vulnerabilities?
Yes, by delivering real-time threat intelligence and response capabilities, ASM software can be successful against zero-day vulnerabilities.
What Industries Are the Most Benefited by ASM Solutions?
Because of their superior threat detection and response capabilities, ASM solutions help industries dealing with sensitive data, such as banking, healthcare, and government.
Bottom Line: ASM Reduces Attack Surfaces
Attack surface management software is a welcome evolution in vulnerability management, securing digital assets by discovering, analyzing, and maintaining a wide range of assets and environments that attackers may try to exploit.
The best ASM provider must be chosen carefully, considering criteria such as the size and complexity of the attack surface, security budget, current infrastructure, risk tolerance, location and type of sensitive data, and unique features that match an organization’s needs. A solid reputation and track record are also necessary, and the vendors we’ve reviewed here can meet these criteria.
