Managing Our Digital Exposure: A Unified Approach to Attack Surface Management

As a cybersecurity-conscious organisation, we understand that effective Attack Surface Management (ASM) is not a standalone effort—it’s a strategic and continuous process that touches every digital asset, internal and external interface, and third-party dependency. Our goal is to reduce our exposure to cyber threats by actively discovering, monitoring and securing all entry points that could be exploited by malicious actors.

To achieve this, we adopt a layered approach that includes

• Asset Management,

• Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM), External Attack Surface Management (EASM),

• Supply Chain Security,

• Vulnerability Management & Risk Assessment,

• Penetration Testing (Pentesting).

Each function plays a unique role in safeguarding our infrastructure.

Integrated Attack Surface Framework

We begin with comprehensive asset visibility. This means maintaining a live, continuously updated inventory of every digital and physical asset in our environment—from on-premise servers and cloud workloads to mobile devices and IoT endpoints. Without knowing what we own, we can’t protect it. Asset data is ingested from various sources including configuration management databases (CMDBs), endpoint detection tools, and cloud control planes.

Next, Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM) enables us to correlate data across disparate systems to uncover misconfigurations, redundant or orphaned systems, and shadow IT. CAASM platforms help security and IT teams align asset data with threat intelligence, user behaviour analytics, and policy frameworks to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

In parallel, we perform External Attack Surface Management (EASM) by continuously scanning the public internet for unknown or exposed assets. These include forgotten subdomains, misconfigured cloud storage, or services unintentionally left accessible. External visibility is critical—if we can find it, so can attackers.

Trust Through the Chain: Third-Party & Supply Chain Security

Our digital perimeter often extends beyond our direct control. That’s why Supply Chain Security is an essential part of our ASM framework. We assess the cybersecurity posture of our vendors and partners using standardised questionnaires, security ratings, and contractual obligations. Where necessary, we require suppliers to:

• Adhere to minimum security standards (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST CSF)

• Disclose known vulnerabilities or incidents promptly

• Provide evidence of regular penetration testing or security audits

• Limit data access based on principle of least privilege

Risk-Driven Vulnerability Management

ASM would be incomplete without Vulnerability Management and Risk Assessment. We prioritise vulnerabilities not just by CVSS scores but by their relevance to our threat landscape and business impact. This process integrates data from vulnerability scanners, threat intelligence feeds, and asset criticality to enable a risk-based approach. We maintain workflows for:

• Automated scanning and patch verification

• Contextual risk scoring (combining CVEs, asset sensitivity, and exploit likelihood)

• Escalation paths for high-risk findings

• Tracking remediation through defined SLAs

Testing Our Assumptions: Penetration Testing

Finally, Penetration Testing acts as the validation layer. We conduct regular red team exercises and scoped tests to simulate real-world attack scenarios. This helps us validate controls, uncover blind spots, and continuously improve our defences. Findings from pentests feed back into our vulnerability and configuration management processes, creating a loop of continuous improvement.

Process Flows & Documentation

We maintain a set of defined processes and forms to streamline and document our ASM activities:

• Asset Registration Form – Ensures all new systems and software are logged with relevant owners and risk profiles.

• Vulnerability Exception Request – Used when remediation is delayed or infeasible, requiring business justification and sign-off.

• Third-Party Security Review Checklist – Standardised template for evaluating vendor security posture.

• Incident Response Flowchart – Tied into EASM alerts and pentest outcomes to guide actions when exposure is detected.