How to identify unknown assets while pen testing

Hackers relentlessly probe your organization's digital defenses, hunting for the slightest vulnerability to exploit. And while penetration testing serves as a valuable tool, there might be some areas of risk your testing program is overlooking.

The harsh reality is that even the most security-conscious organizations often have blind spots, with portions of their internet-exposed attack surface are left untested and unprotected. As cyberattacks escalate in sophistication and frequency, these unaddressed vulnerabilities pose a potentially serious risk.

In this post, we'll expose the pitfalls of relying solely on traditional penetration testing.

Then, we'll explore how integrating External Attack Surface Management (EASM) with Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) illuminates those blind spots, empowering you to comprehensively defend your entire attack surface and minimize risk exposure.

The pitfalls of limited penetration testing

An Informa Tech survey, which polled enterprises with 3,000 or more employees, revealed that while a significant majority (70%) conduct penetration tests to gauge their security posture and 69% do so to prevent breaches, a mere 38% test more than half of their attack surface every year.

This restricted coverage creates a dangerous illusion of security, as attackers quickly exploit the untested IT assets that organizations leave exposed.

The research findings painted a stark picture of the shortcomings in current penetration testing practices:

• Sparse asset coverage: More than a third (36%) of respondents admitted performing pen tests on 100 or fewer assets despite having a sprawling network of over 10,000 internet-connected assets.
• Blind spots: A staggering 60% expressed concern that pen testing offers limited coverage, leaving numerous blind spots unaddressed.
• Failure to detect new/unknown assets: Nearly half (47%) acknowledged that pen testing only detects known assets and fails to identify new or unknown ones.
• Frequency issues: 45% of organizations only conduct pen tests once or twice yearly.

These statistics should serve as a wake-up call, emphasizing the urgent need for a more comprehensive approach to securing an organization's entire asset management lifecycle.

The solution lies in integrating EASM with penetration testing, a powerful combination that enhances application security testing coverage and effectiveness.

The power of EASM

EASM solutions, like Outpost24's EASM solution, change the cybersecurity game by providing organizations with continuous discovery, mapping, and monitoring of all internet-facing assets. By leveraging automated data gathering, enrichment, and AI-driven analysis, EASM solutions identify vulnerabilities and potential attack paths across the entire attack surface – even unknown assets.

This comprehensive visibility empowers organizations to prioritize their remediation efforts based on context-aware risk scoring, ensuring that the most critical issues are addressed first.

Integrating EASM with penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) further strengthens an organization’s security posture. Outpost24’s PTaaS solution seamlessly combines manual penetration testing’s depth and precision with the efficiency of automated vulnerability scanning.

This approach ensures continuous monitoring and exceptional coverage of technical and business-logic flaws, providing organizations with a clear picture of their true security posture.

Bridging the gap: EASM and PTaaS integration

By harnessing EASM's asset discovery capabilities, you can feed a comprehensive inventory of your organization’s external attack surface into your PTaaS program.

This integration will allow pen testers to focus their efforts on the most critical assets and vulnerabilities, maximizing the value and impact of each test.

The benefits of this integrated approach are numerous and far-reaching:

• Unparalleled visibility: Complete transparency into your entire external attack surface, leaving no asset unaccounted for or hidden from view.
• Continuous vigilance: Round-the-clock monitoring and real-time vulnerability insights provide a proactive cybersecurity posture.
• Intelligent prioritization: Context-aware risk scoring lets you strategically prioritize remediation of the most business-critical vulnerabilities.
• Rapid response: Swiftly mitigate newly discovered vulnerabilities, minimizing your window of exposure to potential threats.

Your organization’s cybersecurity shouldn’t be a perpetual game of catch-up. By combining EASM and PTaaS, you can more effectively confront threats, secure your evolving attack surface, and protect your organization's most vital digital assets. 

Gaining attack surface visibility

Today, relying solely on penetration testing is no longer enough. Organizations must adapt and embrace a more comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, integrating EASM along with penetration testing.

By adopting this integrated, you can effectively close the gaps between asset discovery and security testing, significantly reducing your exposure to cyber threats and ensuring a more accurate measurement of your security posture.

To put a twist on an old saying, it turns out that, "What you don’t know can hurt you.” By illuminating the shadows of your attack surface and leveraging the power of integrated solutions like Outpost24's EASM and PTaaS, your organization can take a proactive stance against cyber threats — and safeguard your valuable assets. Interested in learning how PTaaS and EASM could fit in with your organization?

Speak to an expert today.

Sponsored and written by Outpost24.