Attack Surface Management: Key to effective cybersecurity in 2025

In the current business landscape, a company's success is no longer solely determined by its forward-thinking offerings, but also by its capability to defend against cyber threats. For example, if an internationally active company falls victim to an attack in which vulnerabilities in publicly accessible cloud instances are exploited, the consequences can be fatal. Production downtime costs several million euros or loss of customer confidence. Such incidents make it clear why the management of external attack surfaces should no longer be neglected.??

Tom Stacey , Senior Application Security Auditor at Outpost24, puts it in a nutshell:

As organizations scale, their external attack surfaces grow significantly. Too many companies still rely on automated scans, which don't provide a complete view of the threats.?

What is Attack Surface Management???

Attack Surface Management (ASM) describes a proactive approach to identify, analyze, and monitor potential vulnerabilities in a company's external infrastructure. The aim is to detect both known and unknown systems, applications, and services that could be exploited by cyber criminals.??

A key component of ASM is the ability to view digital assets from an attacker's perspective. Outpost24, a leading cybersecurity company, offers a platform, including an External Attack Surface Management solution that enables companies to adopt this perspective and minimize security risks. From publicly accessible cloud instances to misconfigured APIs and shadow IT, the solution provides security teams with the necessary overview and supports them in taking targeted measures.??

The growing importance of attack surface management??

As several cyber-security experts point out, managing the attack surface will be critical to any organization's security strategy by 2025.??

Darren James , Senior Product Manager at Specops Software, explains:??

The attack surface in 2025 is multifaceted. Security teams will need to scale their monitoring capabilities to secure not only existing systems, but also dynamic assets such as cloud instances and APIs.?

At the same time, Stijn Vande Casteele , Founder of Sweepatic EASM, predicts that

“more ASM programs will be operationalized at the enterprise level as the complexity and velocity of threats increases.

This is especially important because companies need to protect their own systems, but they should also include outside providers and partners in their security plans.??

Benefits of a comprehensive ASM approach??

Implementing an external attack surface management tool like the Outpost24 solution offers organizations several key benefits:??

• Detection of unknown assets: Many companies often do not know which systems and services are even publicly accessible. ASM closes this gap by continuously scanning digital assets.??

• Continuous monitoring: With constant real-time scanning and analysis, ASM provides an overview of new vulnerabilities. This enables companies to react more quickly to threats.??

• Risk prioritization: Not all vulnerabilities are equally critical. ASM helps to tackle the most relevant threats first and thus use resources efficiently.??

• Fulfillment of regulatory requirements: With stricter regulations such as NIS-2, attack surface management becomes an integral part of compliance. Companies can demonstrate that they are taking proactive measures to protect their infrastructure.??

• Improved collaboration: ASM facilitates collaboration between internal teams and external partners, as everyone involved has access to up-to-date safety data.??

Attack surface management is not a luxury, but a necessary requirement?

?Companies that want to remain competitive in the future and at the same time raise their security standards, cannot do both without comprehensive attack surface management. Outpost24's external attack surface management solution helps companies to act proactively and arm themselves not only against current but also future threats.??

As Tom Stacey concludes:

I hope that more security teams will simply adopt ASM as it is the most effective way to minimize risks in the digital space.??

With a clear focus on prevention and transparency, ASM remains a key technology for cyber security in the coming years. Companies that implement this technology early on will not only secure a competitive advantage but also make an important contribution to global cyber security.??

Take Action Now?

Interested in getting started with Attack Surface Management or getting more out of your current strategy? Speak to Outpost24's cybersecurity expert.?

More insight on our blog — CISO predictions: What does 2025 hold for attack surface management (ASM)??