Attack Surface Management: Definition, Importance, and Implementation

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Attack surface management (ASM) is a critical cybersecurity practice that organizations must employ to secure their machines and systems.

With the global attack surface management market projected to reach $12.69 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 27.7%, understanding and implementing ASM has never been more important.

To defeat cybercriminals, you must think like them, and attack surface management does exactly this. It allows you to approach security from the perspective of an attacker, providing the visibility needed to secure your organization’s digital assets proactively.

Attack Surface – What Is It?

Before we dive into ASM tips and strategies, we must first understand what attack surface really means.

The attack surface encompasses all of the attack vectors cybercriminals can use to manipulate an organization’s network. Think of it as the totality of a business’s software, hardware, cloud infrastructure, and SaaS applications accessible from the Internet.

According to Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 research, organizations experienced a 235% increase in high-severity cloud alerts throughout 2024, while Tenable reports that 38% of organizations have cloud workloads with critical exposures. This rapid expansion makes attack surface visibility more critical than ever.

For a clearer view, we can split the attack surface into several categories:

On-Site Assets

Traditional infrastructure including:

Physical servers and hardware components
Network devices and endpoints
Legacy systems and applications

Cloud Assets

Modern cloud infrastructure encompassing:

Cloud servers, databases, and SaaS applications
Any other asset that leverages the cloud for operation or delivery
Containerized applications and microservices

Unknown Assets

Can also be referred to as “shadow assets.” Here we can include any infrastructure that is no longer in the view of the security team, such as:

Development websites and testing environments
Unauthorized cloud services
Forgotten subdomains and applications

Rogue Assets

These are malicious infrastructures that threat actors use to steal company data, such as:

Malware command and control servers
Impersonations of your website
Fraudulent domains targeting your organization

Vendors and Supply Chain

You should pay attention not only to the assets owned by your business but also to the assets purchased from external vendors or partners.

As companies grow and as merger and acquisition takes place, this offers many opportunities for unknown attack surfaces to be introduced and in many cases forgotten about and not under the same care as assets that are known about.

What Is Attack Surface Management?

Attack Surface Management is a continuous process that involves the discovery, classification, prioritization, and monitoring of an organization’s IT infrastructure.

What makes ASM different and efficient is that it changes the perspective of the defender. You see the process from the perspective of the attacker instead of the victim.

AI and machine learning (ML) have become integral to ASM, enabling organizations to identify threats faster and more accurately. AI-driven platforms analyze vast amounts of data in real time, uncovering vulnerabilities that would be nearly impossible for human analysts to detect.

ASM can better identify targets and assess risks based on the opportunities they would bring to threat actors.

Numerous ASM tasks and technologies are developed and carried out by “ethical hackers,” who are knowledgeable about the tactics used by cybercriminals and adept at imitating their actions.

The term is sometimes used interchangeably with EASM (external attack surface management), but there are key differences between EASM and ASM:

EASM focuses only on risks and vulnerabilities present in internet-facing IT assets
ASM also addresses vulnerabilities such as malicious insiders or inadequate end-user training against phishing attacks

The Phases of Effective ASM

The process of attack surface management can be divided into four cyclical processes that happen continuously: discovery, classification and prioritization, remediation, and monitoring.

1. Discovery

Asset discovery searches for and locates internet-facing hardware, software, and cloud assets that potentially serve as entry points for attackers automatically and continually.

Modern discovery includes:

Automated network scanning across all IP ranges and domains
Cloud API integration for real-time visibility
IoT and OT device identification across operational networks
Shadow IT detection using traffic analysis

2. Classification and Prioritization

Once assets are identified, it’s time to classify them for better overall visibility and easier prioritization by threat level. In 2025, we expect AI to play an even larger role in predictive analysis, helping organizations anticipate potential attack vectors before they are exploited.

Assets are inventoried according to their identification, IP address, ownership, and linkages to other assets.

They are examined for potential vulnerabilities and the types of attacks that hackers might use these vulnerabilities to launch (e.g., stealing sensitive data, spreading ransomware or other malware).

3. Remediation

After identifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities, organizations can remediate them effectively. This typically involves:

Automated patch deployment with business-aware scheduling
Configuration management to fix security misconfigurations
Access control enforcement including zero-trust principles
Establishing security standards for previously unmanaged IT assets

4. Monitoring

Traditionally, ASM was seen as a reactive process, responding to discovered vulnerabilities after they had already been exploited. In 2025, the shift towards proactive ASM is evident, with platforms emphasizing continuous monitoring, real-time alerts, and predictive analytics.

Both inventoried assets and the network itself should constantly be monitored since security threats alter any time new assets are deployed or current assets are deployed in novel ways.

Importance of Attack Surface Management in 2025

Even for smaller businesses, there is a vast terrain of potential assault points that must be secured. However, attack surfaces are continuously shifting, particularly given how many assets are now distributed via the cloud.

The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) and Operational Technology (OT) devices has dramatically expanded the attack surface. In 2025, ASM tools are focusing more on securing these devices by identifying vulnerabilities such as default credentials, unpatched firmware, and unsecured communications.

The number of external assets and targets security teams must safeguard has expanded significantly due to remote work and digital transformation. According to Palo Alto Networks research, organizations experienced a 235% increase in high-severity cloud alerts throughout 2024, reflecting the growing complexity of attack surfaces.

Key factors driving ASM importance include:

Regulatory Compliance

Organizations face increasingly stringent regulatory requirements. With organizations increasingly relying on multi-cloud environments, cloud-native ASM solutions are gaining traction. Compliance frameworks like NIS2, GDPR, and SOC 2 require comprehensive visibility and control over digital assets.

Remote Work Expansion

The shift to remote and hybrid work models has extended organizational attack surfaces to include home networks, personal devices, and distributed cloud services, requiring new approaches to security monitoring.

AI and Machine Identity Growth

Increasing adoption of GenAI, cloud services, automation and DevOps practices, has led to the prolific use of machine accounts and credentials for physical devices and software workloads. If left uncontrolled and unmanaged, machine identities can significantly expand an organization’s attack surface.

Current ASM Challenges

Integration Complexity

One of the significant challenges hindering the widespread adoption of Attack Surface Management (ASM) solutions is the difficulty of integrating these tools with existing security architectures. Organizations often struggle to seamlessly incorporate ASM technologies with their current vulnerability scanners, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, and other security solutions.

Multi-Cloud Management

Organizations face challenges with modern IT environments that constantly change across AWS, Azure, GCP, and hybrid deployments. Traditional security tools struggle with the scale and dynamics of modern cloud environments.

IoT and Edge Device Security

The continuing evolution of edge devices and infrastructures will be a major challenge in 2025. “We’re seeing a concerning pattern where nation-state actors are systematically targeting edge technologies.”

How Can Heimdal® Help Your Organization?

When it comes to attack surface management, it’s essential to have complete visibility into your attack surface and understand the state of all assets comprising it.

Heimdal Security’s unified XDR platform addresses modern ASM challenges through comprehensive, integrated solutions.

Unified Patch and Asset Management

Heimdal® Security’s Patch and Asset Management solution lets you deploy and patch your company’s software on-the-fly, from anywhere in the world, according to a schedule of your convenience.

Our solution provides:

Complete visibility and granular control over entire software inventories
Automated deployment within hours of patch release
Global deployment capabilities supporting distributed environments
Zero-disruption patching maintaining business continuity

DNS Security for Network-Level Protection

Heimdal’s DNS Security provides comprehensive attack surface protection through:

DarkLayer Guard® for advanced threat prevention at the network level
VectorN Detection® for AI-powered detection of advanced malware
True DNS over HTTPS for industry-first encrypted DNS traffic analysis

Privileged Access Management

Our PEDM solution secures privileged accounts and applications, addressing critical attack vectors:

Granular role-based policies for access control
Automated privilege workflows reducing manual processes
Compliance-ready framework supporting GDPR, NIS2, and NIST standards

Multi-Tenant Management for MSPs

Heimdal’s platform supports Managed Service Providers with:

Centralized multi-client management from unified dashboards
Scalable deployment for rapid client onboarding
Automated compliance reporting across frameworks

Heimdal® Patch & Asset Management Software Features:

Schedule updates at your convenience
See any software assets in inventory
Global deployment and LAN P2P
Comprehensive audit trails for compliance
And much more than we can fit in here…

Wrapping Up

Taking into consideration all the points made in this article, we can draw a clear conclusion regarding the importance an efficient attack surface management procedure has on an organization when implemented properly.

Attack Surface Management in 2025 is characterized by rapid technological advancements, the integration of AI, and a growing focus on proactive security measures.

As organizations face increasingly complex attack surfaces, staying ahead of the curve requires adopting cutting-edge ASM solutions.

By clearly identifying, classifying, and monitoring the assets your company has at its disposal, it becomes much easier to stay prepared and not allow threat actors to take you by surprise and potentially harm not only your business but also other parties related to it.

Modern ASM requires continuous, AI-powered monitoring and response capabilities that can adapt to rapidly changing threat landscapes and expanding digital infrastructure.

Organizations that implement comprehensive ASM practices will be better positioned to prevent successful attacks and maintain security in an increasingly complex digital environment.

Cristian Neagu

CONTENT EDITOR

Cristian is a Content Editor & Creator at Heimdal®, where he developed a deep understanding of the digital threat landscape. His style resonates with both technical and non-technical readers, proof being in his skill of communicating cybersecurity norms effectively, in an easy-to-understand manner.

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