What is an attack surface and how can it be reduced?

The meaning of a large attack surface

Large attack surfaces provide numerous attack vectors and entry points that hackers can exploit to gain entry to a system. Therefore, a huge number of vulnerabilities in attack surfaces suggest poor cybersecurity practices (for example, lack of employee training or neglected updates), posing significant digital risks for the system owners (such as businesses or government agencies).

Large attack surfaces serve as an invitation for malicious actors, tempting them to infect systems with ransomware, viruses, and other types of malware. Conversely, a small attack surface often deters hackers, sending them to pursue easier targets instead.

Types of attack surfaces

Cybersecurity experts define a few attack surfaces based on different approaches. The most commonly known types include digital, physical, and social engineering attack surfaces.

Digital attack surface

Digital attack surfaces involve software, websites, servers — anything that can digitally connect to a business or organization’s systems. Examples of digital attack surfaces could include vulnerabilities such as poor-quality encryption or outdated software.

Physical attack surface

Physical attack surfaces are anything a hacker could physically access to break into a system or network. These are usually end-point devices, such as phones, laptops, computers, hard drives, and USB sticks. A note with sensitive information that was carelessly discarded also counts as a physical attack surface.

Social engineering attack surface

Social engineering attack surfaces shy away from hardware or software and instead focus on system users. Hackers exploit human nature through social engineering attacks, such as phishing email, whaling, or romance scams, in hopes of stealing sensitive information or gaining unauthorized access to various systems.

What are the most common attack surface vulnerabilities?

The most common attack surface vulnerabilities come from all three attack surfaces (digital, physical, and social engineering). Computers, mobile phones, software, hard drives, and even their users can be classified as potential attack surface vulnerabilities. The most common of them include:

• Unpatched software vulnerabilities. Poorly designed systems are doomed to fall victim to hackers, especially if they’re not maintained or fixed properly. That’s why you shouldn’t delay security updates and constantly perform tests on your online security systems.
• Weak passwords and insecure access controls. Using a weak password is equivalent to leaving your house door unlocked. If someone decides to break in — they won’t have any trouble.
• Phishing attacks and social engineering scams. Malicious actors can often pretend to be your superior or a reputable institution to try to steal sensitive data through phishing emails and other scams. Staying vigilant, carefully checking the sender’s email for discrepancies, and using a link checker to test suspicious URLs can help prevent social engineering attacks.
• Unmanaged devices and internet-of-things (IoT) connections. Unsafe IoT connections open doors to calamities such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks or unauthorized access to other devices on the network. Properly managing IoT devices and securing your internet connections can help mitigate these risks.
• Misconfigured security settings. Poor cybersecurity configuration exposes your systems by providing entry points for hackers. Improperly set access controls or outdated software can quickly become one of the straws that broke the camel’s back.
• Lack of security awareness training. Employees who are unaware of cybersecurity risks and best practices are significantly more susceptible to social engineering attacks, such as phishing or whaling.
• Unreliable third-party vendors. Bestowing the company’s sensitive data upon vendors that do not adhere to the same cybersecurity standards as you, is a huge red flag. It opens more entry points for hackers, weakening your company’s digital safety.

Attack surface risks

Wide attack surfaces can pose many potential risks, all of which can achieve the same result: data breach, stolen information, and huge financial (or reputational) loss. Here are the most common attack surface risks.

• Large number of vulnerabilities. One vulnerability is bad. Multiple vulnerabilities — is asking for trouble. When the system has too many weaknesses, malicious actors will have no trouble accessing and stealing sensitive information.
• Unnecessary complexity. Some systems may use overcomplicated or unnecessary software and apps to manage daily processes. Such practice can lead to poor management and policy mistakes, allowing hackers unauthorized access to corporate data.
• Expanded blast radius. A large attack surface can deal significantly more damage than just stolen data. Identity theft, huge financial losses, and hijacked infrastructures are just a few long-term consequences of a vast attack surface.
• Resource drain. Managing a wide attack surface analysis is a draining process. What is more draining, though, is suffering a cyber attack and all its repercussions. While investing in cybersecurity costs money and personnel, these costs are minimal compared to losses you’d experience in case of a data breach.
• Compliance challenges. Large attack surfaces can make it difficult to abide by industry regulations or standards. And failure to comply almost always comes with fines and additional restrictions, adding an insult to a potential cybersecurity injury.

Why you need to reduce your attack surface

Just because you’re not part of a huge organization doesn’t mean you can be lax about cybersecurity. Hackers are opportunistic — if they see that a network can be broken into with minimal effort, they can exploit those vulnerabilities for financial gain. All it takes is a single malware infection to potentially bring your network to a halt.

If that’s not enough to convince you, here are some more incentives on why you should reduce your digital attack surface:

• Fewer vulnerabilities. Keeping your attack surface small significantly reduces cybersecurity headaches and lets you feel more in control. Why let outdated systems cause anxiety when you can update them and feel safer about your cybersecurity?
• Easier to defend. What is easier to protect: a gigantic castle with lots of holes in its walls or a small hilltop manor with an army and a river surrounding its perimeter? A smaller attack surface saves resources and workforce in preparing to defend against potential threats.
• Reduced damage. In a cyberattack, speed is of the essence. A small attack surface allows cybersecurity teams to detect and mitigate the breach quicker, potentially reducing the damage and preventing more harm.

Small and medium-sized businesses are especially at risk. The 2023 Business Impact Report showed that 73% of small businesses suffered a cyber attack. The report also revealed that 85% of those businesses were prepared to defend themselves against a cyberattack.

How to reduce the attack surface

Reducing the attack surface is a collective effort that takes initiative both from employers and management. From an employee’s perspective, attack surface management can start with as little as implementing the most rudimentary cybersecurity measures, such as:

• Using strong passwords.
• Regularly updating the software.
• Being vigilant when navigating suspicious emails.
• Backing up important data.
• Avoiding sharing important information unnecessarily.

From a business perspective, reducing an attack surface should be about managing your systems and implementing a cybersecurity-oriented mindset. Or, more specifically:

• Regularly reviewing and updating the company’s software.
• Implementing additional security measures, such as firewalls or two-factor authentication.
• Organizing regular cybersecurity training (or tests) for employees.
• Developing and integrating clear cybersecurity policies.

If you’re not sure where to begin, you can start by using additional security software, like NordVPN or its business-oriented solution, NordLayer. It will not only encrypt all your internet connections but will also implement its threat intelligence features to ensure users don’t land on malicious websites or download infected files to their devices.

Reduce cyber threats by reducing your attack surface

Once you’ve kitted out your network with the latest cybersecurity updates and trained your employees to handle company data responsibly, the number of attack vectors should be reduced significantly.

Knowledge is key in cybersecurity. If you understand the risks, you will know exactly how to prevent them.

FAQ

What is the difference between an attack surface and threat?

The difference between an attack surface and a cybersecurity threat is that the latter is usually a danger that lurks outside your system. While the attack surface defines all possible vulnerabilities for your system, threats are malicious actors, malware, and other evolving entities that can use those vulnerabilities to actively do damage to your online systems.