External attack surface management (EASM) has transformed completely over the last few decades, evolving from a siloed function of concerned governments engaged in cyber warfare to an essential component of enterprise luxury risk management.
Today, EASM is a critical component in the cybersecurity strategies of businesses of all sizes. It has become indispensable in protecting a company’s digital assets against the escalating threat landscape, enabling organizations to comprehend their digital footprint, understand its exposures, and take action before attackers can.
But, to truly understand its importance, we have to understand its origins and evolution. We’ll go back to the early days to lay the groundwork for today’s EASM, a core element of a strong external cybersecurity practice, and explain why tomorrow’s EASM will only become more critical as the digital world rapidly expands.
The Early Days: Cyber Warfare and External Attack Surface Management
Initially, the concept of managing and visualizing the external attack surface was primarily a concern of governments and the military aiming to gain advantage on the battlefield. A new frontier was discovered as EASM was developed as a cyber attack surface espionage and defense strategy. That’s when Jeff Foley, founder of Project Amass, was early in his career supporting the United States Air Force Research Laboratory in developing cyber warfare capabilities...Read More!
