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How to Implement Attack Surface Management: Best Practices and Pitfalls to Avoid

Did you know that 27% of organizations experienced a public cloud security incident last year? As companies continue to expand their digital infrastructures, they grow more complex. Theres added services that might not go through a central procurement or deployment, there’s also additional SaaS providers too. With the increase in complexity there is also an increase in cyber risks.

Every connected device, application, and exposed endpoint becomes a potential entry point for attackers. That’s why implementing strong attack surface management is no longer optional, it’s essential.

However, most organizations don’t know how.

So, to help make things easier, let’s discuss what is attack surface management for your organization and the best practices on how to implement them the right way.

How to Implement Attack Surface Management the Right Way

To do it right, you need a systematic approach that covers visibility, continuous monitoring, integrated cyber threat intelligence and rapid response. When done well, Attack Surface Management can drastically reduce your risk exposure and stop potential breaches before they happen.

Here’s how to implement ASM effectively:

Step 1: Map Your Entire Attack Surface

assets that were unknown-15

The first step is knowing exactly what you’re protecting. This means identifying every asset connected to your network, both on-premises and in the cloud. In fact, 73% of security leaders experienced incidents caused by unknown or unmanaged assets which creates dangerous blind spots.

Don’t forget to include servers, endpoints, mobile devices, APIs, IoT devices, and even forgotten development environments.

Another thing you should be aware of is Shadow IT, where employees use unapproved tools or cloud services. These create blind spots that can only be seen by using ASM tools. This is where FortifyData shines by automatically discovering and mapping all internet-facing assets.

Step 2: Classify and Prioritize Assets

Not all assets are equally valuable or vulnerable. According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024, breaches in critical systems can cost organizations an average of $4.88 million, much higher amount than less sensitive assets.

After discovery, classify your assets by sensitivity and business impact. In this step, FortifyData’s risk scoring system can take into account your business/operational context  (many ASM tools still lack this functionality) when the platform analyzes vulnerabilities and external threat intelligence, helping you focus on the assets most likely to be targeted.

Step 3: Continuously Monitor for Changes

Your network is dynamic. New devices get added, software changes, and configurations shift daily. Studies show that 60% of breaches involve vulnerabilities that were known but unpatched for months.

Continuous monitoring is essential to catch new vulnerabilities or unauthorized changes immediately. FortifyData offers real-time monitoring and alerts, so your security team can respond before attackers exploit new openings.

Step 4: Integrate Threat Intelligence

Knowing your vulnerabilities is half the battle. Understanding which threats are actively being exploited makes your defense smarter. Many attack surface management solutions today have integrated cyber threat intelligence to automatically help with risk adjustments and remediation prioritization.

It’s one of the well-known features of FortifyData. It uses live threat intelligence feeds to flag assets that match emerging attack patterns, targeting assets identified in your inventory, or zero-day exploits. This helps you stay ahead by patching or mitigating risks that matter now.

Step 5: Automate Risk Remediation Where Possible

287 days is the average time it takes to identify that a breach has ocurred

Speed matters. The longer a vulnerability remains unpatched, the higher the chance of exploitation. In fact, data shows the average time to identify and contain a breach is 287 days which leaves a big window for attackers.

Manual patching can be slow and error-prone. On top of dynamic remediation prioritization based on operational context and cyber threat intel, FortifyData supports automated workflows that alert the right teams, assign remediation tasks, or even trigger automated defenses. This accelerates response and reduces human error.

Step 6: Review and Update Regularly

ASM isn’t a one-off project. Technologies evolve, threats change, and your attack surface grows. Regular reviews and audits are vital.

In addition to off-the-shelf reporting ranging from executive level to soc analyst detailed reporting, FortifyData also has a native incident response managemnt module. So, you can quickly create and notify suspected incidents to your team that follows the NIST 800-61 incident response process. This too can provide high level reports for the quantities of incidents, response times and lessons learned libraries to share with the team for any potential future events.

FortifyData’s reporting and trend analysis make audits easier and help track your progress over time, providing compliance and effectiveness to stakeholders.

Attack Surface Management Best Practices

Here are a few attack surface management best practices every organization should follow to protect its digital environment:

1. Start with Complete Asset Discovery

The foundation of ASM is knowing what you have. Begin by identifying every asset connected to your network, such as servers, endpoints, cloud instances, APIs, IoT devices, and third-party integrations.

Use automated tools like FortifyData that continuously scan and discover assets across all environments.

This isn’t repackaged Shodan data with a nmap scan like you might find with other. How does FortifyData do it?

Simple. Put in your domain, and the FortifyData platform does the rest.

We start with your domain, then spider out from there for subdomains, associated domains and verify via DNS to develop and validate your asset footprint (cutting down on false positives).Then we will fingerprint each asset, all ports and services, not just the common ones, to identify vulnerabilities and we enrich this process with active cyber threat intelligence to alert you to active KEVs, ransomware linked vulnerabilities and active threats. This can also start to identify what type of asset this is and what type of data it might house/transport for an initial prioritization aspect. All from starting with your domain. If you have additional domains or IPs not publicly accessible, you can add those too.

2. Maintain a Centralized Asset Inventory

A centralized, single source of truth for all assets improves visibility and coordination. Avoid scattered spreadsheets or siloed tools that cause confusion and gaps.

FortifyData provides a unified dashboard where security teams can track assets, changes, and vulnerabilities in real time. Once the initial assessment is complete, this becomes a continuous and automated process to maintain your asset inventory – looking for new services/assets that you may not no about and adding them to the inventory for review.

3. Prioritize Risks with Context and Intelligence

Not all vulnerabilities pose the same threat. Prioritize remediation based on asset criticality, exposure, and active threat intelligence. For instance, an unpatched vulnerability on a public-facing server used for sensitive data is far more urgent than one on a rarely used internal device.

FortifyData enriches your asset data with live threat feeds, helping you focus on the most pressing risks rather than wasting time on low-impact issues.

4. Regularly Assess Third-Party and Cloud Risks

Your attack surface isn’t limited to your own devices. Third-party vendors, APIs, and cloud services add layers of risk that must be continuously assessed.

According to a Gartner report, 45% of organizations experience breaches due to third-party exposure. And most businesses have shadow IT tools in use that they don’t even know about.  Use tools like FortifyData to monitor your entire extended attack surface, including third-party assets, so you can quickly spot and fix vulnerabilities outside your direct control.

organizations experience breaches due to third party exposure

5. Continuously Improve Your ASM Program

Cyber threats evolve constantly. Regularly review and update your ASM policies, tools, and processes based on lessons learned, emerging threats, and new technology.

One of the key initiatives we see clients undertake, in our experience, is once they understand the scope of their attack surface they initiate a process to understand what they can remove from the attack surface in an effort to minimize the potential points of threat exposure.

FortifyData’s analytics and trend reporting provide insights that help you fine-tune your security measures over time.

 

6. Implement Continuous Monitoring and Alerts

Attack surfaces change constantly as new devices are added, software is updated, or configurations shift. IN addition, new vulnerabilities and attack vectors are identified on a daily or weekly basis- where one day your attack surface posture was strong as those factors change the next day your posture could have additional cyber threats targeting new vulnerabilities or attack paths. Static, periodic scans aren’t enough anymore.

Set up continuous monitoring to detect new vulnerabilities and unauthorized changes instantly. Since FortifyData is a continuous and automated attack surface management solution, real-time alerts notify your team immediately when new assets are discovered and new threats targeting your inventory are identified so you can act fast before attackers gain entry.

 

7. Train and Involve Your Entire Organization

Security is everyone’s responsibility. Educate employees about risks like shadow IT and phishing, and encourage them to report suspicious activity.
Studies show human error accounts for 82% of breaches. A security-aware culture reduces the chance of human error creating new attack surface vulnerabilities.

82 breaches involved a human element

8. Conduct Regular Audits and Compliance Checks

Set a schedule for regular security audits to verify that your ASM program remains effective and supports your cybersecurity defense and compliance related goals to keep your organization compliant with industry regulations like DORA, GLBA, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIS 2, or PCI-DSS.

Detailed reports and a risk and compliance management module from FortifyData help demonstrate compliance and identify areas for improvement during formal audits as well as internal audits or gap assessments. These compliance efforts also help businesses reduce the risk of fines as well.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid with Attack Surface Management Best Practices

If you use the right attack surface management best practices, you can avoid the following common pitfalls.

 

1. Incomplete Asset Discovery

Many teams think they know all their assets, but that’s often not true. Shadow IT, forgotten cloud resources, or unmanaged devices can easily slip under the radar. When you don’t have a full picture, you’re leaving serious blind spots for attackers to exploit.

One subpoint to consider here, based on our experience, is under-scanning or not completely scanning all ports and services. Many ASM tools focus on common ports leaving a blindspot to the lessor used ports and services which leaves your organization with a false sense of security.

 

2. Relying on Manual Processes

Trying to track assets and vulnerabilities manually might seem okay at first, but it quickly becomes overwhelming. Human error is common, and you can miss important changes or risks. That’s why automation is your best friend.

 

3. Treating ASM as a One-Time Project

It’s tempting to think a one-time scan or audit will do the trick. But your attack surface isn’t static; it changes all the time as you add new devices or services. ASM needs to be continuous, so you catch risks early instead of reacting too late.

 

4. Ignoring Third-Party and Cloud Risks

Many organizations focus only on their own networks and miss the third-party risks from vendors, partners, and cloud environments. These external points are common entryways for attackers and need ongoing assessment.

 

5. Lack of Clear Ownership

Without assigning clear responsibility for ASM tasks, critical vulnerabilities can go unaddressed. Define roles for asset discovery, monitoring, and remediation to ensure accountability.

 

6. Overlooking Employee Training

Technology alone can’t close all gaps. Employees must understand risks like shadow IT and be encouraged to report suspicious activity. Human error remains a major cause of breaches.

Take Control of Your Attack Surface Now

The biggest pain point many organizations face is the overwhelming volume of assets and alerts, which makes it difficult to prioritize risks and respond quickly. That’s where implementing attack surface management best practices becomes critical.

By adopting a structured approach, you can transform security from reactive to proactive. But doing this manually can lead to missed gaps and slower response.

This is where FortifyData comes in.

Our Attack Surface Management platform is designed to solve this exact challenge. It automates discovery and monitoring across internal, external, cloud, and third-party assets.

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Image Source: FortifyData ASM dashboard inventory of assets

Key Features

  • Continuous Asset Inventory: This feature scans the internet and your internal network 24/7. It automatically discovers new domains, cloud instances, and endpoints.
  • Real-Time Risk Scoring: Risk scores update dynamically as new threat data arrives related to operational criticality of assets. That means your priorities adjust instantly when attackers target your industry or technology.
  • Full Scope Visibility: The platform covers everything from external-facing APIs to internal servers, cloud environments and endpoints. It spots misconfigurations and forgotten infrastructure.
  • Vendor & Third-Party Risk Monitoring: FortifyData tracks risks associated with your vendors and suppliers. It assesses how externally exposed those third parties are.
  • Audit-Ready Reporting & Cyber GRC Integration: Built-in dashboards align with compliance frameworks like SOC 2, NIS 2, ISO 27001 or your preferred framework.
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FAQs

Continuous monitoring ensures your attack surface is always up to date. IT environments change rapidly with new devices, cloud services, or software updates daily. Without constant checks, new vulnerabilities may go unnoticed, giving attackers openings.

Yes, one key ASM benefit is identifying shadow IT, such as devices or apps used without IT approval. These often create hidden vulnerabilities because they bypass security controls. ASM tools uncover these rogue assets so they can be secured or removed, closing potential entry points for attackers.

ASM covers a broad range of assets, including external-facing IPs, websites, cloud services, internal devices, IoT and OT systems, and third-party integrations. This comprehensive coverage ensures no part of your digital footprint remains unchecked or vulnerable.

Vulnerability scanning identifies weaknesses in known assets at a point in time, but ASM continuously discovers and tracks all assets, including unknown or shadow ones. ASM gives a fuller picture of your attack surface and ongoing risk, while vulnerability scanning is just one component of ASM.

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