Best 10 Exposure Management Solutions For Enterprise (2026)
We reviewed the leading exposure management platforms on asset discovery breadth, risk scoring quality, and whether the remediation guidance they provide translates into measurable attack surface reduction.
Written by
Caitlin Harris
Technical Review by
Laura Iannini
Choosing the right exposure management solution is harder than it should be. The market is crowded with vendors promising more than they deliver, and the wrong selection means either overpaying for capabilities you don’t use or deploying something that creates more work than it solves.
The real challenge isn’t finding an exposure management tool; it’s finding one that integrates with your environment without requiring a complete infrastructure overhaul. You need something that plays well with your existing stack, scales with your team, and delivers real value from day one. Get it wrong, and you’re stuck with expensive licenses, frustrated teams, and capabilities that don’t align with your actual needs.
We tested multiple solutions in this category across diverse deployment scenarios, evaluating each for integration flexibility, operational overhead, ease of deployment, and real-world usability. We reviewed customer feedback and implementation experiences to understand where vendor marketing diverges from operational reality. What we found: the gap between glossy datasheets and what actually works in production environments is significant.
This guide gives you the testing insights and decision framework to match the right solution to your specific infrastructure, team size, and business requirements.
What is Security Operations?
Exposure management is the practice of continuously discovering, assessing, and prioritizing all the ways an attacker could get into your organization. This covers everything from internet-facing assets and misconfigured cloud resources to leaked credentials and vulnerable applications. The goal is to give your security team a complete picture of your attack surface so they can fix the highest-risk exposures before attackers find them.
Exposure management platforms combine external attack surface management, vulnerability scanning, and risk prioritization into a continuous workflow. They perform automated asset discovery across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments, identifying both known and shadow IT assets. The strongest platforms go beyond basic vulnerability enumeration to provide contextual risk scoring that factors in exploitability, asset criticality, threat intelligence, and attack path analysis. Some platforms extend into breach and attack simulation, validating whether security controls actually stop attacks rather than relying on configuration reviews alone. Others specialize in dark web monitoring, credential leak detection, or digital supply chain assessment. The key differentiator between platforms is whether they deliver actionable remediation guidance tied to measurable risk reduction, or simply generate more alerts for your team to triage.
Exposure Management Solutions Compared
The table below compares the 10 exposure management platforms we reviewed across key capability areas.
| Product | Best For | Type | Asset Discovery | Vuln Scanning | Dark Web Intel | BAS/Validation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Edgescan
|
Continuous CTEM with analyst-validated findings
|
ASM + PTaaS
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
|
NordStellar
|
Dark web credential and brand exposure monitoring
|
TEM
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Censys
|
Internet-facing asset discovery at scale
|
EASM
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
|
CrowdStrike Falcon Exposure Management
|
CrowdStrike-first environments
|
Platform ASM
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
|
Cymulate
|
Security validation through attack simulation
|
BAS + EASM
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Detectify
|
AppSec teams managing custom web applications
|
EASM + DAST
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
|
Flare
|
Credential leak detection and dark web monitoring
|
TEM
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Mandiant ASM
|
M&A and digital supply chain visibility
|
EASM
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
Microsoft Defender EASM
|
Microsoft-first security environments
|
EASM
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
|
Palo Alto Prisma Cloud
|
Multi-cloud security posture management
|
CSPM + EASM
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
How We Tested
We independently evaluated exposure management platforms across diverse infrastructure environments, testing asset discovery accuracy, vulnerability scanning depth, remediation guidance quality, and integration capabilities. We reviewed customer feedback and spoke with vendors to understand product limitations. This article was researched and written by Caitlin Harris, with technical review by Laura Iannini. Read our full methodology
Edgescan
Best for continuous CTEM with analyst-validated findings
Edgescan Attack Surface Management provides continuous visibility and monitoring across an enterprise’s public ecosystem, enabling quick identification of attack surfaces and associated vulnerabilities. The platform integrates with vulnerability management programs for a unified view of exposure risk.
- Unlimited investigation including API and service discovery, subdomain identification, certificate retrieval for validity and expiration, DNS resolution, and TLS analysis grading web application configurations
- One-click addition of discovered assets to your Continuous Threat and Exposure Management program for instant vulnerability management
- HTTP defensive header analysis and web content analysis for domain extraction
- AI Insights provides real-time tactical advice to improve security posture immediately
- Customized reporting with flexible API integrations and premium support
Edgescan ASM is a strong option for organizations needing a solution to inventory, monitor, and manage their digital assets and exposure risks in a multi-cloud environment. The unlimited investigation and one-click asset onboarding into CTEM workflows is good to see.
Strengths
Cautions
NordStellar
Nord Security
Best for dark web credential and brand exposure monitoring
NordStellar is a threat exposure management platform from Nord Security that monitors the dark web and external attack surface to catch credential leaks, stolen cookies, and brand impersonation before they turn into breaches. We think NordStellar is a strong fit for mid-sized to large enterprises that want proactive dark web intelligence with minimal setup overhead.
- Tracks business terms across hacker forums, marketplaces, and Telegram channels, and scans infostealer logs and breach databases continuously across 40,000+ dark web sources and 90 billion breached accounts
- Cybersquatting detection uses content and visual similarity algorithms enriched with AI to catch brand impersonation attempts
- 24/7 stolen cookie monitoring compares against a reference set of hundreds of billions of cookies, alerting when compromised sessions are found
- Minimal setup; plug in your domain and monitoring starts immediately
Customers praise the real-time alerts and the platform’s ability to surface risks from lesser-known sources that other tools miss. The team’s responsiveness to feedback gets repeated mentions, and users note the platform has improved noticeably over a short period with new sources and usability enhancements. Something to be aware of is that NordStellar is primarily focused on exposure detection rather than deep technical threat analysis. Organizations looking for advanced threat hunting capabilities may want to pair it with a more specialized platform.
We think NordStellar delivers strong value for organizations that are tired of learning about credential leaks from third-party breach notifications after the fact. If your priority is catching exposures early, particularly stolen credentials and brand impersonation, with minimal operational overhead, this is a solid option to consider. The scale of the data pool, with 40,000+ dark web sources and 90 billion breached accounts, gives the platform a detection advantage for credential-related threats.
Strengths
Cautions
Censys Exposure Management
Censys
Best for internet-facing asset discovery at scale
Censys Exposure Management maps your attack surface from an attacker’s perspective, covering acknowledged assets, shadow IT, and internet-exposed infrastructure with over 95% attribution accuracy. We think Censys is a strong choice for security teams managing complex, distributed environments that need continuous discovery, risk prioritization, and strong API flexibility in a single platform.
- Continuous multi-perspective scanning across over 300 risk fingerprints with daily updates, catching unknown assets that slip past traditional inventories
- Scans the top 137 ports daily and the top 1,440 ports in the cloud, scanning 45 times more services than its nearest competitor
- Rapid response delivers emergency vulnerability intelligence within 24 hours of public disclosure
- Well-documented API handles custom use cases from exposure-specific alerts to statistical analysis
- Risk triage updates daily with remediation recommendations and enough context for decision-making
Customers highlight the visibility into their digital footprint, with the platform discovering risks they didn’t know existed. The Cloud Connector simplifies initial seeding and ongoing scans. Something to be aware of is that the platform doesn’t automatically detect when seed data becomes stale, so you’ll need to do manual cleanup periodically. Some users also want more granular bucket categorization and the ability to convert search queries directly into risk types for easier tracking.
We were impressed by the scanning depth and the API flexibility, which makes Censys a strong platform for teams that want to build custom workflows around their exposure data. If you manage distributed environments with shadow IT problems and need an attacker’s-eye view of your exposure, the combination of automated scanning and detailed remediation guidance is well worth considering. The rapid response capability, delivering vulnerability context within 24 hours of disclosure, is a real operational advantage during emerging threat situations.
Strengths
Cautions
CrowdStrike Falcon Exposure Management
CrowdStrike
Best for CrowdStrike-first environments
CrowdStrike Falcon Exposure Management uses AI-powered risk scoring to prioritize vulnerabilities and discover assets across endpoints, workloads, IoT/OT, and applications, all within the unified Falcon platform. We think this is a strong option for organizations already invested in CrowdStrike that want exposure management integrated with their existing endpoint protection and threat intelligence.
- ExPRT.AI engine reduces alert fatigue by focusing remediation on exploitable vulnerabilities rather than raw CVE counts, combining exploitability analysis, asset criticality, and adversary intelligence
- Predictive attack path mapping shows lateral movement opportunities before attackers exploit them
- AI Discovery identifies AI components running across your environment, including LLMs, AI agents, and MCP servers
- AI-powered Asset Criticality automatically classifies assets into Critical, High, and Non-Critical tiers
- Falcon Fusion SOAR integration automates response actions for unified workflows
Customers praise the real-time asset discovery and the way weighted prioritization and vulnerability groupings help focus remediation efforts. The Falcon Dashboard integration works well for teams already using CrowdStrike products. Something to be aware of is that false positives can be an issue, particularly with printers and IP cameras appearing as unmanaged assets. The initial setup requires security policy expertise and proper fine-tuning to avoid excessive alerts, and patching workflows require CSV exports to separate remediation systems.
We think Falcon Exposure Management makes the most sense for organizations already running CrowdStrike endpoint protection, where the shared threat intelligence and dashboard integration eliminate context switching for SOC teams. If you’re committed to the Falcon platform and can invest in proper tuning, the AI-powered prioritization delivers real value by cutting through alert noise. For organizations without CrowdStrike expertise on staff or those wanting simple out-of-the-box deployment, the setup complexity is worth considering.
Strengths
Cautions
Cymulate Exposure Management and Security Validation Platform
Cymulate
Best for security validation through attack simulation
Cymulate combines vulnerability scanning, attack surface discovery, and continuous breach and attack simulation to test whether your security controls actually stop attacks. We think Cymulate is a strong fit for security teams that want to validate defenses through automated red-teaming across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, rather than relying on configuration reviews alone.
- Continuous automated attack simulations test real-world scenarios without disrupting operations, covering phishing, lateral movement, data exfiltration, web gateway attacks, and full kill chain scenarios
- Simulations powered by real-time intelligence and updated within 24 hours of emerging threats
- MITRE ATT&CK mapping provides actionable, vendor-specific remediation guidance with one-click retesting to verify fixes
- Cloud security validation with simulation templates across AWS, Azure, and GCP
- Exposure analytics baseline security posture over time with executive reporting showing measurable risk reduction
Customers praise the realistic simulations and the clear remediation priorities that make decision-making straightforward. The continuous validation approach improves security posture without operational disruption. Something to be aware of is that the attack surface management findings need better validation accuracy. There’s also a moderate learning curve for teams new to breach and attack simulation platforms, and advanced scenario configuration requires technical adjustments and time.
We think Cymulate fills a different need than traditional exposure management tools. If you want to prove whether your security stack actually stops attacks rather than just reviewing configuration settings, the simulation approach provides practical answers. The MITRE ATT&CK-mapped guidance with one-click retesting makes the feedback loop fast and actionable. Cymulate was named a Customers’ Choice in the 2025 Gartner Peer Insights and included in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Adversarial Exposure Validation, which reflects the strong market position.
Strengths
Cautions
Detectify
Detectify
Best for AppSec teams managing custom web applications
Detectify is an EASM platform that combines surface monitoring with deep application scanning, powered by crowdsourced vulnerability research from a community of 400 ethical hackers. We think Detectify is a strong option for AppSec and ProdSec teams managing custom web applications that need continuous vulnerability detection with testing payloads that stay current with real-world attack techniques.
- Surface Monitoring provides continuous discovery and supervision of all internet-facing assets with custom rule setting
- Application Scanning goes deeper into custom-built apps with an optimized security crawler, advanced fuzzing capabilities, and authenticated testing
- 400 ethical hackers contribute testing payloads often available within weeks of new techniques discovered in the wild
- Fingerprinting tailors security tests to your specific tech stack rather than running generic scans, checking for over 2,000 known vulnerabilities including the OWASP Top 10
- Rich APIs and connectors automate testing workflows and integrate into DevOps pipelines
Customers highlight the easy setup and smooth DevOps integration, and the continuous vulnerability scanning accuracy gets positive marks. The crowdsourced research keeps threat detection current, which users value. Something to be aware of is that the platform lacks built-in issue tracking for vulnerability management workflows, so you’ll need to handle remediation tracking in a separate system. Some users also report occasional false positives and recent difficulties setting up scanners, though the product works well once configured.
We were impressed by the crowdsourced research model, which gives Detectify a testing currency that scanner-only tools struggle to match. If you’re building custom web applications and want automated security testing that doesn’t require constant manual effort, the combination of surface monitoring and deep application scanning is well worth considering. The DevOps integration makes it practical for teams that want security testing built into their development pipeline rather than bolted on afterward.
Strengths
Cautions
Flare Threat Exposure Management
Flare
Best for credential leak detection and dark web monitoring at scale
Flare monitors dark web forums, Telegram channels, and archived marketplaces to catch leaked credentials, fraud activity, and impersonation attempts before they become incidents. We think Flare is a strong option for security and fraud teams that need external exposure intelligence integrated into existing response workflows, with particular strength in credential leak detection at scale.
- Tracks over 58,000 Telegram channels, hundreds of dark web forums, and archived marketplaces to surface credential leaks and account abuse early
- Collects more than one million new stealer logs every week for strong detection depth on credential-related threats
- Automated credential detection integrates with identity systems like Microsoft Entra ID to revoke compromised access immediately
- Identifies data from past publications even after content disappears from original sources
- Look-alike domain detection and third-party exposure risk alerting
Customers praise the actionable alerts that provide clear guidance on next steps, and the leaked credentials and ransom leak monitoring get repeated mentions as particularly useful. Support quality consistently earns high marks. Something to be aware of is that the interface requires time to learn, particularly for GUI-only users. Documentation could include more practical examples for advanced features and elastic search integration.
We think Flare’s strength is the scale of its credential monitoring, collecting over one million new stealer logs per week, and the direct integration with identity systems like Entra ID for automated revocation. If your team is managing external exposure risks beyond your network perimeter and wants dark web intelligence feeding directly into security operations, this is well worth considering. The 58,000+ Telegram channel coverage is also a strong point, given that Telegram has become one of the most active platforms for cybercriminal activity.
Strengths
Cautions
Mandiant Advantage Attack Surface Management
Google Cloud
Best for M&A and digital supply chain visibility
Mandiant Advantage Attack Surface Management, part of Google Cloud, discovers and analyzes internet-connected assets across distributed environments while monitoring digital supply chains beyond third and fourth-party providers. We think Mandiant ASM is a strong fit for security teams managing complex operations like M&A, where attack surface visibility during rapid infrastructure changes is critical.
- Digital supply chain monitoring extends deeper than typical vendor risk platforms, maintaining an up-to-date vendor inventory for compliance and conducting external security posture assessments for each supplier
- Asset inventory tracks composition, technologies, and configurations while continuously identifying unmanaged assets entering your environment
- Leverages NVD and CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerability catalog to check exposure, with a live IOC feed identifying attack techniques and tactics
- Cloud integrations with Google Cloud, AWS, and Azure provide centralized visibility across multi-cloud and hybrid environments
Customers praise the full context provided, including where information was found and access to raw data. The MITRE technique classification and playbook integration speed up incident response, and the in-depth traffic analysis through Mandiant’s integration with EDR gets positive marks. Something to be aware of is that data visualization can become cluttered and requires effort to interpret, particularly around collaboration features. The platform can also generate noisy false positives for widely recognized companies, requiring additional filtering and tuning.
We think Mandiant ASM stands out for its supply chain monitoring depth, which extends well beyond the third-party level that most exposure management tools stop at. If you’re handling M&A integration or managing distributed infrastructure with complex supply chain relationships, the combination of deep vendor monitoring and Mandiant’s threat intelligence context is a strong differentiator. For teams wanting simple dashboards or those without resources to tune false positives, the interface complexity is something to factor in.
Strengths
Cautions
Microsoft Defender External Attack Surface Management
Microsoft
Best for Microsoft-first security environments
Microsoft Defender EASM provides continuous visibility into internet-facing assets across cloud, SaaS, IaaS, and shadow IT environments, with native integration into the Microsoft Defender and Sentinel security stack. We think Defender EASM is a strong option for organizations already committed to Microsoft’s security ecosystem that want attack surface management without adding another vendor.
- Uses Microsoft’s proprietary discovery technology to recursively search for infrastructure through observed connections to known legitimate assets, uncovering previously unknown properties
- Excels at finding forgotten domains and misconfigured endpoints that accumulate through everyday business growth
- Every discovered resource feeds directly into the Defender for Cloud portal for unified management, with integrations into Defender XDR and Sentinel
- Code-level discovery provides granular visibility beyond basic asset inventories, covering frameworks, web pages, and component-level details
Customers praise the tool’s ability to find unmanaged and unknown components, with several noting it identified multiple forgotten domains and misconfigured endpoints within the first few weeks of deployment. Something to be aware of is that initial asset classification can feel complex and takes time to understand properly. Dashboards can slow with larger inventories and generate noise requiring filtering. Some users also flag that UI changes cause usability issues and the interface needs clearer distinction between paid and non-paid features.
We think Defender EASM makes the most operational sense for teams standardized on Microsoft’s security stack, where the native integration with Defender for Cloud, Sentinel, and XDR creates a unified workflow. If you’re running a Microsoft-heavy environment and want attack surface visibility without adding another vendor relationship, this is worth considering. For multi-vendor shops or organizations wanting best-in-class standalone EASM capabilities, the platform’s value is more limited; the integration advantage is where it delivers the most benefit.
Strengths
Cautions
Palo Alto Prisma Cloud
Palo Alto Networks
Best for multi-cloud security posture management
Palo Alto Prisma Cloud identifies and mitigates internet exposure risks across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with continuous asset discovery, cloud security posture management, and workload protection. We think Prisma Cloud is a strong option for multi-cloud security teams that need unified visibility across major cloud providers, though the platform is currently being merged with Cortex CDR into a new product called Cortex Cloud.
- External asset discovery continuously monitors internet-exposed assets and identifies rogue cloud resources across all major platforms
- Detects exploitable vulnerabilities in remote access points like insecure SSH and LDAP, plus risks in web applications, Kubernetes APIs, and publicly exposed databases
- Over 3,000 built-in policies and continuously monitors compliance posture against more than 100 frameworks including CIS, GDPR, HIPAA, NIST-800, PCI-DSS, and SOC 2
- Cross-correlates misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, excessive permissions, and anomalous activity to identify attack paths to critical assets
- Cloud Discovery and Exposure Management gives security teams an outside-looking-in view of their environments
Customers praise the asset visibility and workload protection across multi-cloud environments, and teams using multiple cloud providers appreciate the unified coverage. Something to be aware of is that implementation and maintenance can be challenging, particularly in custom or heterogeneous environments that require significant planning time. Multiple users report high false positive rates, and support quality has received mixed feedback, with some mentioning resolution delays and declining attention.
We think Prisma Cloud delivers strong multi-cloud coverage for organizations standardized on major cloud providers, with the 3,000+ built-in policies and 100+ compliance frameworks providing depth for regulated industries. Something to be aware of is that Palo Alto Networks is merging Prisma Cloud with Cortex CDR into a new product called Cortex Cloud, which became available in late 2025. Existing customers are being transitioned with all capabilities preserved, but prospective buyers should clarify the product roadmap before committing. If you can invest the deployment time upfront and have the resources to manage false positive tuning, the multi-cloud visibility provides long-term value.
Strengths
Cautions
Exposure Management Pricing
Exposure management platform pricing varies by asset count, module selection, and deployment model. Most platforms in this category are quote-based, with pricing dependent on your organization's attack surface size and the capabilities you need.
| Product | Starting Price | Billing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Edgescan
|
Contact for quote
|
Annual
|
|
|
NordStellar
|
Contact for quote
|
Annual
|
|
|
Censys
|
From ~$62/month (basic plan)
|
Annual
|
|
|
CrowdStrike Falcon Exposure Management
|
Contact for quote (add-on to Falcon platform)
|
Annual
|
|
|
Cymulate
|
Contact for quote
|
Annual
|
|
|
Detectify
|
Contact for quote
|
Annual
|
|
|
Flare
|
Contact for quote
|
Annual
|
|
|
Mandiant ASM
|
Contact for quote
|
Annual
|
|
|
Microsoft Defender EASM
|
Per-asset daily billing via Azure
|
Monthly
|
|
|
Palo Alto Prisma Cloud
|
Contact for quote
|
Annual
|
|
Exposure Management Checklist
These are the evaluation and deployment steps we recommend when selecting an exposure management platform.
Knowing how many internet-facing assets, cloud environments, and third-party connections you have gives you a baseline to assess whether a platform's discovery capabilities match your scale.
Platforms in this category range from pure EASM to full threat exposure management; choosing the wrong type means paying for capabilities you don't use or missing coverage you need.
Exposure data that doesn't flow into your existing workflows creates manual triage work that defeats the purpose of continuous monitoring.
Every platform claims high discovery rates; validate by comparing discovered assets against your actual inventory, and check for false positives and missed shadow IT.
Raw CVSS scores generate noise; platforms that factor in exploitability, asset criticality, and threat intelligence deliver prioritization your team can actually act on.
Finding vulnerabilities is the easy part; platforms that provide specific, actionable remediation steps reduce the time between detection and fix.
Most platforms generate noise during initial deployment; budget time for tuning before expecting clean, actionable output.
Multi-cloud organizations need platforms that cover all their providers; single-cloud platforms create visibility gaps in hybrid environments.
Some platforms in this space are being consolidated or rebranded; confirm the product you're evaluating will still exist in its current form when your contract renews.
Lower per-seat pricing often hides higher implementation overhead; factor in the full cost of getting the platform operational in your environment.
The Bottom Line
No single exposure management solution fits every organization. Your choice depends on your infrastructure complexity, integration requirements, and team resources.
For organizations prioritizing straightforward implementation without vendor lock-in, look for platforms with strong API support and multi-cloud deployment options. These reduce future friction when your infrastructure evolves.
For teams managing large-scale deployments across multiple regions or cloud providers, invest in solutions with proven scalability and deep reporting capabilities. The operational transparency pays dividends during incidents and audits.
For resource-constrained teams, vendor support quality and ease of deployment matter more than feature completeness. A simple solution your team actually uses beats a feature-rich platform gathering dust on the roadmap.
Budget carefully for total cost of ownership. Per-user licensing, infrastructure costs, and support tiers add up quickly. Some solutions with lower per-seat pricing create higher overall costs when you factor in implementation overhead.
Read the individual reviews above to dig into deployment specifics, pricing, and the trade-offs that matter for your environment.
Everything You Need To Know About Exposure Management Solutions (FAQs)
Cyber threat exposure, sometimes called to as cyber exposure or cybersecurity exposure, refers to the risk of your sensitive data being compromised or misused.
With the adoption of IoT, OT, and BYOD devices, SaaS applications, and cloud storage in the workplace, alongside the increasing reliance on third-party service providers, organizations are finding themselves exposed to new vulnerabilities, and a bigger attack surface. The best way to deal with this is to identify the top threats facing your business—i.e., the ones most likely to actually happen, and the ones that will cause the most damage if they do happen—and continuously reduce your exposure to those threats.
Exposure management is the practice of addressing exposure to cyberthreats by mapping your organization’s digital attack surface, then taking proactive steps to identify and fix gaps in your security before they can be exploited. By identifying which areas of their IT infrastructure are most exposed to cyberthreats, organizations can determine how they’re most likely to fall victim to a cyberattack and then take steps to alleviate that risk before an attack can occur.
All of this can be very challenging to achieve manually—but that’s where exposure management solutions come in. Exposure management solutions are a type of risk management software that help organizations to identify, assess, and mitigate their risk of exposure to cyberthreats. They provide organizations with clearer visibility into their attack surface, as well as the tools needed to reduce their risk exposure.
Exposure management solutions work by aggregating and analyzing data related to different areas of your business operations that bear potential risks, such as financial transactions, supply chain processes, IT security, or regulatory compliance. The tool then uses complex predictive models and simulations to estimate potential losses in various risk scenarios, enabling businesses to better understand their exposure and develop strategies to mitigate these risks.
While the method varies slightly between different solutions, most exposure management platforms achieve this by following these three steps:
1. Identify exposed assets and map the attack surface.
The first step is for the exposure management platform to identify all your assets, including your servers, APIs, endpoints, cloud infrastructure, web and SaaS applications, DNS records, and supply chain and third-party supplier systems. Once it has created an inventory of these assets, the exposure management solution maps your internal and external attack surface, giving you a better understanding of how vulnerable your assets are, and how they could be exploited. In this stage, the solution will identify things such as open ports, publicly accessible services, and operating system and application vulnerabilities.
2. Prioritize exposure management.
Once the attack surface has been mapped, the exposure management solution helps you prioritize your remediation efforts. It does this by providing insights into the level of risk posed by each exposure, i.e., the likelihood that the exposure will lead to a compromise, the potential impact of the compromise, and the sensitivity of data that could be compromised. As part of this, exposure management tools often simulate attacks under real-world conditions to see how your environment would react to them.
This helps you decide which exposures you need to address right away, and which ones can be addressed later on. It also helps you decide which techniques you should use to remediate each exposure.
3. Remediate exposures.
Once you’ve prioritized your exposures and worked out the best way to remediate them, it’s time to actually remove those risks. This might involve patching vulnerabilities, closing unnecessary ports, taking certain assets offline, or changing your access control policies. The best exposure management solutions facilitate this stage, with some even offering automated remediation options, e.g., to fix configuration issues.
It’s important to remember that this is a continuous cycle. Cybercriminals aren’t going to stop trying to find a way into business systems; once one vulnerability is patched, they’ll look for a new way in. So, exposure management and vulnerability remediation are ongoing activities.
There are a few reasons why you might want to consider implementing an exposure management solution:
- Improve your visibility: Exposure management tools provide a detailed understanding of your attack surface. They aggregate data from across your environment, providing you with a single, unified view of your risk exposure.
- Proactively mitigate risks: With predictive analytics, you can predict future risks and take proactive steps to mitigate them before an attack can take place.
- Ensure compliance: Exposure management tools facilitate compliance with regulatory requirements, helping you avoid data loss, financial loss, and reputational damage.
- Make better decisions: Armed with a clear understanding of potential risks, you can make informed decisions to reduce losses.
- Increase operational efficiency: By identifying and addressing exposures, exposure management solutions can drive operational efficiency, ultimately improving your bottom line.
- Save money: It’s much cheaper to prevent a cyberattack from happening than it is to clean up after you’ve been attacked. By utilizing an exposure management solution, you can close security gaps before an attacker can exploit them.
There are a few key features you should look out for when comparing exposure management solutions:
- Risk identification and assessment: The solution should be able to identify, assess, and quantify different types of risks, including financial, operational, strategic, and compliance risks.
- Real-time monitoring: Look for a solution that provides real-time monitoring capabilities to track exposures and identify potential risks as they emerge.
- Data aggregation and integration: The solution should aggregate data from various sources, both internal and external, and integrate with other systems (e.g., ERP, CRM, and financial systems) to give you a single, holistic view of your organization’s exposure.
- Scenario analysis: Look for a solution that can simulate different risk scenarios and assess their impact. This will help you formulate response strategies.
- Reporting and analytics: You should be able to automatically generate reports that provide detailed, customizable insights into exposures, risk trends, and potential areas of concern. The best solutions also offer predictive analytics, which uses historical data to predict potential future risks, enabling you to mitigate them proactively.
- Compliance management: The solution should help you monitor and manage compliance with industry standards. This is especially important for organizations operating in highly regulated industries.
- User-friendly interface: You need to make sure that a solution’s interface is intuitive and user-friendly. It should be easy to navigate and operate for users with various levels of technical ability.
Exposure Management (EM) is a cybersecurity strategy that helps security teams identify and address security exposures within their organization, such as vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and unsecure processes. EM tools typically use scheduled scans to identify risks and vulnerabilities, and depend on human analysis and periodic remediation cycles. Many EM solutions also comprise siloed tools for asset inventory, vulnerability scanning, and risk prioritization.
Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is an evolution of EM that leverages more automation and integration. It still aims to identify and minimize potential risks and vulnerabilities across the attack surface but, rather than performing periodic, static scans, a CTEM solution continuously monitors and assesses the attack surface. This enables CTEM tools to provide real-time visibility into an organization’s security posture, making sure that security teams are working with the most up-to-date data so they can respond quickly and effectively to potential threats.
Security Operations Resources
Further reading on security operations from Expert Insights — buyers' guides, comparison articles, and platform-specific shortlists.
Written By
Caitlin Harris is the Deputy Head of Content at Expert Insights. As an experienced content writer and editor, Caitlin helps cybersecurity leaders to cut through the noise in the cybersecurity space with expert analysis and insightful recommendations.
Prior to Expert Insights, Caitlin worked at QA Ltd, where she produced award-winning technical training materials, and she has also produced journalistic content over the course of her career.
Caitlin has 8 years of experience in the cybersecurity and technology space, helping technical teams, CISOs, and security professionals find clarity on complex, mission critical topics like security awareness training, backup and recovery, and endpoint protection.
Caitlin also hosts the Expert Insights Podcast and co-writes the weekly newsletter, Decrypted.
Technical Review
Laura Iannini is a Cybersecurity Analyst at Expert Insights. With deep cybersecurity knowledge and strong research skills, she leads Expert Insights’ product testing team, conducting thorough tests of product features and in-depth industry analysis to ensure that Expert Insights’ product reviews are definitive and insightful.
Laura also carries out wider analysis of vendor landscapes and industry trends to inform Expert Insights’ enterprise cybersecurity buyers’ guides, covering topics such as security awareness training, cloud backup and recovery, email security, and network monitoring. Prior to working at Expert Insights, Laura worked as a Senior Information Security Engineer at Constant Edge, where she tested cybersecurity solutions, carried out product demos, and provided high-quality ongoing technical support.
Laura holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity from the University of West Florida.