Extended Security Posture Management (XSPM) services are available now which is a huge benefit to the security experts.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have started in 2020 but we are still reeling from its effects in 2021. While businesses and various organizations have struggled to stay afloat as it gets pummeled by the negative effects of the pandemic, cybersecurity teams are also facing their own significant challenges.

For one, the shift to work-at-home or remote work arrangements for many businesses has put a lot of strain on the IT department as it tries to configure and maintain the office network for remote access by employees working from many different locations. But another significant challenge for the IT team—which in itself may also be brought about by the pandemic—is the significant increase in the activity of malicious actors and cybercriminals.

A recent report published online revealed that in 2021, ransomware attacks surged by an alarming 148 percent. This dramatic increase in attacks has been attributed directly to the pandemic as more people are now working from home. Attackers know that there are now more exposed vulnerabilities and potential points of entry into networks because of the large number of users who access office networks remotely.

Another reason for the dramatic increase in attacks is the fact that hacking tools are now so readily available and easily accessible. There is even a growing industry of tools that take advantage of zero-day exploits to access the It infrastructure of organizations. It's a lucrative business—given that zero-day exploits can have a value that could reach 1 million USD or even more in the open market.

With the alarming increase of malicious actors now operating with the sole purpose of taking advantage of networks in order to steal data, one thing is for certain. Cybersecurity needs to be beefed up.

Fortunately, while hackers are hard at work with their malicious intent, the good guys are also hard at work to try and thwart them. This is why it's wonderful news for security experts all over the world that Extended Security Posture Management (XSPM) services are now available. This is a huge benefit to IT professionals.

Extended Security Posture Management to the rescue

Hackers will always try to be a step ahead of security teams because that's their only edge to be able to become successful in their criminal activities. But security teams are also not willing to give them that advantage, hence the continuous development of security tools to help teams secure their organizations.

The role of XSPM is simple—to determine the security posture of an organization and then make recommendations to strengthen it. XSPM provides a level of validation that is a step beyond what other services offer at the moment.

For example, two very common tools being used right now are automated testing during the application development part of the life cycle. Another one is penetration testing services. But both of these tools have significant shortcomings. The former provides continuous testing but it is not a comprehensive process. The latter, on the other hand, provides comprehensive testing protocols but does not continuously test the network.

XSPM gets the strengths of both automated testing and penetration testing while also addressing their shortcomings. It's a management platform that can provide various functionalities that the cybersecurity team will need to ensure the continuous security of the network. For example, it will have analytics, insights, automation, integration—which is all controlled within an intuitive dashboard. The beauty of XSPM is that it can provide a level of flexibility that will allow it to be used regardless of the demands of the company and the maturity of the skill levels of the cybersecurity team using it.

The most valuable feature of XSPM is that it provides true end-to-end validation, which can already be considered a requirement if you need to truly secure your network. This validation process revolves around four distinct features that work with each other.

Attack Surface Management

The ASM tools in the Extended Security Posture Management platform will scan various internet assets of the network—domains, sub-domains, ports, IP addresses—and then check for any vulnerabilities that it may be harboring. These all function along with Open-Source Intelligence and Vulnerability Prioritization Technology to not just assess the vulnerabilities but also get valuable data that will help them determine which detected vulnerabilities should be prioritized.

Continuous Automated Red Teaming (CART)

The Continuous Automated Red Teaming tools that are included in XSPM function as a pseudo attacker. It will make attempts to get into the organization's system by assessing vulnerabilities and then deploying various attack campaigns on the vulnerabilities found on the network. If the simulated attack is successful, it will then begin propagating all throughout the network to look for data or other assets. This is an effective investigation tool that scrubs the network, looking for vulnerabilities without harming the system.

Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS)

The Breach and Attack Simulation, on the other hand, will mount various simulated attacks. The XSPM will then check the data is generated through the attack and then check it against existing security controls in the network. From this, a mitigation report is then generated. This is an essential step in the process because it helps in optimizing the system's security controls.

Advanced Purple Teaming

These tools create customized scenarios to simulate attacks on the system. This step is performed in order to create incident response playbooks, help in performing a well-implemented security assurance procedure, and also in hunting for threats.

The customized scenario generated by Advanced Purple Teaming is based on the MITRE ATT&CK framework, a known knowledge base of all adversarial tactics that are being used by malicious actors in the real world. This means that the scenarios being generated by the Advanced Purple Teaming tools are actually based on real-world tactics and techniques used by hackers.

XSPM provides cybersecurity teams with the most advanced tools to get ahead of hackers and shut down any potential points of entry even before they attempt to penetrate the network. It's no wonder, organizations are beginning to shift from earlier security methods to XSPM because of the robustness of the platform in providing protection to the network.

Conclusion

Hackers are hell-bent on wreaking havoc on the network of organizations in order to steal valuable information, cause mischief, and earn ill-gotten profit. But while hacking incidents are increasing in occurrence, security companies are also trying to be one step ahead of these malicious actors by developing better security platforms like XSPM to help in protecting networks and strengthening their security posture.