Cybersecurity definition
What is Attack Surface?
By Cyber Tool Stack Editorial TeamUpdated
Definition
Every point where an attacker could potentially get in or extract data — exposed servers, APIs, cloud accounts, employee accounts — the thing exposure management programs work to continuously discover and shrink.
Where Attack Surface fits in the security landscape
These beginner lessons use this term while explaining the surrounding security control.
Related cybersecurity terms
CAASMCyber Asset Attack Surface ManagementAggregates data from existing tools — EDR, cloud, identity, vulnerability scanners — into one queryable inventory of every asset an organization has, closing the gaps that come from no single tool seeing everything.EASMExternal Attack Surface ManagementContinuously discovers and monitors an organization's internet-facing assets — including forgotten subdomains and shadow IT nobody remembers standing up — from the outside, the same vantage point an attacker starts from.CTEMContinuous Threat Exposure ManagementA program model for continuously scoping, discovering, prioritizing, validating, and mobilizing action against an organization's exposures, treating exposure management as an ongoing cycle rather than a periodic vulnerability scan.