Constant Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) serves as a strategic framework that aids organizations in perpetual evaluation and control of cyber threats. It simplifies the intricate task of handling security risks into five well-defined phases: Definition, Uncovering, Ranking, Authentication, and Action. Each of these steps has a pivotal role in recognizing, dealing with, and minimizing vulnerabilities – before malevolent elements exploit them.
On documentation, CTEM seems excellent. However, for beginners in CTEM, actual implementation can feel daunting. The application of CTEM principles may seem overwhelmingly complicated at the outset. But armed with appropriate resources and a comprehensive grasp of each phase, CTEM can effectively fortify your organization’s security stance.
That is why I have arranged a detailed manual on the suitable utilities for each phase. Keen to discover more? Continue reading…
Step 1: Definition
During the delineation of critical assets in the definition phase, you take the initial crucial stride toward comprehending your organization’s most valuable processes and resources. The primary goal here is to pinpoint assets indispensable to your operations, a task that often requires inputs from various stakeholders – not solely your security operations (SecOps) crew. Definition isn’t just a technical chore; it’s a task that revolves around people – it delves into genuinely understanding your business’s context and operations.
A beneficial approach to this is through workshops focusing on business-critical assets. These sessions assemble key decision-makers, including top management, to synchronize your business processes with the underlying technology. To support your definition endeavors, you can utilize resources like conventional spreadsheets, advanced systems such as Configuration Management Databases (CMDBs), or specialized solutions like Software Asset Management (SAM) and Hardware Asset Management (HAM). Furthermore, Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) utilities offer valuable perspectives by evaluating assets and prioritizing those in most urgent need of protection. (Further insights on Definition can be found here.)
Step 2: Revelation
Revelation is focused on identifying assets and vulnerabilities across your organization’s ecosystem, employing various tools and techniques to compile an all-encompassing view of your technological landscape and empower your security teams in evaluating potential risks.
To discover assets and pinpoint potential weaknesses, the common practice involves deploying vulnerability scanning tools. These tools scour for known vulnerabilities (CVEs) within your frameworks and networks, presenting detailed reports on areas necessitating attention. Additionally, Active Directory (AD) plays a vital role in revelation, particularly in settings grappling with identity issues.
For cloud environments, Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tools are instrumental in unearthing misconfigurations and vulnerabilities in platforms like AWS, Azure, and GCP. These tools also address identity management challenges specific to cloud surroundings. (Additional insights on Revelation can be found here.)
Step 3: Ranking
Efficient ranking is pivotal as it guarantees focused efforts from your security teams on the most influential threats – essentially diminishing overall risk for your organization.
You might already be utilizing conventional vulnerability management solutions prioritizing based on CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) ratings. It’s important to note that these ratings frequently overlook the business context, making it challenging for both technical and non-technical stakeholders to comprehend the urgency of specific threats. Conversely, prioritizing within the context of your business-critical assets renders the process more comprehensible to business leaders. This alignment enables your security teams to communicate the potential impact of vulnerabilities more efficiently across the organization.
Themes like attack path mapping and attack path management are increasingly acknowledged as essential elements of ranking. These utilities analyze how perpetrators can maneuver within your network, aiding you in identifying critical junctures where an attack could deal significant damage. Services incorporating attack path mapping furnish you with a holistic view of exposure threats, facilitating a more tactical approach to ranking.
Further, external threat intelligence platforms are pivotal in this phase. These resources furnish you with real-time insights on actively exploited vulnerabilities, incorporating critical context surpassing CVSS ratings. Additionally, AI-powered technologies can elevate threat detection and simplify ranking, but prudent implementation is vital to avert introducing errors into your processes. (More on Ranking available here.)
Step 4: Authentication
The authentication phase of CTEM checks that identified vulnerabilities are exploitable – gauging their potential real-world impact. This phase ascertains that you aren’t merely handling theoretical risks but giving precedence to authentic threats that could result in significant breaches if overlooked.
Penetration testing emerges as one of the most efficacious techniques for authentication. Pen testers simulate real-world attacks, striving to exploit vulnerabilities and gauging their reach within your network. This directly authenticates the effectiveness of the security measures in place or the capacity for certain vulnerabilities to trigger attacks. It provides a practical outlook – transcending theoretical risk scores.
Supplementing manual penetration testing, authentication tools like Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) serve a vital role. These tools simulate attacks within a controlled setting, enabling you to certify if specific vulnerabilities could circumvent your existing defenses. Tools embracing a digital twin model permit you to validate attack paths without affecting live systems.- a significant edge over conventional testing approaches that can disturb operations. (Discover more about Validation here.)
Stage 5: Mobilization
The mobilization phase utilizes diverse tools and procedures to boost the cooperation between your security and IT operations teams. Empowering SecOps to communicate specific vulnerabilities and exposures that demand attention closes the knowledge gap, aiding IT Ops in comprehending precisely what necessitates fixing and how to execute it.
Enabling CTEM with XM Cyber
- Align critical business processes with underlying IT assets to prioritize exposures based on business risk.
- Uncover all CVEs and non-CVEs (misconfigurations, identity risks, over-permissions) across on-premises and cloud environments and both internal and external attack surfaces.
- Attain quicker, precise prioritization grounded on exclusive Attack Graph Analysis™ exploiting threat intelligence, attack path complexity, compromised critical assets count, and whether it’s on a Choke Points to multiple attack paths.
- Evaluate whether problems are exploitable in a given environment and if security protocols are configured to obstruct them.
- Enhance remediation by emphasizing context-based evidence, remediation guidance, and alternatives. It also integrates with ticketing, SIEM, and SOAR tools to monitor remediation advancement.
CTEM – The Prescribed Route
Note: This article was expertly authored and contributed by Karsten Chearis, US Security Sales Engineering Team Lead at XM Cyber.
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