An attack surface represents every pathway a threat actor could use to compromise your systems. It spans on-prem infrastructure, cloud assets, SaaS applications, and even third-party vendors.
Why it matters
- Larger attack surfaces increase the chance of misconfigurations, forgotten assets, and unmanaged accounts.
- Shadow IT, unused ports, and orphaned cloud services expand exposure without delivering business value.
How to shrink it
- Keep an authoritative inventory of internet-facing assets.
- Decommission unused services quickly.
- Apply network segmentation so one exposed entry point does not compromise everything.
- Continuously assess configurations against secure baselines.
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View all termsAuthentication
The process of verifying the identity of a user, device, or system before granting access to resources or services.
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The practice of granting users and services the minimum access they need to perform their duties.
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A weakness in a system, application, or process that could be exploited by a threat actor to gain unauthorized access or cause harm.
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A security model that assumes breach, requiring continuous verification of every user, device, and workload regardless of location.
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