Attack Surface Management vs Vulnerability Management

Attack surface management and vulnerability management are two cybersecurity approaches that share similar goals, but often converge around the same objectives, leading to conflation of the two. Attack surface management combines asset discovery, classification, and monitoring capabilities to get continual visibility into an organization's entire attack surface, encompassing all potential points of unauthorized access to systems. This approach is essential for maintaining security posture and reducing risks in an environment, particularly in today's dynamic IT environments with expanding attack surfaces. In contrast, vulnerability management is a structured process for identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and resolving security vulnerabilities, which can be introduced by various means, including software flaws, misconfigurations, and third-party vulnerabilities. Understanding the key differences between attack surface management and vulnerability management is crucial to choosing the right cybersecurity solution that assists with their implementation, as both approaches are essential for maintaining an organization's security posture.