Today's ever-shifting threat landscape demands a multi-pronged approach to cybersecurity. Organizations must go beyond mere compliance by employing a combination of offensive security tactics and frequent testing. This empowers them to effectively manage organizational exposure and protect critical assets from evolving threats such as ransomware.
Trustwave recognizes the critical role of offensive security in today's digital world and has a wide variety of solutions and services that empower our elite Trustwave SpiderLabs team to conduct offensive security operations on behalf of our clients.
Why is this important? The ever-increasing number of cyber threats requires organizations to take a proactive stance to protect their assets. Organizations can no longer afford a stagnant, reactive security posture. Otherwise, they risk being vulnerable to attacks that are difficult to fend off and mitigate.
Only by having a human-led offensive security program that seeks out threats will an organization be able to better understand the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by attackers and gain a window into its own weaknesses.
Defining Offensive Security
On the surface, the term Offensive Security may be misleading. It does not mean attacking threat groups; instead, it is a proactive and adversarial approach to fortifying computer systems, networks, and individuals from cyberattacks.
In addition to relying on more defensive cybersecurity measures like managed detection and response (MDR), email security, firewalls, or database security, offensive security has security teams actively hunting not only for intruders in a system, but also testing for weaknesses and paths an adversary can take to gain entry.
The goal is to get ahead of an attacker, block possible routes before they become an issue, and provide an organization with a realistic view of its security posture from an attacker's perspective.
The Pillars of an Offensive Security Program
Offensive security involves using active measures to outsmart and defeat attackers. The concept is about taking the fight to the adversary rather than waiting for them to come to you. This approach involves ethical hacking, penetration testing, and red teaming exercises to find vulnerabilities before the bad guys do.
Penetration Testing, or pen testing, is a method to test a computer system, network, or application to find vulnerabilities an attacker could exploit. It involves simulating a cyberattack to evaluate a system's security and identify weaknesses.
Red Team Exercise is a laser-focused cybersecurity engagement designed to make an organization's nightmare come to life in a simulated attack. Rather than focusing solely on the technical controls, Red Teams aim to find flaws in people, processes, and technology.
Threat Intelligence is gathering and analyzing data on the cybersecurity threats targeting an organization. This information can be found by inspecting an organization's network, studying attacks conducted on others, and researching information on the Dark Web.
Vulnerability Scanning is the ability to examine an organization's systems in depth to uncover database configuration errors, assess risk levels, identify network-connected assets across an infrastructure, assess application security, and meet and maintain audit and compliance requirements.
Ethical Hacking, also known as white-hat hacking, involves using hacking skills to identify vulnerabilities in a system. The goal is to find security weaknesses that a malicious hacker could exploit. Ethical hackers use the same techniques as cybercriminals but do so legally and ethically to improve system security.
Security leaders today face a multitude of challenges when seeking qualified offensive security providers. A major pain point lies in the ability to not only identify vulnerabilities but also prioritize and remediate them efficiently.
Further complicating matters is the challenge of securing outdated legacy technology, which often requires specialized expertise. Additionally, the ever-present backlog creates long lead times, hindering rapid response and resolution. The talent shortage, both internally and within the cybersecurity ecosystem, creates another hurdle.
While compliance is a must-have, security leaders understand it's not enough, requiring providers who can delve deeper to uncover real-world risks. Balancing cost with demonstrable value is paramount, ensuring a maximized return on investment.
As a leading provider of offensive security, Trustwave Consulting and Professional Services possesses all the tools necessary to conduct an effective review of a client's security program. Our team addresses key pain points by efficiently identifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities and offering expert advice and mitigation services. Trustwave CPS provides long-term support that goes beyond simply preventing attacks, helping organizations improve their overall security posture, enhancing resilience and recovery capabilities.
