IT Infrastructure
IT Infrastructure technology refers to the fundamental computing components that provide the platform for applications and data. In cybersecurity, the security of this layer is critical because its compromise often grants deep, persistent access to an organization's network, effectively giving an attacker control over all hosted assets. This category is divided into two primary areas:
Hardware/Server Management
Hardware/Server Management encompasses the physical and virtual systems (like servers, networking gear, and remote management cards) and the specialized software used to monitor and maintain them. These include components like remote KVM-over-IP cards and power management units, which are necessary for "lights-out" administration.
Cybersecurity Context: These components represent an incredibly tempting target for attackers because they function outside of or below the main operating system and security stack.
Out-of-Band Attack Surface: Management interfaces (like HP iLO or Intel Active Management Technology) often run their own small operating systems and network stacks. If these interfaces are accidentally exposed to the public internet, a vulnerability can allow an attacker to gain full, low-level control of the server hardware, bypassing traditional OS security measures.
Firmware Exploitation: Attacks often target the firmware of networking hardware or server management controllers, which are difficult to patch and can be used to implant persistent backdoors that survive OS reinstallation. The risk is high-impact, as compromise here grants deep, unmonitored access.
Operating Systems (OS)
Operating Systems (OS), such as Windows Server, various Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Debian), and UNIX, are the core software that manages a computer's hardware and provides common services for applications.
Cybersecurity Context: The OS is the primary layer defending against application-level attacks and network intrusions.
Patch Management: The single most common failure is neglecting to patch the OS. Unpatched vulnerabilities, such as privilege escalation flaws in the Linux kernel or remote desktop vulnerabilities in Windows Server, are a constant source of compromise that attackers actively exploit.
Misconfiguration: Improperly secured OS services are another major entry point. Leaving services like SSH, FTP, or remote management exposed to the public internet, often with weak or default credentials, provides a direct path for attackers to gain a shell on the server.
Supply Chain Risk: Using an unmaintained or End-of-Life (EOL) operating system version (e.g., an older FreeBSD release) means it will never receive security updates, leaving it perpetually vulnerable and highly attractive to adversaries.
ThreatNG provides deep, external visibility into the IT Infrastructure layer—covering both Hardware/Server Management and Operating Systems (OS)—to identify security blind spots that an attacker would target for initial access and persistent control.
External Discovery
ThreatNG’s core strength is External Discovery, performing purely unauthenticated scanning with no connectors, mirroring the reconnaissance of a sophisticated adversary.
Technology Stack Investigation Module: This module identifies the specific vendor and version of administrative software and operating systems. It can detect, for example, the presence of an exposed HP iLO interface (Hardware/Server Management) or confirm the specific distribution and version of Ubuntu Linux running on a server (Operating Systems).
Domain Intelligence: ThreatNG discovers any subdomains or hostnames dedicated to infrastructure management, such as
mgmt.company.comordev-server.company.com. If these hosts are inadvertently exposed, they are instantly flagged for further assessment.
External Assessment and Examples in Great Detail
ThreatNG transforms the discovery of exposed infrastructure assets into immediate, actionable risk intelligence through its External Assessment capabilities:
Vulnerability Exposure (Operating Systems): The Cyber Risk Exposure assessment uses the discovered OS version to check against known vulnerabilities. For instance, if the Technology Stack module finds a web server running a version of Windows Server that has a publicly known, high-severity exploit (CVE) for a remote desktop service, ThreatNG immediately calculates a high risk score. This prioritization ensures the security team addresses the specific Windows Server host before an attacker can exploit the flaw for Initial Access.
Access Credential Exposure (Hardware/Server Management): The Code Secret Exposure module continuously searches the public digital footprint for leaked access details. If an internal IT team member accidentally commits a plaintext credential for a management interface—such as an administrator password for an Intel Active Management Technology card—to a public repository, ThreatNG flags this. This finding is critical because a compromised hardware management credential grants an attacker out-of-band control over the server.
Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility (Operating Systems): ThreatNG evaluates the risk of a third-party OS vendor's service being used to manage a server. If a subdomain points to a deprecated server hosted by an EOL (End-of-Life) version of Debian Linux, and the DNS record is left dangling, ThreatNG identifies the Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility, allowing an attacker to claim that old host and use it for phishing or hosting malware.
Investigation Modules
Security teams use the Reconnaissance Hub to actively pivot from general discovery to granular investigation, effectively transforming chaotic security data into decisive insight.
Overwatch: This cross-entity vulnerability intelligence system provides an instant impact assessment across the entire IT Infrastructure portfolio. When a critical zero-day is disclosed for a core OS component—say, a Privilege Escalation flaw in the Linux kernel—Overwatch automatically correlates this CVE with all discovered Linux hosts. It prioritizes the specific systems running the vulnerable kernel version, replacing a multi-day manual audit with a targeted list of servers that require immediate patching.
Advanced Search: An analyst can use Advanced Search to query all assets that contain the "Hardware/Server Management" tag and are publicly exposed on common administrative ports (e.g., ports associated with HP iLO). They can then filter this list to isolate hosts lacking a valid SSL certificate. This targeted query allows the team to focus on the riskiest, unencrypted, and easily discoverable hardware management interfaces first.
Intelligence Repositories
ThreatNG’s Intelligence Repositories (DarCache) provide the necessary context to assess IT Infrastructure risks against real-world threat activity.
DarCache Vulnerability: It integrates severity scores from DarCache NVD with exploitation likelihood from DarCache EPSS and active exploitation status from DarCache KEV. This ensures that vulnerabilities found in OS components—for example, a known flaw in an exposed UNIX utility—are prioritized not just by their severity, but by the likelihood that attackers are already useing them in the wild.
DarCache Rupture (Compromised Credentials): This intelligence source informs the security team when credentials for critical IT infrastructure are found in external data dumps, confirming a path to Initial Access.
Reporting and Continuous Monitoring
ThreatNG provides Continuous Monitoring of the IT Infrastructure to detect security posture drift and generates clear reports.
Continuous Monitoring: ThreatNG constantly scans for misconfiguration changes. If an IT team member inadvertently opens an administrative port on a firewall protecting a management interface (Hardware/Server Management), the change is instantly detected, and a high-severity alert is triggered, leading to an immediate update of the host's Cyber Risk Exposure score.
Reporting: The solution generates Technical and Prioritized reports that document all exposed infrastructure assets. The External GRC Assessment Mapping report highlights how the use of End-of-Life Operating Systems (e.g., an outdated FreeBSD version) violates compliance policies that mandate vendor support and regular patching.
Complementary Solutions
ThreatNG's external discovery and assessment data cooperates with complementary security solutions across the environment. The detailed version information and vulnerability assessment for all discovered Operating Systems can be fed directly into a Vulnerability and Risk Management solution. This enriched data allows the complementary solution to automatically elevate the patching priority for public-facing servers running a vulnerable Ubuntu distribution, creating a more effective patch management workflow. Furthermore, intelligence from the Reconnaissance Hub—such as a confirmed exposed credential for a server management card—can be used to enrich alerts within a Security Monitoring (SIEM/XDR) platform, ensuring that any internal network activity involving that server is immediately flagged with high external risk context.
