Topology Mapping
Topology mapping in cybersecurity visually or logically represents a network's structure. It involves identifying and documenting how various devices, systems, and network segments connect and communicate.
Here's a breakdown of what that entails:
Identifying Network Components: This includes devices like routers, switches, firewalls, servers, workstations, and any other hardware or software connected to the network.
Mapping Connections: This shows how these components are linked, whether through physical cables, wireless connections, or virtual connections in a cloud environment.
Visualizing the Structure: Topology maps can be simple diagrams or complex graphical representations, often using specific symbols to represent different devices and connection types.
Logical vs. Physical Topology:
Logical topology focuses on how data flows through the network.
Physical topology shows the actual physical arrangement of cables and devices.
Network Segmentation: Topology maps often illustrate how the network is divided into segments or subnets, a critical security practice.
Cloud Infrastructure: In modern cybersecurity, topology mapping extends to cloud environments, visualizing connections between cloud services, virtual machines, and storage.
Why is Topology Mapping Important for Cybersecurity?
Vulnerability Identification: By visualizing the network, security professionals can more easily spot potential weaknesses or single points of failure.
Attack Path Analysis: Topology maps help understand how an attacker might move through the network to reach critical assets.
Intrusion Detection: Monitoring network traffic against the topology map can help detect unusual or unauthorized activity.
Security Architecture Design: Topology mapping is essential for designing secure network architectures and implementing appropriate security controls.
Incident Response: During a security incident, a topology map can help responders quickly understand the scope of the breach and contain the damage.
Asset Management: Topology maps provide a clear inventory of all network-connected devices, which is crucial for security management.
Here's how ThreatNG's capabilities enhance and work with topology mapping:
1. ThreatNG's External Discovery
Relevance: ThreatNG's external discovery creates a more complete external topology map. By discovering all externally facing assets, even those unknown to the organization, ThreatNG expands the topology scope.
Examples:
ThreatNG discovers subdomains, cloud services, and APIs that are not in the existing network diagrams and adds them to the external attack surface topology.
Mobile app discovery identifies another attack vector to add to the topology.
2. ThreatNG's External Assessment
Relevance: ThreatNG's assessment provides critical context to the topology map, highlighting vulnerabilities and risks associated with different components.
Examples:
The "Cyber Risk Exposure" assessment identifies vulnerabilities and exposed ports on external systems, showing where the topology is most vulnerable.
"Cloud and SaaS Exposure" assessment adds cloud services and SaaS applications to the topology, along with their security posture.
Mobile App Exposure assessment shows vulnerabilities in mobile apps, extending the topology to include this attack vector.
Relevance: ThreatNG's reports provide different views of the external attack surface, which can be used to create or augment topology maps for various purposes.
Examples:
Inventory reports can provide a list of all discovered assets, forming the basis of a topology diagram.
Prioritized reports highlight the most critical risks in the topology, helping security teams focus their attention.
4. ThreatNG's Continuous Monitoring
Relevance: Continuous monitoring keeps the topology map dynamic and up-to-date, reflecting changes in the external attack surface.
Examples:
ThreatNG's monitoring detects new subdomains or cloud services as they are added, ensuring the topology map remains current.
It also tracks changes in security ratings, indicating changes in the risk level of different parts of the external topology.
5. ThreatNG's Investigation Modules
Relevance: ThreatNG's investigation modules provide detailed information about specific components of the external topology, enabling security analysts to better understand them.
Examples:
"Domain Intelligence" provides in-depth information about domains, subdomains, and network services, crucial for mapping the external network infrastructure.
"IP Intelligence" details IP addresses and network ownership, essential for understanding network connections in the topology.
"Technology Stack" identifies the technologies used by external systems, adding a layer of application-level detail to the topology.
6. ThreatNG's Intelligence Repositories (DarCache)
Relevance: While not directly mapping the topology, DarCache provides valuable context by adding threat intelligence and risk information to different parts of the external network.
Examples:
"DarCache Vulnerability" provides data on known vulnerabilities, which can be overlaid on the topology map to highlight vulnerable systems.
"DarCache Dark Web" can reveal information about potential threats targeting specific parts of the external topology.
7. ThreatNG Working with Complementary Solutions
Relevance: ThreatNG's data can be integrated with network management and security tools to create more comprehensive and dynamic topology maps.
Examples:
ThreatNG's discovered asset information can be fed into network mapping tools to automate the creation of external topology diagrams.
ThreatNG's vulnerability data can be integrated with vulnerability management systems to prioritize remediation efforts based on their location in the external topology.
ThreatNG significantly enhances and complements topology mapping by providing comprehensive external visibility, risk context, and continuous monitoring. This enables organizations to create more accurate, dynamic, and security-focused representations of their external attack surface.
