Security Ratings Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
ThreatNG Security Ratings: Technically Detailed and Substantiated Assessments
This FAQ explores ThreatNG Security Ratings, explaining how they provide a data-driven assessment of an organization's external vulnerability landscape. It also explores the benefits, methodologies, and use cases of ThreatNG Security Ratings, highlighting how they empower various organizational roles to make informed decisions and strengthen their cybersecurity posture.
External Attack Surface Management FAQ
Digital Risk Protection FAQ
Cloud and SaaS Exposure Management FAQ
Third Party Risk Management FAQ
Due Diligence FAQ
General Questions
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ThreatNG Security Ratings provide a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of an organization's external vulnerability landscape using External Attack Surface Management (EASM), Digital Risk Protection (DRP), and threat intelligence.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings go beyond traditional assessments by providing a holistic view of the external attack surface, including social media, leaked code repositories, and cloud configurations.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings provide actionable intelligence for informed decisions, unveil the complete security landscape, and unmask cybersecurity blind spots.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings cater to the unique needs of various roles and titles involved in cybersecurity by offering:
Actionable Intelligence: Security-focused roles (CISO, Security Manager, Security Analyst) gain insights into the likelihood and potential impact of attacks, enabling them to prioritize and respond effectively.
Comprehensive Security Landscape: IT and Risk Management roles (CIO, IT Manager, Risk Manager) gain a holistic view of the organization's external security posture, including vulnerabilities and potential threats.
Unmasking Blind Spots: All roles benefit from identifying and addressing hidden vulnerabilities that traditional security assessments might miss, leading to a more proactive and comprehensive security approach.
Tailored Reporting: Various roles, including executives (CEO, COO) and other stakeholders, receive customized reports that cater to their specific needs and priorities.
Collaboration and Decision-Making Tools: All roles involved in cybersecurity benefit from seamless collaboration and informed decision-making.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings offer various features and capabilities that cater to the specific search requirements of different roles and titles:
Security-focused roles: The External Attack Surface Management (EASM) and Digital Risk Protection (DRP) capabilities allow for identifying and assessing potential threats and vulnerabilities across the organization's digital assets.
IT and Risk Management roles: The ThreatNG Exposure Score and intelligence repositories help evaluate the organization's overall risk posture and prioritize mitigation efforts.
Other roles: Tailored reporting and collaboration tools help them stay informed about the organization's security posture and contribute to decision-making.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings leverage the ThreatNG Digital Presence Triad: Feasibility, Believability, and Impact.
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Feasibility assesses how easily attackers could exploit vulnerabilities in the external attack surface, including social media, leaked code repositories, and cloud configurations.
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Believability delves into specific attack vectors (phishing, ransomware) and potential consequences (data leaks, brand damage) to provide a realistic picture of threats.
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Impact considers the potential consequences of a successful attack, prioritizing threats based on their severity.
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The ThreatNG Exposure Score comprehensively measures an organization’s external cybersecurity posture, combining insights from multiple areas, including External Attack Surface, Vulnerability Beyond Technology, and a Holistic View of Risk.
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The ThreatNG Exposure Score covers External Attack Surface (web applications, subdomains), Vulnerability Beyond Technology (financial distress, brand damage), and a Holistic View of Risk (cyber risk, ESG exposure, supply chain security, breach/ransomware threats).
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ThreatNG Security Ratings use a multidimensional approach, addressing the full spectrum of cybersecurity risk, including Subdomain Takeover, Web Application Hijack, BEC and phishing, Brand Damage, and Data Leak Susceptibility.
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Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility assesses the risk of attackers taking over misconfigured subdomains. ThreatNG’s Domain Intelligence analyzes subdomains, DNS records, SSL certificates, and other relevant factors to identify and remediate susceptible subdomains.
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Web Application Hijack Susceptibility evaluates a web application's vulnerability to hijacking by attackers. ThreatNG’s EASM and DRP capabilities use Domain Intelligence to analyze publicly accessible parts of web applications for potential entry points.
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BEC & Phishing Susceptibility assesses an organization’s vulnerability to Business Email Compromise (BEC) and phishing attacks. ThreatNG analyzes online sentiment, domain reputation, and dark web mentions to identify potential phishing attempts.
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Brand Damage Susceptibility evaluates the potential impact of security breaches and other incidents on an organization’s brand reputation. ThreatNG analyzes various factors, including Attack Surface Intelligence, Digital Risk Intelligence, sentiment analysis, ESG violations, lawsuits, and negative news to assess brand damage risk.
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Data Leak Susceptibility assesses the likelihood of data leaks from cloud services, SaaS implementations, compromised domains, and leaked credentials.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings offer a comprehensive approach by incorporating External Attack Surface Management (EASM), Digital Risk Protection (DRP), and Intelligence Repositories.
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EASM unveils vulnerabilities beyond the firewall, provides actionable insights, and offers a holistic picture for more intelligent decisions.
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DRP enables proactive threat detection beyond the perimeter, provides data-driven insights for prioritized action, and allows risk management across the digital ecosystem.
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Intelligence Repositories act as a threat encyclopedia, providing real-world threat prioritization and actionable insights based on continuous monitoring.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings Reporting provides unparalleled visibility across the ecosystem, actionable insights tailored to different audiences, prioritization based on real-world impact, and continuous visibility for staying ahead of threats.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings Reporting offers a comprehensive view of the entire digital ecosystem, including third-party vendors and their security posture.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings Reporting offers various reporting formats catering to different organizational audiences, including Executive, Technical Detail, and Inventory reports.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings Reporting prioritizes threats based on real-world risk and potential impact, using information from EASM, DRP, and intelligence repositories.
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RBAC ensures stakeholders across the organization, third-parties, and supply chain have access to the information they need while safeguarding sensitive data.
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CEQs are dynamically generated questionnaires tailored to the risks identified by EASM, DRP, and intelligence repositories, ensuring all parties involved are asking the right questions for accurate risk assessment and mitigation.
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ThreatNG offers customizable risk configuration and scoring, dynamic entity management, and policy exception management.
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ThreatNG Security Ratings Investigation Modules uncover hidden vulnerabilities by performing deep dives into digital footprints, including domain intelligence, cloud and SaaS exposure, social media, online sharing exposure, sensitive code exposure, sentiment and financials, search engine exploitation, archived web pages, dark web presence, and technology stack analysis.
Security Ratings Use Cases
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ThreatNG Security Ratings have diverse applications across various security functions and risk management activities. Here are some of the ways they can be used:
Assessing and Managing Risk:
ThreatNG Security Ratings can be used to assess and manage various types of risks, including:
Cyber Risk Appetite Definition: Helps organizations define their risk tolerance and align security practices accordingly.
Reputational Risk Monitoring: Monitors and mitigates potential threats to an organization's reputation.
Supply Chain Risk Management: Evaluates and manages risks associated with the supply chain.
Third-Party Risk Management: Assesses and manages risks related to third-party vendors and partners.
Improving Security Posture:
ThreatNG Security Ratings can help organizations enhance their overall security posture through:
Cybersecurity Performance Management: Measures and improves the effectiveness of cybersecurity practices.
IT Infrastructure Hygiene: Maintains a healthy and secure IT infrastructure.
Security Compliance Gaps: Identifies and addresses gaps in security compliance.
Security Readiness: Assesses an organization's preparedness for security incidents.
Enhancing Specific Processes:
ThreatNG Security Ratings can be used to improve specific processes, such as:
Advanced Assessment Planning: Facilitates planning and execution of security assessments.
Incident Response Automation: Automates incident response procedures.
Merger & Acquisition: Assesses the security posture of potential acquisition targets.
Procurement: Evaluates the security posture of vendors during the procurement process.
Program Validation: Validates the effectiveness of security programs and initiatives.
Request for Proposal: Includes security ratings as part of the RFP process.
Vendor Onboarding: Ensures that new vendors meet security requirements during onboarding.
Addressing Specific Challenges:
ThreatNG Security Ratings can be used to address specific security challenges, such as:
Remote Workforce: Manages the security risks associated with a remote workforce.
Shadow IT: Detects and mitigates the use of unsanctioned IT resources.
Situational Awareness: Provides real-time awareness of the security landscape.
Third-Party and Supply Chain Management:
ThreatNG Security Ratings offer specialized capabilities for managing third-party and supply chain risks:
Own Enterprise & Subsidiary Monitoring: Monitors the security posture of subsidiaries and internal entities.
Supply Chain Monitoring and Visualization: Provides visibility into the security posture of the supply chain.
Third-Party Portfolio Diagnostic & Prioritization (Third-Party Assessment): Assesses and prioritizes third-party risks.
Vendor Analysis: Performs in-depth analysis of vendor security posture.
Vendor Due Diligence: Conducts due diligence on potential vendors.
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ThreatNG DRP uses various intelligence repositories, including dark web data, ESG violation tracking, ransomware event monitoring, compromised credential databases, SEC Form 8-Ks, known vulnerability databases, BIN repositories, and bug bounty programs.
Security Ratings Categories
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ThreatNG covers a wide range of security ratings categories, which can be grouped as follows:
Application Security:
Application Security: Assesses the overall security posture of applications, including vulnerabilities and potential risks.
Information Leak: Evaluates the risk of sensitive information being leaked from applications.
Web Encryption: Assesses the strength and effectiveness of web encryption used by applications.
Network Security:
DNS Health: Measures the health and performance of DNS infrastructure.
DNS Security: Evaluates the security measures in place to protect DNS infrastructure from attacks.
IP Reputation: Assesses the reputation of IP addresses associated with the organization.
Network Filtering: Evaluates the effectiveness of network filtering mechanisms in blocking malicious traffic.
Network Security: Assesses the overall security posture of the network infrastructure.
Endpoint Security:
Endpoint Security: Evaluates the security measures in place to protect endpoints (computers, mobile devices) from threats.
Software Patching: Assesses the timeliness and effectiveness of software patching processes.
Security Posture and Events:
Breach Events: Tracks and analyzes security breaches and incidents.
Compromised Systems: Identifies and monitors compromised systems within the organization.
Hacker Chatter: Monitors online discussions and forums for mentions of potential threats or attacks.
Public Disclosures: Tracks public disclosures of security vulnerabilities and incidents.
System Reputation: Assesses the reputation of systems and servers associated with the organization.
Other Categories:
Diligence: Evaluates the level of due diligence performed in security practices.
Patching Cadence: Measures the frequency and regularity of security patching.
Social Engineering: Assesses the organization's susceptibility to social engineering attacks.
System Hosting: Evaluates the security posture of hosting providers and infrastructure.
User Behavior: Analyzes user behavior patterns to identify potential security risks.
External Attack Surface Management FAQ
Digital Risk Protection FAQ
Cloud and SaaS Exposure Management FAQ
Third Party Risk Management FAQ
Due Diligence FAQ