Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility
Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility measures the vulnerability of a website's subdomains to takeover by external attackers.
When an attacker seizes control of a subdomain of a website, they can use it to conduct harmful operations like phishing, malware distribution, or data theft. Attackers can take control of a website's subdomain by taking advantage of flaws like DNS errors, expired SSL certificates, or abandoned subdomains.
To evaluate the subdomain takeover susceptibility of a website, the ThreatNG Security Rating uses external attack surface and digital risk intelligence that incorporates Domain Intelligence. This intelligence includes a comprehensive analysis of the website's subdomains, DNS records, SSL certificate statuses, and other relevant factors.
Based on this analysis, the Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility Score is assigned to the website, reflecting the risk level that its subdomains face from takeover attacks. A higher score indicates a higher susceptibility to subdomain takeover, while a lower score indicates a lower exposure.
By monitoring this score, organizations can identify and address potential vulnerabilities that may lead to subdomain takeover, thereby reducing the risk of data breaches, financial loss, or damage to their reputation.
Security Rating Knowledgebase
The Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility knowledgebase is a valuable resource for organizations to understand the risks associated with their subdomains and take proactive measures to mitigate them. This knowledgebase empowers organizations to enhance their subdomain security and protect their digital assets by providing detailed descriptions, score compositions, recommendations, and references:
Description
A detailed explanation of the scoring system used to determine a website's Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility Score. It includes information about the various factors considered when evaluating a website's subdomains. This section also provides an overview of the scoring system, its scale, and examples of calculating the score.
Score Composition
Outlines the elements that make up the Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility Score. It shows how each factor contributes to the overall score and the weight assigned to each factor. This section also highlights the most critical factors organizations should focus on to improve their subdomain security.
Recommendations
Provides practical guidance for organizations to improve their security and reduce the risk of subdomain takeover. It includes actionable steps that organizations can take to address the vulnerabilities identified in the scoring system. This section may also include best practices for subdomain management, such as regular subdomain monitoring, using unique SSL certificates for each subdomain, and implementing DNS record management policies.
References
Organizations can use additional resources and references to enhance their subdomain security further. It may include links to industry best practices, security frameworks, and relevant research papers or articles.
Cross-Functional
The Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility Score is a powerful indicator for organizations looking to manage digital risks and protect their assets, reputation, and customer trust. It can help organizations identify and prioritize their efforts in various areas:
External Attack Surface Management (EASM)
External Attack Surface Management (EASM) involves managing an organization's external attack surface, including subdomains. The Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility Score comprehensively analyzes an organization's subdomains, assessing their vulnerability to takeover attacks. This information helps organizations prioritize their EASM efforts by identifying the most vulnerable subdomains and focusing on securing them first. The score can also track the effectiveness of EASM efforts over time and identify areas for improvement.
Digital Risk Protection (DRP)
Digital Risk Protection (DRP) manages digital risks that endanger an organization's digital assets, reputation, or client confidence. Subdomain takeover is a significant digital risk that can lead to reputational damage, data breaches, or financial losses. The Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility Score comprehensively analyzes an organization's subdomains and susceptibility to takeover attacks, helping organizations identify and prioritize their DRP efforts. By evaluating subdomain vulnerability and assigning a score to each subdomain, the score can locate the most vulnerable subdomains and focus on securing them first. Additionally, organizations can use the score to track the effectiveness of their DRP efforts over time.
Third Party Risk Managent (TPRM)
The Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility Score is useful for organizations to measure the vulnerability of their digital assets, including those belonging to third-party vendors and suppliers, to subdomain takeover attacks. By considering various elements and assigning a score to each subdomain, the score helps organizations identify and prioritize their risk management efforts for third-party vendors and suppliers. The score also allows organizations to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts over time by regularly assessing and tracking changes in subdomain scores.
Due Diligence
The Due Diligence process evaluates a company's financial and legal status, and in the digital age, it also includes an assessment of potential digital risks. The Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility Score analyzes an organization's subdomains and vulnerability to takeover attacks, which can be helpful during Due Diligence efforts. By identifying potential digital risks associated with subdomains, organizations can evaluate the potential impact of a subdomain takeover attack and work with the target company to mitigate the risk.
Brand Protection
Brand protection is essential to safeguard an organization's reputation and intellectual property from digital risks, including subdomain takeover attacks. Subdomain takeover attacks can damage an organization's reputation and customer trust and steal sensitive data. The Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility Score helps organizations prioritize brand protection by quantitatively measuring subdomain vulnerability. By using the score to identify and secure vulnerable subdomains, organizations can reduce the risk of subdomain takeover attacks and protect their brand reputation.
ThreatNG Exposure
BEC and Phishing Susceptibility
Cyber Risk Exposure
Brand Damage Susceptibility
ESG Exposure
Breach and Ransomware Susceptibility
Web Application Hijack Susceptibility
Data Leak Susceptibility
Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility
Supply Chain and Third Party Exposure
Security Ratings Use Cases
ThreatNG is a security rating platform enabling businesses to evaluate and monitor their security posture and that of their third-party vendors. By leveraging our extensive security information database, ThreatNG provides valuable insights into potential vulnerabilities and risk exposure, enabling organizations to take proactive measures to strengthen their security defenses. This section will explore some use cases where ThreatNG's security ratings can help organizations better understand their security posture and mitigate risk.