External Cybersecurity
What is External Cybersecurity?
External cybersecurity focuses on protecting an organization’s external attack surface.
This includes all the external points where an attacker could break the organization’s defenses.
Examples include websites, cloud servers, social media profiles, and business collaboration tools.
The primary goal is to protect an organization from attacks originating outside its network.
The focus is on identifying and mitigating risks before they impact the organization.
The Difference Between Internal and External Cybersecurity
Internal cybersecurity focuses on protecting an organization’s internal systems, data, and users.
For example, monitoring internal access to sensitive data or detecting unusual login patterns are internal cybersecurity tasks.
In contrast, external cybersecurity protects the organization from threats originating outside its network.
For instance, taking down a fake website impersonating your brand or mitigating a DDoS attack targeting your website falls under external cybersecurity.
Both strategies are needed and work in tandem.
Why is External Cybersecurity Important?
While internal cybersecurity protects an organization’s internal systems, hackers often target externally available assets to gain initial access.
These include assets like web applications, mobile apps, and social media profiles.
One of the easiest ways they break in is via leaked or stolen credentials.
External cybersecurity gives security teams visibility into threats that traditional security devices like firewalls and WAFs (Web Application Firewalls) can’t stop.
By getting alerted to risks like leaked employee credentials or fake phishing websites, security teams can take action before they’re exploited.
Most Common External Cybersecurity Threats
The most common external cybersecurity threats include:
- Credential Stuffing: Automated use of stolen credentials to access accounts.
- Phishing Attacks: Social engineering tactics that trick victims into revealing sensitive information.
- Ransomware: Malicious software that encrypts data and demands payment for release.
- Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks: Overwhelming systems with traffic to disrupt operations.
How Does External Cybersecurity Work?
- Monitoring the Public Attack Surface: Continuously monitor the dark web. Detect external threats like leaked credentials, session tokens, impersonated accounts associated with your organization, and phishing domains.
- Resetting Leaked Credentials: Detect leaked credentials and session tokens. Rest them to prevent unauthorized access.
- Taking Down Phishing Domains: Identify lookalike or phishing domains that could be used to trick your users. Submit takedown requests to remove the offending domains.
- Dark Web Monitoring: Track the dark web for mentions of your organization, leaked data, or planned attacks. Early detection can significantly reduce the risk.