Are you looking for threat-proactive ways to secure your enterprise? One of the best ways to do this is by inventorying all of the points of authentication within your organization. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the steps you need to take to properly inventory and secure your Internet-facing authentication points. While you should have a complete and accurate inventory of these exposures, starting the process with a focus on critical systems is a common approach.
Inventory Process
1. Identify the different types of authentication used by the organization for remote access (e.g. passwords, two-factor authentication). If possible, use vendor data to include cloud-based critical services as well.
2. List all of the systems and applications that require remote access within the organization. External vulnerability scanning data and Shodan are both useful sources for this information.
3. For each system/application, document the type of authentication used and any additional security measures or policies related to remote access (e.g., password complexity requirements). Vendor management risk data can be useful here, if available.
4. Check with user groups to ensure that they use secure authentication methods and follow security policies when accessing systems/applications remotely.
5. Monitor access logs for signs of unauthorized access attempts or suspicious activity related to remote access authentication.
6. Regularly review and update existing remote access authentication processes as necessary to ensure the continued security of organizational resources over the Internet.
Why This Is Important – Credential Stuffing & Phishing
Inventorying all of the points of authentication within an enterprise is essential as protection against credential stuffing and phishing attacks. Credential stuffing is a type of attack where malicious actors use stolen credentials to gain access to different accounts, while phishing attacks are attempts to acquire confidential information through deceptive emails or websites. In both cases, it is important that organizations have proper authentication measures in place to prevent unauthorized access. Inventorying all of the points of authentication within an organization can ensure that the right security protocols are in place and that any suspicious activity related to authentication can be quickly identified and addressed.
In addition, having a detailed inventory of all points of authentication can help organizations identify any weak spots in their security measures. This allows them to take steps to strengthen those areas and further protect themselves from potential credential stuffing or phishing attacks. By regularly reviewing and updating their authentication processes, organizations can ensure that their resources remain secure and protected from any malicious actors.
Lastly, ensure that you feed this inventory and the knowledge gained into your enterprise risk assessment processes, incident response team, and other security control inventories. Make a note of any security gaps identified during the inventory process and ensure complete coverage of the logs and other intrusion detection systems at each potential point of authentication. By following these steps, you can ensure that your enterprise remains secure and protected from any potential threats associated with credential stuffing and credential theft associated with common phishing attacks.