Simply relying on traditional password security measures is no longer sufficient. When it comes to protecting your organization from credential-based attacks, it is essential to lock down the basics first. Securing your Active Directory should be a priority – it is like making sure a house has a locked front door before investing in a high-end alarm system. Once the fundamentals are covered, look at how integrating external attack surface management (EASM) can significantly augment your password security, offering a robust shield against potential cyber threats and breaches.

First Secure Your Active Directory

IT administrators should not just adhere to the minimum password policy standards by including complexity mandates. To enhance Active Directory security, they should enforce a policy that prohibits users from generating feeble passwords and incorporate a tool to detect and block the use of compromised passwords. passwords and adding a solution that can check for the use of compromised passwords. Using a tool like Specops Password Policy enforces strong password practices and identifies password-related vulnerabilities, which is crucial for defending against credential-based attacks and other risks such as password reuse. Once these fundamentals are covered, EASM tools can further enhance security.

What's EASM and how does it work?

An EASM solution begins by identifying and cataloging all publicly accessible digital assets of an organization, including both known and unknown assets. Following this, the EASM tool scans these assets for vulnerabilities, scrutinizing configurations and identifying potential security risks. It then prioritizes these vulnerabilities based on their severity and the specific context of the organization, helping IT teams to address the most critical issues first.

Finally, EASM provides actionable recommendations for mitigating or correcting these vulnerabilities. This continuous monitoring and real-time feedback mechanism helps IT professionals maintain a secure and robust public-facing digital infrastructure.

How does EASM augment password security?

An IT admin might consider adding an EASM solution to improve their password security strategy for a few reasons. EASM can proactively monitor for leaked credentials, detect compromised accounts, and provide real-time alerts and notifications. This capability aids in investigating the source of breaches, understanding the context of leaked credentials, and identifying risky users who may need additional training.

Additionally, EASM assigns risk scores to leaked credentials, enabling the organization to prioritize its response and focus on addressing the most critical leaks first. This comprehensive approach helps mitigate the risks associated with credential leaks and strengthens your overall cybersecurity defenses in several ways.

1. Vulnerability detection and recommendations: EASM solutions continuously monitors and assesses a company's publicly accessible digital assets to detect weak passwords, unencrypted passwords, and other password-related security flaws. Upon identifying vulnerabilities, EASM provides recommendations on how to address or mitigate these issues.
2. Dark web monitoring: EASM integrates with Threat Intelligence sources to monitor the dark web for leaked credentials. This helps in identifying if any organizational credentials have been compromised and are available for purchase on underground forums.
3. Adding contextual information: It provides contextual information about the origin and impact of credential leaks, which helps in understanding how the breach occurred, and the potential risks associated with it. This kind of information helps IT teams think about future sources of breaches instead of just firefighting existing leaks.
4. Identifying risky users: EASM identifies users whose credentials are at risk or have been compromised, allowing IT teams to take specific actions such as forcing a password reset or enhancing monitoring on those accounts. It may also help identify end users who need a bit more training around password security.
5. Risk scoring: It assigns risk scores to leaked or compromised credentials, which helps prioritize the response efforts based on the severity and potential impact of the leak. This is particularly useful in large organizations where there could be an extensive list of remediations.
6. Real-time alerts and remediation: EASM is an ongoing process, so the solution can offer real-time alerts and remediation actions. This proactive approach lets organizations quickly respond to issues as they're identified.

Augment your password security with EASM

An organization can effectively combine a solution such as Specops Password Policy with an EASM tool to enhance its security measures. Specops Password Policy ensures the enforcement of strong password requirements and prevents the use of continuously checks an organization's Active Directory for compromised passwords, which minimizes the risk of credential-based attacks.

Meanwhile, you can actively monitor your organization's publicly accessible digital assets for vulnerabilities, identify sources of credential leaks, and get real-time alerts with a tool like Outpost24's EASM solution. By integrating password security management and EASM, an organization can achieve robust protection against credential-based attacks and effectively manage its external attack surface. This integration not only provides continuous monitoring but also proactive measures against credential leaks, ensuring a comprehensive approach to securing both the internal and external aspects of the organization's IT infrastructure.

By adding the capabilities of EASM to your existing password security solutions, you can proactively monitor for leaked credentials tied to your organization's domain, investigate the source of breaches, and target the right employees to educate them about the risks associated with credential leaks. This helps mitigate the potential impact of credential-based attacks and strengthens your overall cybersecurity defenses.

Map your attack surface

By understanding and implementing EASM strategies, organizations can fortify their defenses and ensure their sensitive information remains protected in an increasingly vulnerable digital landscape. See just how you can strengthen your organization's password security posture and bolster your defenses with Outpost24's EASM solution. Get a free attack surface analysis with actionable insights.

This combination with your existing password policies will provide you with the tools necessary for a more secure and resilient IT environment.