A single unmonitored uncovered IT asset is all it takes to compromise a complete group. Therefore IT asset monitoring is among the key methods that retains proactive cybersecurity efforts up and working throughout companies.
Nonetheless, with the rising reliance on cloud platforms, third-party distributors, and distant operations, the variety of IT property to be monitored, each inner and exterior has widened. And the broader it will get, the larger the assault floor that might be exploited.
Throughout France, enterprises are grappling with an increasing assault floor as digital transformation accelerates. Current knowledge from Statista exhibits that 74% of organizations in France encountered ransomware assaults in 2024. The story was much like the 12 months earlier than when it was about 64%.
However what vulnerabilities are attracting cybercriminals to French companies? The reply and extra might be present in Outpost24’s 2024 French EASM benchmark.
Understanding the Dangers in France’s Digital Panorama
Most CISOs would agree {that a} full stock of their exterior assault floor is paramount, as internet-exposed property face relentless automated assaults. With out this information, efficient protection turns into a fairy story.
To know the extent to which public-facing property of France-based companies are uncovered to cyber-attacks, Outpost24, final 12 months, analyzed over 19,000 property throughout varied sectors utilizing its Exterior Assault Floor Administration (EASM) answer.
The outcomes of that examine present that whereas France’s push into digital transformation is creating new technological frontiers, it’s additionally birthing new vulnerabilities.
Let’s take the pharmaceutical sector for instance. Findings reveal that it was essentially the most weak with 25.4% of vulnerabilities rated vital, very excessive, or excessive. The transport sector had the very best proportion of vital or very excessive Identified Exploitable Vulnerabilities (KEVs) at 49.5%, in comparison with Finance’s 22%.
The analyses additionally highlighted 252 cookie violations and credentials stolen by malware within the healthcare sector. This isn’t a shock as public healthcare methods are sometimes tied to getting older legacy infrastructure which bears their justifiable share of exploitable vulnerabilities.
Outpost24 additional undertook to investigate the net infrastructure of the Paris 2024 Olympic video games to grasp what the assault floor dangers appeared like. The examine discovered two uncovered distant entry ports, 31 domains (5.8%) with invalid SSL certificates, 86 domains (16%) missing SSL, and 257 out of 294 web sites with safety header points.
Whereas the general cybersecurity posture of the Olympics was deemed good, the deep assault floor evaluation was essential because it made it simpler to uncover hidden dangers and supplied actionable insights.
The Price of Neglecting IT Asset Administration
The tempo at which we’re experiencing digital growth doesn’t give room for neglecting IT asset safety. Any nonchalance in the direction of having digital assets typically results in devastating penalties for organizations.
IBM’s 2024 Price of a Knowledge Breach Report pegs the worldwide common price of a breach at $4.88 million, up 10% from 2023. It additionally discovered that breaches involving unmonitored or poorly managed property (e.g., shadow knowledge or gadgets) accounted for 35% of incidents and have been 16% costlier than common.
However past financial losses, corporations that fail to handle their IT property successfully are certain to face advanced compliance points. As reported by Proximity, almost half of all asset managers surveyed in 2023 noticed compliance as a number one concern, a burden compounded by the ever-evolving regulatory panorama.
To this finish, organizations should prioritize this significant side of cybersecurity to guard their digital property and preserve their aggressive edge.
How EASM Strengthens Digital Resilience
Managing an ever-expanding assault floor can really feel overwhelming, however options like Exterior Assault Floor Administration (EASM)-Instruments simplify the method.
Outpost24’s EASM answer makes use of passive detection, elaborate discovery strategies and AI to constantly scan, monitor, and asses exterior IT property and thus assist organizations keep forward of cyber threats.
With the current addition of a Darkish Net module function, Outpost24 is taking assault floor administration and safety even additional. The module screens underground boards, chats and datadumps for mentions of firm knowledge, and by doing so, detects potential gross sales or assault plans earlier than they escalate.
For French companies, this degree of monitoring is vital. In vital industries, EASM may assist get rid of shadow IT, detect compromised credentials and their supply, spotlight non-criminal-cyber dangers and flag uncared for servers that might be exploited.
Along with all of those, Outpost24’s risk-ranking system permits safety groups to deal with essentially the most urgent threats thereby reducing via the noise.
Conclusion
Chopping down exterior assault surfaces begins with figuring out what IT property to guard, the place they’re, and the extent of threat they pose. French companies can considerably decrease their vulnerabilities in the event that they incorporate high quality exterior assault floor administration options.
In the event you’re interested in how your group’s assault floor rating measures up, ebook a free assault floor evaluation at this time with Outpost24 to identify your cybersecurity weak spots.