What is Breach and Attack Simulation?

Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) is an automated, continuous, software-based approach to offensive security. It is similar to other forms of security verification, such as: red team and penetration testingBAS complements more traditional security tools by simulating cyberattacks to test security controls and provide actionable insights.

Similar to red team training, breach and attack simulations use actual attack tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by hackers to proactively identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities before real threat actors exploit them. However, unlike red teaming and penetration testing, BAS tools are fully automated and can provide more comprehensive results with fewer resources between more hands-on security tests. Providers such as SafeBreach, XM Cyber ​​​​and Cymulate offer cloud-based solutions that make it easy to integrate BAS tools without having to implement new hardware.

As a security control validation tool, BAS solutions help organizations better understand security gaps and provide valuable guidance for prioritized remediation.

Breach and attack simulations help security teams:

• Mitigate potential cyber risks. Provides early warning of possible internal or external threats so security teams can prioritize remediation efforts before sensitive data is breached, loss of access, or similar negative consequences occur.
• Minimize the likelihood of a successful cyber attack: In an ever-changing threat environment, automation increases resilience through continuous testing.

How do breach and attack simulations work?

BAS solutions replicate different types of attack vectors, attack vectors, and attack scenarios. Based on actual TTPs used by threat actors as described in threat intelligence. Miter attack & CK The Cyber ​​Killchain framework allows BAS solutions to simulate:

• Network and intrusion attacks
• lateral movement
• phishing
• Endpoint and gateway attacks
• malware attack
• ransomware attack

Regardless of the type of attack, the BAS platform simulates, evaluates, and validates the latest attack techniques used by advanced persistent threats (APTs) and other malicious entities across the entire attack vector. Once the attack is complete, the BAS platform provides a detailed report, including a prioritized list of remediation steps if any critical vulnerabilities are found.

The BAS process begins with selecting a specific attack scenario from a customizable dashboard. In addition to executing different types of known attack patterns derived from new threats or user-defined situations, you can also perform attack simulations based on the strategies of known APT groups, whose methods may vary depending on your organization’s specific industry.

After an attack scenario is initiated, the BAS tool deploys virtual agents within the organization’s network. These agents attempt to compromise protected systems and move laterally to access sensitive assets or sensitive data. Unlike traditional penetration testing or red teaming, BAS programs can use credentials and internal system knowledge that attackers do not have. In this way, BAS software can simulate both outsider and insider attacks in a process similar to purple teaming.

After completing the simulation, the BAS platform generates a comprehensive vulnerability report that validates a variety of security controls, from firewalls to endpoint security, including:

1. network security controls
2. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
3. Email Security Controls
4. access control measures
5. Vulnerability Management Policy
6. data security controls
7. Incident Response Control

What are the benefits of breach and attack simulation?

There is no intention to replace anything else. cyber security By using protocols, BAS solutions can significantly improve an organization’s security posture. According to Gartner Research Report, BAS can help security teams discover up to 30-50% more vulnerabilities compared to traditional vulnerability assessment tools. Key benefits of breach and attack simulation include:

1. automation: As the ongoing threat of cyberattacks increases every year, security teams are under constant pressure to increase their effectiveness. BAS solutions have the ability to run continuous testing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, on or off-site, without additional staff. BAS can also be used to run tests on demand and provide feedback in real time.
2. accuracy: For all security teams, especially those with limited resources, accurate reporting is critical to efficient resource allocation. Time spent investigating unimportant or falsely identified security incidents is wasted. According to Research from the Ponemon InstituteOrganizations using advanced threat detection tools like BAS saw a 37% reduction in false positive alerts.
3. Actionable Insights: As a security control validation tool, BAS solutions can generate valuable insights that highlight specific vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, as well as contextual mitigation recommendations tailored to an organization’s existing infrastructure. Data-driven prioritization also helps SOC teams address the most critical vulnerabilities first.
4. Improved detection and response: Built on the APT knowledge base such as MITER ATT&CK and Cyber ​​​​Killchain and integrates with other security technologies, e.g. CM, fly), BAS tools can contribute to significantly improving the speed of detection and response to cybersecurity incidents. Research by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) We found that 68% of organizations using BAS and SOAR together experienced improved incident response times. Gartner predicts that by 2025, organizations using SOAR and BAS together will reduce the time it takes to detect and respond to an incident by 50%.

Breach and attack simulation and attack surface management

While it integrates well with many different types of security tools, industry data shows a growing trend to integrate security with breach and attack simulations. Attack Surface Management (ASM) tools in the near future. “Attack surface management and breach and attack simulations allow security defenders to more proactively manage risk,” said Michelle Abraham, director of security and trust research at International Data Corporation.

While vulnerability management and vulnerability scanning tools assess an organization from within, attack surface management is the continuous discovery, analysis, remediation, and monitoring of the cybersecurity vulnerabilities and potential attack vectors that make up an organization. attack surface. Similar to other attack simulation tools, ASM assumes the perspective of an external attacker and evaluates an organization’s external activities.

The accelerating trend of cloud computing, IoT devices, and shadow IT (i.e. unauthorized use of unsecured devices) increases the potential cyber exposure of organizations. ASM solutions examine these attack vectors to find potential vulnerabilities, and BAS solutions integrate that data to better perform attack simulations and security testing to determine the effectiveness of the security controls currently in place.

The overall result is a much clearer understanding of your organization’s defenses, from internal employee perceptions to sophisticated cloud security issues. When knowing is more than half the battle, this critical insight is invaluable to organizations seeking to strengthen their security.

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