• Why IRONSCALES
    OUR VALUE
    • Protect Better
      Protect Better

      Gain protection against advanced email attacks like BEC, ATO, social engineering, and more

    • Simplify Operations
      Simplify Operations

      Turn hours-a-day to minutes-a-month combatting phishing with customizable security automation

    • Empower Your Org
      Empower Your Org

      Triple your org's email security awareness with real-world phishing simulation testing and training

    CUSTOMERS
    • Customers
      Customers

      Check out the benefits provided to our customers and their stories

    • flag
      Case Studies

      Explore inspiring success stories from our 13,000+ global customers

    • star
      Reviews

      Uncover honest reviews with authentic insights from Gartner, G2, Capterra, and more

    NEWS
    • mic
      Press

      Read our latest press releases, news publications, and media highlights

    • award
      Awards

      Explore our awards and industry recognition achievements

    Thumbnail-google-workspace-and-ironscales-a-complete-email-security-solution
    Press: New Research

    New Osterman study reveals orgs with high confidence still lack capabilities against QR code attacks

    header-card-image-3
    Case Study: Webhelp

    Learn how Webhelp saved over 450 SecOp hours and is protecting 36,000 mailboxes

    header-card-image-1
    Awards: INC. 5000

    IRONSCALES earns 'Fastest Growing Email Security Company' for 3rd straight year

  • Platform
    Spring '24 Software Release! Check out our new deep image-based detection, GWS capabilities, and more. Explore the new additions
    CAPABILITIES
    • Inbound Email Protection
      Inbound Email Protection

      Get Adaptive AI email security against advanced attacks missed by other security controls​

    • Account Takeover Protection
      Account Takeover Protection

      Eliminate the risk of ATO with advanced prevention, detection, and response

    • Image-Based Attack Protection
      Image-Based Attack Protection

      Protect your organization from image-based attacks like malicious QR codes

    • SOC Automation
      SOC Automation

      Put SecOps workloads on auto-pilot with automated email remediation and more

    • Phishing Simulation Testing
      Phishing Simulation Testing

      Send your employees customized simulations built from real-world threats

    • Security Awareness Training
      Security Awareness Training

      Build a security-centric culture with automated personalized awareness campaigns

    • Crowdsourced Threat Intelligence
      Crowdsourced Threat Intelligence

      Leverage insights from 20,000+ security analysts in our community for email remediation

    • Collaboration Tool Protection
      Collaboration Tool Protection

      Protect your collaboration tools including Microsoft Teams® from advanced threats

    Take an Interactive Platform Tour
    TECHNOLOGY
    • Adaptive AI Engine
      Adaptive AI Engine

      Learn how we level up our AI with advanced ML models and Human Insights

    • Human Insights
      Human Insights

      See how we uniquely enhance our adaptive AI with real-time Human Insights

    • Generative AI
      Generative AI

      Discover how we use Gen-AI, large language models, and techniques for email security

    • Ecosystem Integrations
      Ecosystem Integrations

      Maximize your existing security tools with our seamlessly integrated platform

    Take an Interactive Platform Tour
  • Solutions
    Introducing Weekly Demos! Join us for a live walkthrough of our platform and see the difference firsthand. Register Now
    USE CASE
    • BEC & Executive Impersonation
      BEC & Executive Impersonation

      Stop advanced attacks like BEC, VEC, and VIP impersonation

    • Advanced Malware/URL Attacks
      Advanced Malware/URL Attacks

      Continuously protect against malicious links and attachments

    • Credential-Theft
      Credential Harvesting

      Block attackers from stealing your sensitive business data

    • Account Takeover Attacks
      Account Takeover Attacks

      Prevent, detect, and respond to ATO attacks in real time

    • QR Code Attacks
      QR Code Attacks

      Decipher image-based attacks from weaponized QR codes

    • Generative AI Attacks
      Generative AI Attacks

      Safeguard your organization against GPT-crafted attacks

    • Phishing Simulation Testing
      Phishing Simulation Testing

      Test your employees with real-world email attacks

    • Security Awareness Training
      Security Awareness Training

      Build a security-first organization with integrated SAT campaigns

    Get A FREE Email Health Scan
  • Learn
    New Report! Osterman Research releases their 2024 findings on Image-based/QR Code Attacks. Read the report
    LEARN
    • Blog
      Blog

      Stay informed with our insights and updates

    • Guides
      Guides

      Explore our multi-chapter email security guides

    • bookmark
      Glossary

      Decode cybersecurity jargon with our glossary​

    • Resource Library
      Resource Library

      Rich content hub including whitepapers, reports, and more

    • Get Started
      Get Started

      Get started today with a 14-day free trial

    • Platform Tour
      Platform Tour

      Navigate our platform directly with an interactive guided tour

    • Engineering Corner
      Engineering Corner

      Explore articles and lessons from our R&D team members​

    CONNECT
    • Events
      Events

      View our upcoming in-person and virtual events

    • LinkedIn_icon-vector
      LinkedIn

      Join the evolving email security discourse with us on LinkedIn

    • Newsletter
      Newsletter

      Join our LinkedIn newsletter for security news and best practices

    See all resources
    FEATURED
    Email Security in the Age of AI
    Email Security in the Age of AI

    Understand the role of AI in fortifying defenses against evolving threats.

    QR Code Phishing
    QR Code Phishing

    QR codes serve as a new bypass method to evade detection.

    The ABCs of MFA
    The ABCs of MFA

    MFA is your digital doorman that keeps the malicious actors at bay.

    Phishing Prevention
    Phishing Prevention

    Dive into our complete 13-chapter guide on phishing prevention best practices

    Spear Phishing Thumbnail
    Spear Phishing

    Understand the inner workings of highly specialized phishing tactics and how to stop them

    Voice Phishing
    Voice Phishing

    See how attackers leverage new methods and channels to defraud businesses

  • Partner
    BY TYPE
    • Resellers
      Resellers

      Elevate your business with exclusive reselling opportunities

    • MSPs / MSSPs
      MSPs / MSSPs

      Unlock powerful email security capabilities for your end clients

    • Technology Partners
      Technology Partners

      View our industry-leading technology partners

    ENGAGE
    • Become Partner
      Become Partner

      Apply to become an IRONSCALES partner today

    • Partner Portal
      Partner Portal

      Check out valuable tools and resources for partners

    Become a Partner

    Partner with IRONSCALES Today
  • Pricing
  • headset_icon user Get a Demo
headset_icon user Get a Demo

What is Threat Exposure Management?

Threat Exposure Management involves implementing a systematic program to continually evaluate and address the accessibility, exposure, and exploitability of an organization's digital and physical assets, enabling proactive risk mitigation and aligning security controls with business objectives. It encompasses processes, capabilities, and components such as external attack surface management, risk-based vulnerability management, and threat intelligence platforms to enhance visibility, prioritize remediation efforts, and improve overall security resilience.

Threat Exposure Management Explained

Threat Exposure Management (TEM) is a comprehensive and strategic approach to managing the increasing risks and vulnerabilities faced by organizations in the modern threat landscape. It encompasses a set of processes, methodologies, and capabilities that enable enterprises to continually assess, evaluate, and mitigate the accessibility, exposure, and exploitability of their digital and physical assets. By implementing a TEM program, organizations can proactively identify and address security risks, align security controls with business objectives, and enhance their overall resilience against cyber threats.

The Five Stages of a TEM Program

A TEM program is structured around five cyclic stages, each contributing to the continuous improvement of an organization's security posture:

  1. Scoping: In this initial stage, security teams collaborate with stakeholders to define the scope of the TEM program. The focus is on identifying and understanding the organization's entire attack surface, including internal and external factors such as vulnerability management, digital risk, supply chain, cloud infrastructure, and the deep and dark web.

  2. Discovery: The discovery phase involves inventorying assets and assessing risk profiles based on the established scope. Security teams map out assets, vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, technology dependencies, and associated risks. This step provides a foundational understanding of the organization's security landscape.

  3. Prioritization: During this stage, security teams prioritize threats based on their likelihood of exploitation and the potential impact on the organization. Rather than solely relying on severity scores, factors such as exploitability, existing security controls, network topology, risk appetite, and overall enterprise risk are taken into account. This enables a more targeted and efficient allocation of resources.

  4. Validation: The validation stage involves assessing the exposure to threats by conducting controlled simulated or emulated attacks. Security teams test different attack scenarios, including initial footholds, attack paths, and lateral movements, to validate the effectiveness of existing security controls, incident response capabilities, and remediation processes.

  5. Mobilization: In the final stage, the focus is on operationalizing the findings and integrating them into established processes. The goal is to build a defined workflow that enables efficient and frictionless collaboration among various stakeholders. This stage often involves leveraging security automation and IT process automation to streamline remediation efforts and maximize efficiency.

The overarching goal of a TEM program is to establish mature and strategic security controls aligned with the organization's risk appetite and business objectives. By continuously minimizing risk, improving resilience, and fostering collaboration, organizations can effectively address the evolving threat landscape.

Key Components of a Threat Exposure Management Program

A comprehensive Threat Exposure Management program typically incorporates the following key components:

  • External Attack Surface Management (EASM): EASM focuses on continuous discovery, inventorying, classification, prioritization, and monitoring of an organization's attack surface from an external attacker's perspective. It involves leveraging Attack Surface Management (ASM) platforms to identify internet and attacker-exposed IT assets, detect unexpected changes or vulnerabilities, and prioritize patching efforts efficiently.

  • Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM): CAASM expands beyond traditional asset management by aggregating multiple sources of visibility, including EASM, traditional asset management systems, cloud providers, and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions. By consolidating various sources of visibility into a single repository, CAASM provides a unified view of an organization's attack surface, enhancing the foundation of security programs.

  • Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (RBVM): RBVM builds upon traditional vulnerability management practices by leveraging a broader range of inputs to assess the real-world risk posed by vulnerabilities. It helps security teams prioritize remediation efforts based on factors such as exploitability, potential impact, threat intelligence, and business context, allowing for a more effective allocation of resources.

  • Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP): TIPs provide security teams with contextual information about the latest tools, techniques, and procedures employed by threat actors. These platforms automatically collect, reconcile, and organize threat intelligence from various sources, such as dark web monitoring, to enhance detection and response capabilities, prioritize vulnerabilities, and strengthen overall threat modeling efforts.

  • Penetration Testing: Penetration testing involves simulated attacks that target an organization's perimeter to identify potential vulnerabilities and entry points. While it doesn't explore paths through the network, pen testing helps uncover specific areas that can be easily breached. It is typically conducted by external teams and helps organizations identify and address security weaknesses, although it may not provide insights into deeper network vulnerabilities.

  • Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS): BAS solutions simulate real-world attacks against an organization's cybersecurity infrastructure to evaluate the effectiveness of security controls and incident response capabilities. By conducting predefined sets of operations, BAS helps identify gaps in the security program, enabling organizations to strengthen their defenses and enhance overall resilience.

  • Security Rating Services (SRS): SRS provides a rating or scorecard-like assessment of an organization's security posture based on publicly available information. While offering concrete severity scores, SRS provides rudimentary data and limited insights on actionable steps to secure the system. It serves as a basic risk assessment tool but should be complemented by more comprehensive TEM components.

These components work synergistically within a TEM program to provide organizations with enhanced visibility, improved risk management, and a proactive approach to addressing security threats. By adopting a comprehensive and strategic TEM solution, organizations can better protect their digital assets and minimize the impact of potential cyber attacks.

Platform-tour-glossary-side-panel-square
Explore Our Platform Tour

Immediately jump into an interactive journey through our AI email security platform.
Begin Tour

Featured Content

AI in Email Security

This comprehensive Osterman Research study explores the evolving landscape of AI-driven threats and innovative solutions implemented to stay ahead.

Download Report

Gartner® Email Security Market Guide

This guide gives email security experts an exclusive access to Gartner® research to ensure their existing solution remains appropriate for the evolving landscape.

Get The Gartner Guide

Defending the Enterprise from BEC

Data shows organizations deploy defense-in-depth approaches ineffective at addressing BEC attacks. Discover truly effective strategies in this report.

Download Report
Schedule a Demo

Request a demo to see what IRONSCALES AI-powered email security can do for you.
Get a Demo