External Attack Surface Assessment
An external attack surface assessment is designed to identify and map all internet facing assets that belong to your organisation. It provides a clear understanding of what systems are publicly accessible and whether any of them present a risk to your business. This includes domains, servers, cloud services, applications and any other exposed infrastructure that could be targeted by an attacker.
The assessment helps you see your organisation from an outsider’s point of view and ensures that you are not unknowingly exposing systems or services that should be hidden or better protected.
Why It Matters
Attackers do not always wait for an invitation. They constantly scan the internet for new services, weak points and misconfigurations. If your organisation is exposing resources without knowing it or has systems that are not properly secured those assets could become the entry point for a serious breach.
Changes in cloud environments, staff turnover, legacy systems and third party integrations can all contribute to an expanding and untracked attack surface. Without visibility it is impossible to manage the risks. An external attack surface assessment provides this visibility and gives you a foundation for reducing exposure and strengthening your defences.
Key Benefits
Full Visibility of Exposed Assets
Discover all domains, IP addresses, cloud services and third party platforms that are visible to the public internet.
Reduce the Risk of Unauthorised Access
Identify shadow IT, forgotten infrastructure or misconfigured services that could allow an attacker to gain a foothold.
Improve Security Posture
Helps ensure that systems are securely configured and that unnecessary or risky services are removed or protected.
Support Governance and Compliance
Demonstrates due diligence in managing your organisation’s external footprint in line with standards such as ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials.
Enable Ongoing Monitoring
Sets the groundwork for continuous attack surface management by defining what needs to be watched and protected.
How It Is Carried Out
The assessment begins by identifying all public facing assets associated with your organisation. This includes registered domains, IP ranges, subdomains, cloud resources and any services exposed through third parties. Open source intelligence techniques are used to build a complete picture of your digital footprint.
Each asset is then analysed to understand what services it offers how it behaves and whether it introduces risk. The process includes checking for expired certificates, outdated software, open ports, weak configurations and other issues that could make the system more attractive to attackers.
The assessment is non intrusive and conducted from the public internet so it does not impact your operations. Once complete you will receive a report that outlines all identified assets, highlights risks and provides clear recommendations to reduce your external exposure.
Final Thoughts
An external attack surface assessment gives you control over what the world can see and what attackers might target. It turns assumptions into facts and helps you take action to secure your organisation’s public facing systems before they are exploited.
Whether you are managing cloud services, hosting your own infrastructure or just want to ensure that your digital presence is not leaving you open to risk this assessment is an essential step in any modern security strategy.