External Attack Surface Assessment
We map everything your organisation is unknowingly presenting to the public internet – including shadow IT, forgotten subdomains and misconfigured cloud resources.
Overview
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.
In Summary
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.
Why Organisations Choose This Assessment
What the Assessment Involves
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.
At a Glance
Asset Discovery
Using OSINT to identify all domains, subdomains, IPs and cloud services.
Footprint Mapping
Building a complete map including assets that have drifted out of your inventory.
Risk Analysis
Assessing each asset for expired certs, open ports and outdated software.
Prioritisation
Ranking assets by risk so your team addresses highest-exposure items first.
Reporting
Full asset report with risks and recommended actions. Fully remote.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is an external attack surface assessment?
An external attack surface assessment maps everything your organisation is presenting to the public internet, including assets you may not be aware of. This includes registered domains, subdomains, IP ranges, cloud services, third-party integrations and any other infrastructure that can be reached from outside. The goal is to give you a complete and accurate picture of your digital footprint before an attacker builds it for you.
How is this different from external infrastructure penetration testing?
External infrastructure testing assumes a known scope and goes deep on a defined set of systems. An attack surface assessment is discovery-first: it finds and maps everything before any testing begins. It is often used as a precursor to penetration testing to ensure nothing is missed, or as a standalone engagement for organisations who want visibility over their exposure without active exploitation.
What is shadow IT and why is it a risk?
Shadow IT refers to systems, services or cloud resources that have been deployed without the knowledge or oversight of your IT or security team. This is increasingly common as teams spin up cloud services independently. These assets often lack security controls, are not kept up to date and are not monitored – making them an easy target for attackers.
Can you find assets we don’t know about?
Yes. Using open source intelligence techniques, certificate transparency logs, DNS enumeration and other methods we regularly identify assets that organisations were unaware of, including forgotten subdomains, old cloud resources, development environments and acquired company infrastructure that was never properly decommissioned.