This blog discusses essential questions that organizations should consider when evaluating potential EASM vendors, focusing on features, support, and integration capabilities.

External Attack Surface Management (EASM) is a critical component in identifying and mitigating potential vulnerabilities. However, with numerous vendors offering EASM solutions, how can you be sure you’re making the right choice? To help you navigate this decision, we’ve compiled a list of key questions to ask potential EASM vendors when selecting a solution.

>>Click Here To See The Key Capability Matrix for Evaluating External Attack Surface Management EASM Vendors

1. What Coverage Do Your Asset Discovery Features Provide?

Understanding the extent of your attack surface starts with knowing what assets are present. Ask potential vendors about the breadth of their asset discovery features.

• What types of assets do you cover (e.g., servers, cloud services, IoT devices)?
• How frequently is the asset database updated?
• Can your solution discover both on-premises and cloud-based assets?

A comprehensive asset discovery is foundational for any EASM strategy.

2. Do You Conduct Vulnerability Assessments On Discovered Assets?

Vulnerability assessment is one of the core capabilities of an EASM solution. Understanding how a vendor conducts these assessments is essential.

• Do you do vulnerability scanning and assessment of discovered assets to identify security weaknesses and misconfigurations?
• Do you provide custom scanning options?

Inquire about the reliability and accuracy of their scanning to gauge their ability to identify weaknesses in your environment effectively.

3. Do You Prioritize The Risks Discovered Based on Their Severity & Impact?

Many EASM tools give too many alerts, but not all vulnerabilities pose the same level of risk. It’s crucial to know how vendors prioritize vulnerabilities based on potential impact and exploitability.

• Do you prioritize risks based on their severity?
• Do you prioritize risks based on their Impact and exploitability?
• Do you provide actionable insights or the logic for prioritization?

A solid risk assessment framework ensures that the most critical vulnerabilities are addressed first.

4. How Do You Deal With False Positives & False Negatives?

False positives can cause alert fatigue and missed critical threats. Many EASM platforms need significant manual effort to remove false positives, which increases the Total Cost Of Ownership. Knowing how the vendor deals with false positives and negatives can influence your decision. A combination of passive recon and active recon can significantly reduce false positives and false negatives.

• Do you have passive recon and active recon?
• Do you create contextual attribution to create a detailed graph of entities and relationships?
• Do you validate discovered risks to reduce false positives?

Choosing a vendor that provides passive and active recon, along with validation of discovered risks, can improve the overall effectiveness of the EASM solution.

5. Do You Have Continuous Attack Surface Monitoring Capabilities?

Continuous monitoring is vital to maintaining a secure attack surface. Ask vendors about their monitoring features and how they handle notifications for newly discovered vulnerabilities.

• How frequently do you monitor the attack surface for changes?
• Do you show the delta changes for a day, month or a specific amount of time in history?
• What types of alerts do you provide?

Real-time monitoring and effective alerting can drastically reduce response times to emerging threats.

6. Does Your Product Provide Remediation Guidance?

Identifying vulnerabilities is just the first step; mitigating them is where the real work begins. Understanding the vendor's approach to remediation guidance is paramount.

• Do you provide detailed remediation steps for discovered vulnerabilities?

A vendor that offers actionable remediation guidance significantly enhances your organization's security posture.

7. Do You Have Reporting and Analytics Capabilities For The Overall Risk Posture?

Reporting and analytics are critical for understanding your overall security posture and making informed decisions.

• What types of reports can your solution generate?
• Can reports be customized to fit our specific needs?
• Do you offer visual analytics or dashboards for a quick overview of our overall risk posture?

At a glance, you should be able to obtain insights that are easy to understand and actionable.

8. Can The Product Integrate With Third Party Tools To Create Automatic Incident Tickets?

An EASM solution should fit seamlessly into your existing cybersecurity infrastructure. Understanding integration capabilities is vital.

• What third-party tools can your EASM solution integrate with?
• Do you support automated ticket creation in incident management systems?

A cohesive ecosystem enhances overall cybersecurity effectiveness.

9. Do You Have Managed Services For Setup & Help?

Comprehensive support for set up and training are essential components of a successful EASM implementation. Knowing what the vendor offers in this regard can influence your decision.

• Do you have a team to support or help in setup?
• Do you offer ongoing support and how can we access it?

Choosing a vendor that provides robust support and training can ease the adoption process and improve the overall effectiveness of the solution.

10. What is the Pricing Model?

Remember That The Total Cost Of Ownership (TCO) Can Significantly Increase With Things Like Removing False Positives Or Buying Managed Services For Setup.

Finally, understanding the vendor's pricing model is essential for budget planning.

• What are the costs associated with your solution, including any hidden fees?
• Do you offer different pricing tiers based on features or usage?
• What is your policy on contract length and renewal?

Being clear about costs upfront helps avoid budgeting surprises down the line.

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Conclusion

Selecting the right EASM vendor is a significant step in your organization's cybersecurity journey. By asking these key questions, you can ensure that you're choosing a solution that meets your needs, fits your budget, and ultimately strengthens your security posture against evolving threats. Remember, a well-informed decision can make all the difference in safeguarding your organization's critical assets.