Digital Asset Discovery plays a critical role in modern third-party cyber risk management. As cyber threats evolve, understanding the digital footprint of vendors and partners becomes essential. Following a simple onboarding process, Sling conducts an extensive Discovery process. This step lets organizations quickly gain insights into their potential gateways, viewing their digital network from the attackers’ perspective.
By efficiently uncovering hidden or forgotten digital assets, Sling helps businesses proactively mitigate risks, secure their supply chain, and prioritize their cybersecurity efforts effectively. The result is a stronger, more resilient third-party ecosystem.
What is Digital Asset Discovery?
Digital Asset Discovery is the process of exploring, identifying, and mapping all digital assets associated with an organization. These assets include domains, subdomains, IP addresses, and other online resources that form the organization’s digital environment.
This process is critical for several reasons:
- Visibility: It provides a clear understanding of an organization’s attack surface.
- Risk Identification: Helps uncover vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.
- Prioritization: Enables targeted remediation efforts to address the most critical risks first.
Organizations face unique challenges during asset discovery, including the proliferation of shadow IT, neglected, and undocumented assets, and dynamic IT environments. Without a thorough discovery process, these overlooked areas can expose businesses to significant risks.
Sling’s approach to Digital Asset Discovery ensures comprehensive visibility and protection by systematically uncovering all connected assets, both known and unknown. This capability is key to proactively managing cyber threats and securing the extended digital footprint of third-party vendors.
Digital Asset Discovery in Sling’s Assessment Process
Sling’s Digital Asset Discovery is an integral part of its third-party risk assessment process. It follows a streamlined onboarding phase where the assessed entity provides only one primary domain. This minimal input serves as the starting point for comprehensive network mapping.
The process is divided into two main methodologies:
Step 1: Horizontal Discovery
- It focuses on identifying all of the domains belonging to the assessed entity..
- Among other techniques, Sling utilizes:
- WHOIS Records: Extracts domain ownership and registration details.
- SSL Certificates: Maps assets tied to the organization’s SSL registrations.
- Provides an initial map of directly related digital assets.
Step 2: Vertical Discovery
- Expands the scope to uncover deeper layers of the organization’s digital presence.
- Includes two key actions:
- Subdomain Collection: Identifies all subdomains associated with the root domains.
- IP Resolution: Maps domains and related subdomains to their resolving IP addresses, identifying potential interconnections and vulnerabilities.
By combining these steps, Sling ensures no asset is overlooked, providing a holistic view of the digital landscape.
The Role of Digital Asset Discovery in Third-Party Risk Management
Digital Asset Discovery is a foundation of effective third-party risk management, as it provides essential insights into the cyber risk profile of vendors and partners. Its significance includes:
- Mapping Vendor Footprints: By analyzing their digital assets, organizations can identify potential vulnerabilities that may impact their security.
- Identifying Hidden Risks: Many third-party risks arise from unknown or unmanaged assets. Discovery helps to uncover these gaps.
- Strengthening the Supply Chain: A thorough understanding of third-party attack surfaces helps organizations build stronger, more secure partnerships.
Without a complete asset discovery, businesses risk blind spots that attackers could exploit. Sling’s advanced methodologies ensure organizations can proactively address these risks, reducing exposure and enhancing overall resilience.
How Sling Stands Out
Sling’s Digital Asset Discovery process is distinguished by its innovative methodologies and proprietary technologies, ensuring accurate and actionable insights for its clients. Key aspects include:
- Ongoing Verification: Ensures real-time monitoring and updates of digital assets, automatically reflecting changes like domain creation, removal, or cancellation to maintain the most accurate and current network mapping.
- Attacker’s View: Provides a graphical visualization of the network, simulating how attackers perceive and target vulnerabilities.
- Ease of Use: The onboarding process requires minimal input, just one primary domain, making it accessible and user-friendly for organizations of all sizes.
Digital Asset Discovery is a pivotal step in securing third-party ecosystems, providing organizations with the tools to effectively identify and mitigate cyber risks. By focusing on horizontal and vertical discovery, Sling ensures that no asset is overlooked, offering a thorough view of vendors’ digital footprints.
Sling’s innovative approach to Digital Asset Discovery, combined with its ease of use and actionable intelligence, makes it a trusted partner for businesses aiming to strengthen their supply chain security. Organizations that invest in reliable discovery processes gain a significant edge in managing third-party risks, enhancing their resilience against evolving cyber threats.