Unit 42 Attack Surface Threat Report: Lessons in Attack Surface Risk

Organizations are accelerating the modernization of their network architectures, driven by the adoption of new security models, cloud computing, SaaS, and the need to support distributed workforces. This rapid evolution has introduced complexity into security efforts that were already stretched thin by significantly expanding known and unknown IT infrastructure. Assets made public-facing, intentionally or not, stand out to malicious actors like prey in the open desert. 

A critical challenge remains: keeping track of and protecting all assets, as many companies and government agencies struggle to inventory their holdings and identify the most vulnerable services.

According to the 2024 Unit 42 Incident Response Report, in the past year, attackers’ initial access most often started with a software vulnerability. The largest attack campaigns began with the successful exploitation of internet-facing systems. So, to better understand these challenges, Unit 42^® conducted a comprehensive analysis of public internet data, leveraging Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse^®. This report distills insights from several petabytes of data collected in 2023 to provide security leaders with a clear picture of the evolving global attack surface and what risks to look for in their environment.