Glossary definition: Attack Surface

Securing Your Attack Surface: How to Reduce Risk

Attack Surface is the total sum of potential points of attack in a system, network, or application. It is the combination of hardware, software, and network configurations that can be targeted by an attacker. It includes all the services, ports, protocols, user interfaces, authentication mechanisms, and other components that are exposed to the outside world. Attack Surface can also be defined as the sum of all the vulnerabilities that exist in a system, network, or application. A large attack surface can increase the chances of a successful attack, as it provides more potential points of entry for an attacker. Therefore, reducing the attack surface of a system or application is an important part of any security strategy.