Strengthening Construction Companies’ Security with Impress Computers: The Vital Role of Password Security and External Attack Surface Management

In today’s digital age, relying solely on traditional password security measures is no longer enough to safeguard construction companies against credential-based attacks. To effectively protect your organization, it’s crucial to secure the basics first. Securing your Active Directory is akin to ensuring your construction site has a secure perimeter before installing advanced security systems. Once the fundamentals are in place, integrating external attack surface management (EASM) can significantly bolster your password security, providing a robust shield against potential cyber threats and breaches.

Securing Your Active Directory

At Impress Computers, we emphasize the importance of not just meeting the minimum password policy standards but exceeding them. IT administrators should enforce policies that prevent users from creating weak passwords and use tools to detect and block compromised passwords. Solutions like Specops Password Policy, which we recommend, enforce strong password practices and identify vulnerabilities related to password use. This proactive approach is essential for defending against credential-based attacks and minimizing risks such as password reuse. Once these foundational elements are secure, EASM tools can further enhance your security posture.

What is EASM and How Does It Work?

EASM solutions begin by identifying and cataloging all of a construction company’s publicly accessible digital assets, including both known and unknown assets. The EASM tool then scans these assets for vulnerabilities, checking configurations and identifying potential security risks. It prioritizes these vulnerabilities based on their severity and the specific context of the organization, helping IT teams focus on the most critical issues first.

EASM provides actionable recommendations for mitigating or correcting these vulnerabilities. This continuous monitoring and real-time feedback mechanism helps IT professionals maintain a secure and robust public-facing digital infrastructure.

How EASM Augments Password Security

For IT administrators in the construction industry looking to enhance their password security strategy, incorporating an EASM solution is a wise choice. EASM can proactively monitor for leaked credentials, detect compromised accounts, and provide real-time alerts and notifications. This capability aids in investigating the sources of breaches, understanding the context of leaked credentials, and identifying risky users who may need additional training.

Furthermore, EASM assigns risk scores to leaked credentials, allowing construction companies to prioritize their response and address the most critical leaks first. This comprehensive approach helps mitigate the risks associated with credential leaks and strengthens your overall cybersecurity defenses in several ways.

  • Vulnerability Detection and Recommendations: EASM continuously monitors and assesses a company’s publicly accessible digital assets to detect weak passwords, unencrypted passwords, and other password-related security flaws. Upon identifying vulnerabilities, EASM offers recommendations on how to address or mitigate these issues.
  • Dark Web Monitoring: EASM integrates with Threat Intelligence sources to monitor the dark web for leaked credentials. This helps identify if any construction company credentials have been compromised and are available for purchase on underground forums.
  • Adding Contextual Information: It provides contextual information about the origin and impact of credential leaks, which helps in understanding how the breach occurred and the potential risks associated with it. This information aids IT teams in thinking about future breach sources instead of just addressing existing leaks.
  • Identifying Risky Users: EASM identifies users whose credentials are at risk or have been compromised, allowing IT teams to take specific actions such as enforcing password resets or enhancing monitoring on those accounts. It also helps identify end-users who need more training in password security.
  • Risk Scoring: It assigns risk scores to leaked or compromised credentials, helping prioritize response efforts based on the severity and potential impact of the leak. This is particularly useful in large construction firms with extensive remediation lists.
  • Real-Time Alerts and Remediation: EASM offers real-time alerts and remediation actions, allowing construction companies to quickly respond to identified issues. This proactive approach is critical for maintaining a secure IT environment.

Augmenting Password Security with EASM

Construction companies can effectively combine a solution such as Specops Password Policy with an EASM tool to enhance their security measures. Specops Password Policy ensures the enforcement of strong password requirements and continuously checks a construction company’s Active Directory for compromised passwords, minimizing the risk of credential-based attacks.

By actively monitoring your company’s publicly accessible digital assets for vulnerabilities, identifying credential leak sources, and receiving real-time alerts with tools like Outpost24’s EASM solution, you can integrate password security management and EASM to achieve robust protection against credential-based attacks. This integration not only provides continuous monitoring but also offers proactive measures against credential leaks, ensuring a comprehensive approach to securing both the internal and external aspects of your company’s IT infrastructure.

Mapping Your Attack Surface

By understanding and implementing EASM strategies, construction companies can fortify their defenses and ensure their sensitive information remains protected in an increasingly vulnerable digital landscape. See how you can strengthen your organization’s password security posture and bolster your defenses with the help of Impress Computers. Get a free attack surface analysis with actionable insights today.

This combination with your existing password policies will provide you with the tools necessary for a more secure and resilient IT environment.

 

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