What is Attack Path Analysis?

Attack path analysis is a cybersecurity technique that helps cyber defenders and security stakeholders identify and map potential routes that threat actors could take as they try to exploit vulnerabilities and enter computer systems or networks. 

Effective attack path analysis starts with a systematic review of the components, connections, and interactions within a given system, with the object of mapping potential sequences of actions that an attacker might employ. By reproducing these pathways, defenders can assess the potential impact and risk of multiple attack scenarios, and ultimately more effectively prioritize their mitigation efforts.

Factoring in network topology, access controls, software configurations, user privileges and more, attack path analysis enables organizations to pinpoint critical choke points or attack vectors where attackers are more likely to strike, and which require better protection. 

Leveraging attack path analysis, attack path management can reveal the weak links in a given system, enabling proactive mitigation efforts that dramatically strengthen overall security posture. Once security stakeholders can grasp the bigger picture of potential cyber threats, they can make more informed decisions about security investments, which translates into more targeted cybersecurity across the entire organizational attack surface.

What’s the difference between attack paths, attack vectors and the attack surface?

To understand attack path analysis, it’s crucial to understand its root – attack paths. Although other terms sound similar to “attack path,” and there is some functional overlap, it’s important to highlight the difference between attack paths, attack vectors and an attack surface: 

• Attack vector – Any organization has multiple attack vectors – digital entry points attackers can use to enter a system. For example, three common malware attack vectors would be trojan horses, viruses, and worms. Other types of vectors include compromised credentials, ransomware, phishing, and cloud misconfigurations.
• Attack surface – An organization’s attack surface is the sum of its attack vectors, on-prem and in the cloud. Whereas individual attack vectors are threats, the combination of all these threats creates a larger vulnerability with potentially higher, even existential stakes. 
• Attack path – An attack path is a journey – the digital road an attacker could or did take to access sensitive data or breach a system. It is a sequence of steps or vulnerabilities that an attacker exploits to compromise a target, delineating the route attackers take to achieve unauthorized access, steal data or manipulate systems.

Types of attack path analysis

Attack path analysis comprises numerous techniques to effectively identify and analyze potential attack paths. Utilizing either automated tools and algorithms that simulate attacks and map out an attacker’s pathways, or manual reviews and analysis of system components, configurations, and interactions to identify potential attack paths – attack path analysis techniques deliver a comprehensive understanding of potential threats and vulnerabilities. Some of the key attack path analysis methodologies include:

1. Threat Modeling – Threat modeling analyzes attack paths by considering potential attack vectors, entry points, and the most logical progression of an attacker into a given system.
2. Penetration Testing – Penetration testing simulates real-world attacks to identify vulnerabilities and potential attack paths using testers or automated testing systems that attempt to exploit weaknesses in a system.
3. Vulnerability Analysis – This method zeroes in on vulnerabilities within a system to better understand weaknesses and analyze possible ways an attacker could exploit them to progress through the system.
4. Attack Graph Generation – This method creates visual representations of potential attack paths and the relationships between vulnerabilities and system assets, with the aim of better understanding the complexity of attack vectors.
5. Red Team Exercises – A Red Team is a dedicated team of ethical hackers that attempts to breach a system’s defenses using various attack vectors to help organizations understand weaknesses and improve incident response.
6. Static Analysis – This method uses static analysis of software code and configurations to identify vulnerabilities and potential attack paths.
7. Dynamic Analysis – Dynamic analysis actually monitors the behavior of a system at runtime to locate potential attack paths and vulnerabilities.

Benefits of conducting attack path analysis

Attack path analysis is a proactive and strategic approach to cybersecurity that offers many benefits for organizations, notably:

• Pinpoint and mitigate weaknesses – Attack path analysis identifies vulnerabilities and weaknesses in organizational systems, allowing more focused and effective mitigation and remediation efforts – prioritizing only the most critical vulnerabilities and pathways that pose the highest risk.
• Better incident response – Attack path analysis assists security teams in developing effective incident response plans – anticipating possible attack scenarios and outlining actions to take in the event a breach occurs.
• Tighter compliance – Existing and emerging regulatory regimes mandate a thorough understanding of security risks, and attack path analysis delivers the insights necessary to demonstrate such knowledge to both regulators and the public.
• Enhanced Third-Party Risk Management – Attack path analysis helps organizations mitigate supply chain risk by evaluating the security posture of their vendors and third-party services, ensuring they don’t pose a risk to the organization.
• Improved security architecture – The insights gained from attack path analysis can be leveraged to redesign or reconfigure security architecture to make it more resilient to attacks.
• Improved security awareness – Attack path analysis fosters a culture of cyber vigilance and promotes security best practices throughout the organization.
• More cost-effective planning – Using the results of attack path analysis, organizations are better able to allocate resources while lowering the likelihood of expensive breaches.

Top attack path analysis use cases

Attack path analysis can be an invaluable resource for identifying potential routes that attackers could take to compromise a network or system. Attack path analysis helps organizations understand their potential security weaknesses in numerous use cases, including:

1. Vulnerability assessment – Finding weak points in network topology or infrastructure that hackers could exploit
2. Compliance auditing – Substantiating compliance with relevant regulatory mandates by demonstrably detecting and mitigating potential attack paths
3. Penetration testing – Simulates real-world attacks to check an organization’s defenses and identify potentially successful attack paths.
4. Risk assessment – Gauging the impact of potential attacks and evaluating risk to understand which vulnerabilities are most critical
5. Incident response – Forensic investigation of the pathways attackers used during a given security incident, to help craft effective mitigation strategies
6. Policy validation – Making sure that security policies and access controls are effective by scrutinizing the paths that attackers might use to bypass them
7. Network segmentation – Validating organizational strategies for segmentation of the network which prevents lateral movement by threat actors
8. Security training – Reinforcing and augmenting security awareness and cyber training by highlighting potential attack paths to employees
9. Third-party risk assessment – Evaluating risk from external vendors and closely integrated partners

Attack path analysis: mission critical for cyber defenders

Using techniques like threat modeling, penetration testing, vulnerability analysis and others, cyber professionals can leverage attack path analysis to accurately map the routes attackers could potentially use to exploit vulnerabilities and infiltrate systems. Attack path analysis is a crucial strategic weapon in the battle for cybersecurity. By unveiling the hidden trails of intrusion, it equips defenders with the power to dissect vulnerabilities and clearly envision attacker journeys – making the digital realm safer and more productive.