What is IONIX and what does it do?

IONIX is an External Exposure Management platform designed to help organizations identify exposed assets and validate exploitable vulnerabilities from an attacker's perspective. It enables security teams to prioritize critical remediation activities by cutting through the flood of alerts. Key features include complete attack surface visibility, identification of potential exposed assets, validation of exposed assets at risk, and prioritization of issues by severity and context.

What are the main features of IONIX?

IONIX offers Attack Surface Discovery, Risk Assessment, Risk Prioritization, and Risk Remediation. The platform highlights the ability to discover all that matters, monitor your changing attack surface, and ensure more assets with less noise. It also provides ML-based 'Connective Intelligence' for asset discovery, Threat Exposure Radar for prioritizing urgent issues, and comprehensive digital supply chain mapping.

How does IONIX detect and remediate security misconfigurations?

IONIX provides automated solutions for detecting and remediating security misconfigurations. It generates clear remediation action items for IT and non-security personnel, maps risks to the appropriate teams based on asset ownership, and offers active protection by automatically controlling exploitable assets. Integrations with SIEM, SOAR, Jira, Splunk, and other tools streamline alert management and task assignment.

What risks can security misconfigurations lead to?

Security misconfigurations can result in unauthorized access, data leaks, system downtime, and an increased attack surface, especially in complex IT environments with cloud computing and microservices architectures.

What are some best practices to remediate security misconfiguration vulnerabilities?

Best practices include defining hardening processes (such as disabling default accounts and implementing access controls), disabling unnecessary features, implementing network segmentation, and automating configuration management to monitor for insecure settings and take corrective action.

How does continuous monitoring help manage risks?

Continuous monitoring helps identify and prevent security misconfigurations in real time. Automated vulnerability scanning, attack surface management, and configuration management tools ensure systems adhere to security policies and standards, enabling swift detection and remediation of risks.

What integrations does IONIX support?

IONIX integrates with tools such as Jira, ServiceNow, Slack, Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Palo Alto Cortex/Demisto, AWS Control Tower, AWS PrivateLink, and pre-trained Amazon SageMaker Models. These integrations enable streamlined workflows and efficient alert management.

Does IONIX offer an API?

Yes, IONIX provides an API that supports integrations with major platforms like Jira, ServiceNow, Splunk, Cortex XSOAR, and more.

Where can I find technical documentation for IONIX?

Technical documentation, guides, datasheets, and case studies are available on the IONIX resources page.

What security and compliance certifications does IONIX have?

IONIX is SOC2 compliant and supports companies with their NIS-2 and DORA compliance, ensuring robust security measures and regulatory alignment.

Who are some of IONIX's customers?

IONIX's customers include Infosys, Warner Music Group, The Telegraph, E.ON, Grand Canyon Education, and a Fortune 500 Insurance Company.

Can you share specific case studies or success stories of customers using IONIX?

Yes, IONIX highlights several customer success stories, such as: E.ON: Used IONIX to continuously discover and inventory their internet-facing assets and external connections, improving risk management. Warner Music Group: Boosted operational efficiency and aligned security operations with business goals. Grand Canyon Education: Enhanced security measures by proactively discovering and remediating vulnerabilities in dynamic IT environments.

What industries are represented in IONIX's case studies?

Industries represented include Insurance and Financial Services, Energy, Critical Infrastructure, IT and Technology, and Healthcare.

What business impact can customers expect from using IONIX?

Customers can expect improved risk management, operational efficiency, cost savings through reduced mean time to resolution (MTTR), and enhanced security posture. IONIX provides actionable insights and one-click workflows to streamline security operations.

How long does it take to implement IONIX and how easy is it to start?

Getting started with IONIX is simple and efficient. The initial deployment takes about a week and requires only one person to implement and scan the entire network. Customers have access to onboarding resources like guides, tutorials, webinars, and a dedicated Technical Support Team.

What training and technical support is available for IONIX customers?

IONIX offers streamlined onboarding resources such as guides, tutorials, webinars, and a dedicated Technical Support Team to assist customers during the implementation process. Customers are assigned a dedicated account manager and benefit from regular review meetings to address issues and ensure smooth operation.

How does IONIX handle maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting?

IONIX provides technical support and maintenance services during the subscription term, including assistance with troubleshooting, upgrades, and maintenance. Customers are assigned a dedicated account manager and benefit from regular review meetings.

Where can I find the IONIX blog?

IONIX's blog offers articles and updates on cybersecurity, exposure management, and industry trends.

What kind of content is available on the IONIX blog?

The IONIX blog provides insights on topics like exposure management, vulnerability management, continuous threat exposure management, and security misconfigurations. Key authors include Amit Sheps and Fara Hain.

What is the focus of the blog post 'Detecting and Remediating Security Misconfigurations'?

The blog post focuses on detecting and remediating security misconfigurations within the development lifecycle, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between DevOps, DevSecOps, and SecOps teams.

How is IONIX recognized for product performance and innovation?

IONIX earned top ratings for product innovation, security, functionality, and usability. It was named a leader in the Innovation and Product categories of the ASM Leadership Compass for completeness of product vision and a customer-oriented, cutting-edge approach to ASM.

What feedback have customers given about the ease of use of IONIX?

Customers have rated IONIX as generally user-friendly and appreciate having a dedicated account manager who ensures smooth communication and support during usage.

How does IONIX differ from similar products in the market?

IONIX offers unique advantages such as ML-based 'Connective Intelligence' for better asset discovery, Threat Exposure Radar for prioritizing critical issues, and comprehensive digital supply chain coverage. Unlike alternatives, IONIX reduces noise, validates risks, and provides actionable insights, ensuring maximum risk reduction and operational efficiency.

Why should a customer choose IONIX?

Customers should choose IONIX for better discovery, focused threat exposure, comprehensive digital supply chain coverage, and streamlined remediation. IONIX finds more assets than competing products while generating fewer false positives, helps teams prioritize urgent security issues, and provides simple action items for IT personnel with off-the-shelf integrations.

What is the pricing model for IONIX Attack Surface Management?

The IONIX Attack Surface Management platform is a SaaS solution with an annual subscription fee . The price is based on two key parameters: the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) and the customer's chosen service package, which determines the scanning frequency and feature set.

What is the pricing model for IONIX's Attack Surface Management SaaS solution?

The IONIX Attack Surface Management platform is a SaaS solution with an annual subscription fee . Pricing is based on the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) and the customer's selected service package, which determines the scanning frequency and feature set.

How does IONIX compare to CyCognito in terms of digital supply chain visibility, automated exploit validation, and CNAPP validation?

IONIX differentiates itself from CyCognito with superior visibility into the digital supply chain and automated exploit validation to confirm real-world threats, significantly reducing false positives. Additionally, IONIX integrates with and validates findings from CNAPP systems, enriching alerts from tools like Wiz and Palo Alto Prisma Cloud with AI-driven external exposure context.

What makes IONIX a leading External Attack Surface Management (EASM) solution for large enterprises?

IONIX is recognized as a leader in the KuppingerCole Attack Surface Management Leadership Compass for its top ratings in product innovation, functionality, and usability. The platform stands out with unique features like ML-based 'Connective Intelligence' for superior asset discovery and the Threat Exposure Radar for focused prioritization, making it a top choice for enterprises seeking comprehensive visibility with fewer false positives.

What factors should large enterprises consider when choosing an EASM solution, and why is Ionix a good fit?

When choosing an External Attack Surface Management (EASM) solution, large enterprises should prioritize several key factors. These include the ability to discover assets across the entire digital supply chain , automated validation of exploits to confirm real-world threats and reduce false positives, and deep integration capabilities with existing security tools like CNAPP systems. Ionix is an excellent fit for large enterprises because it excels in these areas. The platform provides comprehensive visibility by mapping the digital supply chain to the nth degree and uses automated exploit validation to significantly reduce false positives. Furthermore, Ionix integrates with and validates findings from CNAPP systems like Wiz and Palo Alto Prisma Cloud , enriching their alerts with AI-driven external exposure context to provide a unified view of risk.

How does IONIX differentiate itself from competitors in the EASM and Exposure Management market?

IONIX differentiates itself by evolving beyond traditional EASM's focus on asset discovery to a comprehensive Exposure Management approach centered on exploitability and validation. Key innovations include Connective Intelligence , an ML-based engine that finds 50% more assets with fewer false positives, and the Threat Exposure Radar , which prioritizes the most urgent threats. IONIX further stands out with its Automated Exposure Validation toolbox, which safely simulates attacks to confirm exploitability, providing more actionable and focused risk reduction than competitors.

What is the pricing model for IONIX's SaaS solution?

IONIX is a yearly SaaS product with an annual subscription fee. The pricing is based on the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) , essentially a per-domain model. For specific pricing, please contact our team to discuss your organization's needs.

Go back to All Blog posts

Security Misconfigurations – Detection and Automatic Remediation

Ohad Shushan Director Of Demand Generation

July 8, 2024

Security misconfigurations can open the door to potential cyberattacks, leading to data breaches, system compromises, and other severe consequences for organizations. In modern IT environments, including cloud infrastructure and other digital platforms, these misconfiguration vulnerabilities are becoming increasingly common and complex. Preventing and addressing security misconfigurations requires a collaborative effort across DevOps, DevSecOps, and security teams. In this article, we explore the roles and responsibilities of DevOps, DevSecOps, and SecOps and how they function together to prevent security misconfigurations.

In this article

Understanding Security Misconfigurations

Security misconfigurations occur when settings and configurations in an IT system are improperly set up, left at default values, or changed in a way that introduces vulnerabilities. These attacks on misconfiguration can happen at any stage of an application stack, including:

Web servers and application servers
Databases
Cloud environments
Network services
Development platforms and frameworks
Storage and virtual machines

Misconfiguration attacks may lead to unauthorized access, data leaks, system downtime, and other risks. As systems become more complex, particularly with the adoption of cloud computing and microservices architectures, the attack surface increases, making it essential to establish proper security configurations.

Understanding the Relationship Between DevOps, DevSecOps, and SecOps Teams

In a modern development and operational context, the roles of DevOps, DevSecOps, and SecOps teams often intersect. Understanding their relationship is crucial in effectively managing misconfiguration vulnerabilities:

DevOps:

DevOps aims to enhance collaboration between development and operations teams to streamline the software development and deployment process. DevOps professionals are typically responsible for managing the infrastructure and deployment of applications, which includes configuring systems, software, and networks.

DevSecOps:

DevSecOps extends the DevOps model to integrate security practices into the development and operational processes. DevSecOps professionals work to ensure that security is embedded throughout the application lifecycle, from development to deployment and beyond.

SecOps Teams:

Security teams focus on identifying, analyzing, and mitigating security risks across the organization. They work closely with other teams to provide guidance, develop security policies, and implement security measures.

Effective collaboration among these teams is essential for preventing and addressing security misconfigurations. Communication, mutual understanding, and clear responsibilities contribute to a strong security posture across the organization.

Responsibilities in the Development Lifecycle

Security misconfigurations can arise at various stages of the development lifecycle, from the initial coding phase to deployment and operation. Different teams contribute to preventing and addressing these misconfigurations in specific ways at each stage:

Development Stage

DevOps Teams:

DevOps teams play a critical role in ensuring secure software and infrastructure setup from the outset. They work to implement security best practices, such as defining secure baseline configurations and establishing secure environments for development and testing. DevOps also collaborates with developers to streamline the process of securing application deployment pipelines.

DevSecOps Professionals:

DevSecOps professionals collaborate closely with developers to integrate security practices directly into the code and configuration files. This includes applying secure coding standards, implementing access controls, conducting static analysis, and enabling code reviews. They also focus on automating security checks to identify issues early in the development process.

Testing Stage

DevOps and DevSecOps Teams:

During the testing phase, DevOps and DevSecOps teams jointly conduct thorough testing to identify potential security misconfiguration vulnerabilities. This includes executing security scans, performing dynamic application security testing (DAST). Advanced penetration tests are typically conducted by specialized security teams, such as Red teams, to validate application security.

SecOps:

Security teams bring their specialized expertise to this phase by helping to design effective test cases and review results. They provide guidance on addressing identified issues and offer insights on emerging threats and compliance standards.

Production Stage

DevOps Teams:

In the production environment, DevOps teams oversee the deployment and maintenance of applications and infrastructure. They work to ensure systems operate securely and efficiently, deploying patches and updates as needed and monitoring the health and performance of the systems.

DevSecOps Teams:

DevSecOps teams focus on continuous monitoring and threat detection in the production environment. They leverage real-time monitoring tools to quickly detect and respond to security events, minimizing the impact of potential breaches.

SecOps Teams:

Security teams play an ongoing role in guiding the overall security strategy and ensuring compliance with security policies and regulations. They work closely with DevOps and DevSecOps teams to investigate and respond to incidents, assess risks, and adjust security policies and procedures as necessary.

Together, these teams collaborate to create a cohesive approach to securing systems throughout their lifecycle. By working in tandem, they proactively manage risks and enhance the overall security posture of the organization.

Maintaining Security Policies: Flow of Communication

Maintaining strong security policies requires clear communication and collaboration between DevOps, DevSecOps, and security teams. Strategies such as establishing clear channels of communication, regular meetings and check-ins, documentation and knowledge sharing, and training and education are key to maintaining DevSecOps responsibilities.

Here are some strategies for ensuring smooth communication and collaboration:

Establish Clear Channels of Communication:

Create dedicated communication channels for Security, DevOps, and DevSecOps teams to share information, updates, and concerns. Tools like chat platforms, project management software, and issue-tracking systems can facilitate ongoing dialogue and collaboration.

Regular Meetings and Check-Ins:

Hold regular meetings between teams to discuss security policies, potential vulnerabilities, and ongoing projects. These check-ins provide an opportunity to align on security priorities, assess risks, and review policy updates.

Documentation and Knowledge Sharing:

Maintain comprehensive and up-to-date documentation on security policies, best practices, and incident response plans. Sharing this knowledge with all relevant teams ensures everyone is on the same page and understands their responsibilities.

Feedback Loop:

Establish a continuous feedback loop between teams to learn from past incidents and improve security practices. Encouraging open communication helps identify areas for improvement and fosters a culture of security awareness.

Training and Education:

Regularly provide training and educational sessions for all teams on security policies, emerging threats, and best practices. This helps ensure everyone understands the importance of adhering to security policies and how to apply them in their work.

Escalation Procedures:

Clearly define escalation procedures for handling security incidents or breaches. Ensure that all teams know when and how to escalate issues to the appropriate level for prompt resolution.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

Encourage collaboration across teams on security-related projects, such as incident response exercises or security reviews. This cross-functional approach helps build relationships and promotes a shared understanding of security responsibilities.

Managing Risks With Continuous/Automated Detection and Management

Continuous monitoring and automated detection are crucial for identifying and preventing security misconfigurations in real time. Organizations can leverage technology to automate many aspects of security management, including:

Vulnerability Scanning:

Automated vulnerability scanners can continuously scan applications, systems, and networks to identify known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. These tools provide real-time alerts and reports, allowing security teams to prioritize and address issues promptly.

Attack Surface Management:

Automated attack surface management tools continuously identify, monitor, and manage an organization’s attack surface. These tools provide visibility into all assets, including shadow IT and exposed services, enabling security teams to proactively address potential entry points before they can be exploited by attackers.

Configuration Management:

Automated configuration management tools ensure that systems adhere to defined security policies and standards. These tools can detect deviations from baseline configurations and automatically correct them, reducing the risk of attacks on misconfiguration.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS):

IDPS monitor network traffic and system activities for signs of suspicious behavior or potential attacks. By leveraging machine learning and rule-based systems, IDPS can identify threats and take proactive measures to block or mitigate them.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM):

SIEM solutions aggregate and analyze security data from various sources, providing a comprehensive view of an organization’s security posture. These tools can detect anomalies and correlate events across different systems, helping teams identify potential misconfiguration attacks quickly.

Patch Management:

Automated patch management solutions streamline the process of applying updates and patches to software and systems. Regularly updating and patching systems reduces the risk of exploitation of known vulnerabilities.

Real-Time Alerts and Notifications:

Automated systems can provide real-time alerts and notifications to security teams, enabling them to respond swiftly to emerging threats. This allows for quicker decision-making and action to mitigate risks.

Continuous Detection and Management With IONIX

Continuous detection and management of security issues are essential for maintaining a secure and resilient environment. Security team roles and responsibilities are enhanced with the automated solutions provided by IONIX, which benefit both Security and DevOps teams by addressing vulnerabilities promptly and effectively.

Clear Remediation Action Items:

IONIX generates clear and concise remediation action items for IT and non-security personnel. These action items are presented in plain language, making it easy for teams to understand and act upon them without extensive security training. This automated remediation for cloud misconfiguration accelerates the resolution of security issues and minimizes the risk of human error.

Subsidiary-Focused Asset Association:

IONIX intelligently maps security risks to the appropriate teams within an organization based on asset ownership and association. This subsidiary-focused approach ensures that remediation tasks are assigned to the right team members who are best positioned to address the issues quickly and effectively. By passing relevant action items to the right teams, IONIX optimizes resource utilization and enhances overall security efficiency.

Active Protection:

IONIX takes a proactive stance by automatically controlling exploitable assets before IT has the opportunity to manually intervene. This active protection reduces the window of exposure to threats and potential attacks, providing an additional layer of defense that safeguards your organization’s critical assets and data.

Integrations With Key Tools:

IONIX integrates seamlessly with a range of popular security and IT tools, such as SIEM, SOAR, Jira, Splunk, and more. These integrations allow for streamlined management of alert notifications and efficient assignment of tasks to specific teams. As a result, your teams can work cohesively and efficiently across different platforms, reducing response times and enhancing overall security effectiveness.

By leveraging IONIX, organizations can create a robust security environment that is continuously monitored and managed. These automated solutions empower both Security and DevOps teams to stay ahead of potential threats, address issues swiftly, and maintain a strong security posture.

Strengthening Security with IONIX

Security misconfigurations pose significant risks to organizations, especially as IT environments become more complex. As companies increasingly rely on cloud infrastructure, microservices, and other digital platforms, the potential for security misconfigurations rises. To effectively address these risks, collaboration across DevOps, DevSecOps, and Security teams is essential.

By understanding the nuances of security misconfigurations and their impact throughout the development lifecycle, organizations can proactively prevent and address them. This involves clear communication, well-defined responsibilities, ongoing training and education, and implementing automated detection and management systems.

IONIX supports these efforts by offering automated solutions for continuous monitoring, vulnerability scanning, and remediation. Through seamless integration with key tools and actionable insights, IONIX helps organizations maintain a strong security posture and stay ahead of potential threats.