Starting Out With Breach and Attack Simulation

Breach and attack simulation (BAS) is a powerful tool for organizations to test their security posture and identify potential vulnerabilities. It is an automated process that simulates real-world cyberattacks and helps organizations understand their security posture and identify potential weaknesses. In this guide, we will discuss what BAS is, how it works, common types of simulated attacks, the benefits of using BAS, and who it is for.

What is Breach and Attack Simulation?

Breach and attack simulation (BAS) is a form of automated security testing that simulates real-world cyberattacks. It is designed to help organizations identify potential vulnerabilities in their security posture and take steps to mitigate them. 

BAS allows organizations to run consistent, realistic attacks to determine their readiness to ward off potential threats. Through this process, organizations can evaluate the effectiveness of their security controls and recognize areas where their cybersecurity could be improved. BAS then helps prioritize these weaknesses, allowing organizations to focus their efforts on the areas that are most vulnerable. By simulating cyberattacks, businesses can better protect themselves from potential future threats and ensure that their network is secure.

The beauty of breach and attack simulation is that it can be tailored to your specific business needs. This means that it can be used to test for vulnerabilities and unique attack paths that are specific to your industry. For example, a company in the retail sector might want to simulate a brute force attack on its point-of-sale (POS) system, while a financial services company might want to simulate an advanced persistent threat (APT) attack to test its response to a potential sophisticated cyberattack. 

It is especially helpful for organizations that want to gain deeper visibility into their cybersecurity posture. According to Gartner, Innovation Insight for Attack Surface Management, 2022, only about 1% of businesses have more than 95% visibility over all of their assets. BAS allows organizations to gain a full understanding of their attack surface, and do so in a continuous manner, which helps remediate vulnerabilities faster. 

How Does Breach and Attack Simulation Work?

Breach and attack simulation is all about recreating real-world cyberattacks in a controlled environment. It enables you to see if your security controls actually work and can withstand attacks. 

How does this work?

Think of BAS as a fire drill for your company's computer systems - an exercise for your security team to practice their response to a real cyberattack. During the simulation, you'll use BAS tools and try to hack into your company's computer systems just like an attacker would. You'll then use the information you gathered during the simulation to improve your cybersecurity plan.

However, BAS tools do not behave in the same way that a bad actor might. They launch assaults on your network in a way that does not disrupt your systems or data. They are attack tools without a payload. As a result, your network remains functional without a risk for any real harm. BAS tools essentially build on and automate red teaming (aka ethical hacking) techniques. 

BAS tools use a number of different components such as software agents or sensors, virtual machines, and network traffic simulation to test your defenses. Let's take a closer look at the different types of BAS tools:

Types of BAS Tools

Depending on your specific needs, there are several different types of BAS tools at your disposal. 



Agent-based

Agent-based tools simulate real-world attacks by installing and running software agents on a network. The simplest form of BAS, this type of tool utilizes software agents deployed across the network to simulate an attack and test its defenses. They perform a basic vulnerability analysis using a database of known vulnerabilities to find and exploit network vulnerabilities.

Traffic-based

Traffic-based tools are useful for simulating and testing potential network intrusions by generating malicious traffic and injecting it into the internal network. The targets however, are virtual machines supplied by the BAS vendor. Through these simulated attacks, security teams can understand how effective their network security solutions are. 

Multi-vector

Also known as cloud-based solutions, multi-vector BAS tools simulate attacks launched from different vectors to detect weaknesses in both internal and external network infrastructure. They combine the features of agent-based and traffic-based BAS tools to test network vulnerabilities. A lightweight agent is installed on the network to collect data on its security posture and to launch the attacks. Being cloud-based, these tools are easily scalable and can be set up and deployed quickly. This method most closely resembles the sophisticated attacks a real hacker would launch.

Hybrid

The hybrid BAS tool combines the features of agent-based, traffic-based, and multi-vector BAS solutions. It can test network vulnerabilities from different vectors, using an extensive database of attacks. They're also known as next-generation BAS tools.

Who is BAS For?

Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) could benefit just about any organization, regardless of size or industry. BAS helps organizations identify vulnerabilities in their systems and keep up with the latest threats so they can respond quickly and effectively.

Plus, it can be tailored to fit any organization’s unique needs. You can pick from different types of simulated attacks such as web application attacks, phishing, and data exfiltration. You can also configure a range of settings like what type of target (web server, database server, etc.) to attack, or how aggressive you want the attack to be.

Whether you’re a small business looking for extra security or a large corporation looking for improved protection for your data, BAS can help your organization stay on top of its cybersecurity game.

Benefits and Drawbacks of BAS

There are numerous benefits of breach and attack simulation. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that it can help you prepare for, and hopefully avoid, an actual breach. Simulation allows you to test your security measures and see where they are weakest.

BAS can simulate a variety of real-world cyberattacks, including phishing attacks, SQL injection attacks, and cross-site scripting attacks. It can also simulate attacks on web applications, network infrastructure, and mobile devices.

In addition, simulation can help you improve your security posture overall. By identifying and fixing vulnerabilities, you make your organization less susceptible to a real-world attack. And finally, simulation can help you understand your risk posture and make informed decisions about which security investments to make.

However, since BAS uses simulated attacks to test the security posture of your systems, security controls may not always respond as they would in a real attack. As a result, the results of a simulation can be misleading. Moreover, BAS solutions may not always be updated with the latest threats, making them unable to properly simulate the latest cyberattacks.

Conclusion

Breach and attack simulation tools are invaluable to organizations seeking to evaluate their security posture and stay ahead of the curve. They provide real-world application scenarios that can’t be tested using traditional security tools. However, they are not a panacea and are not a replacement for existing security validation methodologies. When used in conjunction with other security testing methods, breach and attack simulation tools can provide a well-rounded security testing approach that identifies vulnerabilities, predicts attack outcomes and validates remediation strategies.