Attack Surface Management in 2026: How to Secure Your Expanding Cloud and SaaS Footprint

Since COVID-19, attack surface management has become essential for corporate network protection. As organizations rely on cloud services like SaaS and PaaS, managing the attack surface is more crucial than ever. Discover insights on zero-trust access, cloud boundary defense, and proactive security strategies from Forrester’s senior analyst, Jess Bern.

Ozan Ucar, Founder and CEO of Keepnet

Last Updated: 2026-06-01

Attack Surface Management: Securing Corporate Networks in a Post-COVID World

In 2026, organizations are expanding into cloud platforms and software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools at an unprecedented rate. Industry data indicates that the average enterprise uses over 130 SaaS applications, with mid-market organizations averaging more than 50. This rapid adoption has created an attack surface that most organizations cannot fully see, let alone manage. External attack surface management has become one of the fastest-growing categories in cybersecurity as organizations recognize that attackers are continuously scanning their internet-facing assets while internal security teams work from incomplete asset inventories.

As more companies rely on services like Platform as a Service (PaaS) and SaaS, the challenge of defending the perimeter of the corporate network has shifted towards managing the boundaries of the cloud. This article explores why attack surface management is essential, the importance of SaaS location management, and new strategies for securing the modern digital landscape.

The Expanding Attack Surface in a Post COVID World

With the rapid adoption of cloud-based services and remote work, organizations now face an attack surface that extends far beyond the traditional network perimeter. By 2026, the average organization has 30% more internet-facing assets than it did in 2020, driven by cloud migration, SaaS adoption, developer self-service infrastructure provisioning, and the expansion of partner and supplier integrations. Security teams report that discovering and inventorying these assets is their most significant attack surface management challenge, not the remediation of known issues.

As reliance on these hosted cloud computing solutions grows, organizations must confront risks such as:

Increased entry points for attackers as employees access corporate networks from diverse devices and networks.
Vulnerable third party services that provide opportunities for attackers to gain access to sensitive data.
Unsecured access points due to outdated or misconfigured systems and a lack of central control over SaaS environments.

Key Security Measures: From Zero Trust to New Security Tools

To effectively manage and secure the attack surface, cybersecurity experts are increasingly focusing on zero trust principles, a method that demands verification of every connection regardless of its origin. Zero trust has gained traction post COVID, as traditional network perimeters become irrelevant in cloud environments. As Bern explained, “Zero trust essentially redefines perimeter defense. It brings security closer to the data by enforcing strict controls over who can access what, and from where.”

To defend this perimeter of the cloud boundary, companies should consider these strategies:

1. Enforce Zero Trust Network Access

Zero trust network access (ZTNA) is now a foundation for secure cloud use. This strategy mandates secure access controls, ensuring that each user or device is vetted continuously.

2. Implement Attack Surface Management Tools

Organizations are turning to attack surface management tools, which offer continuous monitoring and proactive threat detection. Tools like Keepnet Labs’ Phishing Simulator and Threat Intelligence help identify weak points, assess potential threats, and actively manage risks across diverse digital assets.

3. Prioritize Security Awareness Training

Employees remain a critical line of defense against cyber threats. Security awareness programs, like Keepnet Labs’ Security Awareness Training, educate employees on security protocols and best practices, building a human firewall that strengthens the organization’s overall defense.

The Role of SaaS Location Management in Reducing Risk

As cloud and SaaS adoption grows, location management for these applications becomes increasingly vital. Understanding where each SaaS application resides and which users are accessing it helps organizations track and mitigate risks related to data exposure and regulatory compliance. Without knowing where data resides or how it is managed, companies are vulnerable to attacks that exploit these unknowns.

SaaS location management gives companies a clear picture of where data lives across their entire SaaS environment, identifying vulnerabilities and maintaining compliance. In 2026, regulators including the EU's data protection authorities have begun requiring organizations to demonstrate they know where their customer data is stored across all SaaS providers, making SaaS location management a compliance obligation as well as a security practice.

Proactive Vulnerability Management: The First Line of Defense

Beyond tracking access and location, vulnerability management is critical. Proactively finding and fixing vulnerabilities keeps attackers at bay, especially in complex cloud based systems. Essential steps include:

Regular vulnerability scanning and patching: Identify and mitigate software vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them.

Ongoing employee training: Enhance knowledge of phishing attacks and social engineering through dedicated security awareness training that addresses the specific tactics used to exploit cloud and SaaS environments.

Continuous attack surface monitoring: Implement tools to detect and manage potential threats, even as new vulnerabilities emerge across the digital ecosystem.

New Tools and Services: A Growing Need for Attack Surface Management Solutions

The demand for attack surface management has led to the maturation of a distinct tool category. By 2026, ASM platforms combine external attack surface discovery, cloud security posture management, SaaS security posture management, and vulnerability prioritization into unified platforms. Organizations are moving from using separate tools for each domain toward consolidated ASM platforms that provide a single view of exposure across all environments. Integration with existing SIEM and SOAR platforms enables automated response to newly discovered exposures.

Advanced threat intelligence tools, like Keepnet Labs’ Threat Intelligence, which provide real time data on emerging threats and vulnerabilities.
Simulated phishing and social engineering attacks through platforms like Keepnet’s Phishing Simulator, enabling companies to identify weaknesses and train employees on handling real world attacks.
Comprehensive human risk management tools, such as the Keepnet Extended Human Risk Management Platform and Secure Behavior Management, that allow organizations to track and manage security behaviors and improve security culture.

Wrapping Up: The Imperative of Proactive Attack Surface Management

In 2026's hyper-connected world, managing the attack surface is no longer optional. The EU NIS2 Directive requires operators of essential services to implement attack surface management as part of their security risk management obligations. The US SEC's cybersecurity disclosure rules require publicly traded companies to describe their processes for identifying and managing cybersecurity risks, including their attack surface management approach. Organizations that have not formalized their ASM program face both security exposure and regulatory risk.

With advanced tools like those from Keepnet Labs, companies can continuously monitor, manage, and respond to security risks, strengthening their cloud perimeter defenses and securing their corporate networks.

Editor's Note: This article was updated on June 1, 2026.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is attack surface management (ASM)?

Attack surface management (ASM) is the continuous process of discovering, inventorying, classifying, and monitoring all assets and entry points that an attacker could use to gain unauthorized access to an organization's systems. This includes internet facing infrastructure, cloud resources, SaaS applications, third party integrations, and any exposed credentials or data. ASM goes beyond traditional asset management by focusing specifically on attacker visible exposure and continuously monitoring for new vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and shadow assets.

How has the attack surface expanded since remote work became widespread?

Remote work has dramatically expanded the attack surface in several ways: employees access corporate resources from diverse networks and personal devices; cloud adoption accelerated, creating more internet exposed services; SaaS application use grew rapidly, often without centralized IT oversight; and the traditional network perimeter, already eroding, effectively dissolved. Each remote endpoint, cloud resource, and SaaS application represents a potential entry point. Organizations that adopted cloud and remote work rapidly without corresponding security investment created significant attack surface exposure that attackers have actively exploited.

What is Zero Trust Network Access and how does it help manage attack surface?

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is a security model that requires continuous verification of every user and device before granting access to any resource, regardless of network location. Unlike VPNs that grant broad network access after a single authentication, ZTNA grants access only to specific applications or resources the user is authorized for, at the moment they need it. By limiting access to the minimum required and continuously verifying each session, ZTNA significantly reduces the attack surface compared to traditional perimeter based models.

What is SaaS security and why is it a growing concern?

SaaS security covers the risks associated with cloud hosted applications accessed over the internet, including unauthorized access through compromised credentials, misconfigured sharing permissions that expose data publicly, excessive third party integrations with broad data access, and the challenge of monitoring activity across dozens of different application platforms. As organizations use more SaaS tools, the attack surface grows, and the ability to see where data lives across all applications becomes critical. A breach in one SaaS application can expose data from all connected integrations.

What is vulnerability management and how does it support attack surface reduction?

Vulnerability management is the process of identifying, prioritizing, and remediating security weaknesses in software, systems, and configurations. It supports attack surface reduction by systematically closing the exploitable weaknesses that attackers look for. Effective vulnerability management prioritizes based on actual exploitability and business impact rather than treating all vulnerabilities equally, applies patches rapidly to high risk internet facing systems, and includes continuous scanning to identify new vulnerabilities as they are disclosed.

What is shadow IT and why is it a major attack surface risk?

Shadow IT refers to applications, services, and devices used by employees without IT knowledge or approval. In cloud and SaaS environments, shadow IT proliferates rapidly because employees can provision cloud services with a credit card and use them immediately. Shadow IT creates attack surface risk because these assets are not monitored by security teams, may not meet security requirements, and often contain organizational data. Discovery of shadow IT is a key component of attack surface management.

How does continuous monitoring differ from point in time security assessments?

Point in time assessments such as annual penetration tests or quarterly vulnerability scans provide a snapshot of security posture at a specific moment. Between assessments, new vulnerabilities are disclosed, new assets are provisioned, and configurations change. Continuous monitoring addresses this gap by providing real time visibility into the attack surface as it changes, alerting teams to new exposure immediately rather than weeks or months later when the next scheduled assessment occurs. Given the speed at which attackers exploit newly disclosed vulnerabilities, continuous monitoring has become essential.

What is an external attack surface and how is it different from internal attack surface?

The external attack surface consists of all assets visible and accessible from the internet: web applications, APIs, cloud storage buckets, exposed management interfaces, email servers, and DNS records. The internal attack surface includes assets accessible from within the network: internal applications, workstations, database servers, and network devices. External attack surface management focuses on what attackers can see and reach from outside, while internal attack surface management addresses what an attacker who has already gained initial access can exploit. Both are essential components of a complete security program.

How does employee behavior contribute to attack surface expansion?

Employee behavior expands the attack surface when staff provision unauthorized cloud services (shadow IT), use weak or reused passwords that can be compromised through credential stuffing, connect personal devices to corporate networks, or click phishing links that give attackers initial access. Human behavior is therefore a key variable in attack surface management. Organizations that combine technical ASM tools with continuous security awareness training address both the technical and human dimensions of attack surface growth.

What steps should organizations take to start an attack surface management program?

Begin with external asset discovery: scan your internet facing infrastructure to understand what is visible to attackers, including assets you may not have known were exposed. Prioritize findings by exploitability and business impact. Address the highest risk exposures first: unauthenticated interfaces, systems with critical unpatched vulnerabilities, and exposed credentials. Establish continuous monitoring to detect new exposures as they appear. Extend the program to cloud and SaaS environments. Pair technical controls with phishing simulations and security awareness training to address the human attack surface alongside the technical one.