Breach and attack (BAS) tools can help you improve security by simulating attacks and showing you how to prevent them before they happen. Fewer security issues mean higher website speed, security, and revenue, as your customers’ data remains safe and secure. However, knowing what to look for when purchasing these tools can be challenging.
This article shows you what features to look for in BAS tools and the top vendors to consider to help you find the best tool to secure your company’s reputation as trustworthy.
Features to Look For in BAS tools
Like any other tool, finding the best breach and attack simulation tool on the market is not easy. Pricing, features, and suitability to your organizational goals are vital, as are many other considerations below.
The key features any organization needs to look for in BAS tools include:
- Attack vectors must be representative of threats your company is likely to face.
- Likely attack situations that mimic attackers’ actions, using well-known frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK.
- Customizable scenarios you can use to experiment with unique aspects of your company.
- Testing automation that allows simulations to run efficiently and regularly whilst avoiding downtime and requiring extra staff to function.
- Comprehensive analytics and reporting features to break down and visualize key data-driven decisions to improve processes and protection.
- Flexibility to scale to current and future complexity and size from SME to enterprise.
- The ability to test across hybrid production environments is critical for identifying how controls perform in real-world conditions.
- Capabilities to test within various hybrid environments during the production process.
- Accessibility and high digital adoption rates are facilitated by simple, out-of-the-box integration with your current security tool tech stack.
- Experienced support and guidance who specialize in companies that have not previously encountered BAS or who don’t run dedicated security teams.
Look out for all these points if you want to find the best BAS for the job.
5 Of the Most Successful BAS Vendors
There are three main players regarding breach and attack simulation vendors. These are AttackIQ, Cymulate, and Fortinet FortiTester. Each vendor has existed for several years and supports many companies in conducting rigorous simulations that secure their data by pre-empting attacks in various scenarios. The first of these vendors is AttackIQ
1. AttackIQ
Considering all they have achieved, AttackIQ is an impressively young startup that raised USD 44 million in 2021 to fund its national expansion.
Their core emulation platform simulates adversary tactics, procedures, and techniques along MITRE ATT&CK framework guidelines. The business recently unleashed its second-generation managed breach and attack simulation-as-a-service platform, Ready!.
This tool provides a more accessible experience for companies to build a continuous security validation program, improving website speed for customer experience and cybersecurity which protects customer data.
AttackIQ is now embracing AI technology to drive its emulations. It will allow them to support customers in accelerating their testing cycle and auto-generating Sigma rules for detection engineering use cases.
2. Cymulate
According to Gartner Peer Reviews, Cymulate is one of the best-known threat exposure management vendors.
Similar to AttackIQ, Cymulate utilizes the MITRE ATT&CK framework, and companies feel it ranks high in user experience and usability.
It plans to use generative AI to automatically create attack scenarios, to reduce thousands — or hundreds of thousands — of attack simulation results into a clear mitigation strategy, and to explain to security teams how to actually carry out the mitigations.
3. Fortinet FortiTester
Like the two we have mentioned above, FortiTester offers MITRE ATT&CK simulation testing, but it is also capable of CVE-based IPS tests and DDoS traffic generation. It can simulate various traffic types, including SSL, DDoS, and custom traffic.
4. Mandiant Security Validation
Many companies know Mandiant for its threat intelligence services. However, it also provides breach and attack simulation features via the Mandiant Advantage Security Validation software. What sets Mandiant apart from its market peers is that the threat intelligence expertise is baked into its base product.
Its features include MITRE ATT&CK framework mapping, Automated environmental drift detection and alerting, and real-world attack simulation.
5. NetSPI
If you ask some enterprises about NetSPI, they will likely tell you it is a penetration-testing organization. However, its capabilities extend beyond these limitations, as it can validate controls, provide attack surface management by detecting potential vulnerabilities in public-facing assets, and identify detection gaps.
Focus on Organizational Goals to Succeed With BAS Tools
Focusing on organizational goals is crucial for effectively using Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) tools to improve website speed and cybersecurity.
These tools help identify vulnerabilities by simulating real-world cyberattacks, but their success depends on aligning their use with the company’s security objectives.
For instance, if the primary goal is to protect sensitive customer data, BAS tools should be configured to test systems that handle that data. This goal-driven approach ensures that resources are allocated to the most critical areas of the organization.
Regularly reviewing and adjusting these goals ensures that BAS tools evolve alongside emerging threats and organizational changes. As long as you focus on organizational goals, your BAS tools will always be impactful, helping your business strengthen its cybersecurity strategy effectively.
