Vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, among others, have long been the best options for the defender. Yet they have two major drawbacks: they are neither resource-efficient nor dynamic. However, by installing a breach and attack simulation (BAS) tool in your business network, you are testing your network’s readiness for when hackers try to break your security.
BAS tools can replicate various degrees of complexity and severity in a network attack. The simulations are intended to help you identify any vulnerabilities or openings in your security system before hackers exploit them. Even better, these security tools are resource-efficient and dynamic.
Hopefully, this article will help you decide which is the best BAS tool for your company. Keep reading to learn more!
What is Breach and Attack Simulation?
BAS tools are effective tools that the majority of businesses use to evaluate IT security initiatives, continuously mimic threats, and perform scenarios. These tools aid in assessing the effectiveness and primary aim of the chosen security controls or methods.
Businesses can use the tools to assess their resilience to increasingly complex threats. Also, it helps detect security flaws or weak points in the company network through ongoing testing.
Several organizations still experience attacks despite sophisticated security controls. Hackers design covert routes into your system and data breaches. Businesses can find these undiscovered routes to their key assets and close security vulnerabilities with the aid of BAS tools.
Additionally, you can use these tools to determine the total risk score, rank actionable remediation findings, and assess performance.
Best Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) Tools
1. AttackIQ
The AttackIQ BAS tool is an extremely popular option because it offers a user-friendly platform for evaluating the efficacy of your security system. The tool connects easily to any existing network and offers quick fixes that enable administrators to quickly find coverage gaps and misconfigurations.
Businesses can use the tools to assess their resilience to increasingly complex threats. Also, it aids in identifying security flaws or weak points in the company network through ongoing testing.
Additionally, you can determine how well your assets are doing, where you’re generating the most value, and what your company plan should be by using data from automated security control validation.
Pros
- Offers multiple scenarios for simulated attacks.
- AttackIQ has an easy-to-use interface.
- Offers endpoint security
- Performs threat-informed operations
- It makes security testing and defense mechanisms more consistent.
- Real-time visibility of security posture
- Analyzing every potential attack path and crafting remediation options
Cons
- Since it’s a recent tool, the platform constantly encounters small adjustments.
2. SafeBreach
SafeBreach is another breach and attack simulation software that enables enterprises to examine their overall security posture from the attacker’s point of view, predict attacks in advance, verify security measures, and enhance response efforts.
This tool can continually simulate different breach techniques employed by attackers and spot breach scenarios throughout the network infrastructure. Again, it can be coupled with a number of external security tools, including workflow, vulnerability management, SIEM, and SOAR.
SafeBreach allows you to search for and run pre-configured attacks to simulate common threats. Furthermore, the platform provides actionable insights for identifying security gaps and prioritizing remediation efforts based on risk level.
Pros
- Provides threat intelligence feeds.
- Continuous simulation of cyber attacks
- Compatible with all cloud and endpoint networks
- It helps spot vulnerabilities automatically.
- Prioritizes threats and vulnerabilities
- Generates quality reports in minutes.
- SafeBreach uses the attacker’s perspective and provides advice on remediation efforts.
Cons
- It’s not as easy to use as other BAS tools.
3. XM Cyber
XM Cyber is a serious competitor when you’re looking for a BAS tool that can automate attack simulation procedures while running in the background. It will fully scan your network, looking for any problems that can make you vulnerable to an attack.
Although XM Cyber Breach and Attack Simulation runs continually, your network performance shouldn’t be affected, and therefore your users shouldn’t experience any slowdowns.
This BAS tool does a fantastic job of pinpointing the parts of the network that are most valuable and making sure that it focuses on performing attack-prevention scenarios that defend those parts from attack.
Pros
- Offers end-to-end network scanning
- Security Posture Visibility
- Supports advanced analytics features
- Helps mitigate security risks and data breaches.
- The tool can run in the background and automate attack simulation processes.
Cons
- Pricing is higher compared to other BAS tools.
4. Picus Security
Picus Security is another recognized leader in BAS technology and a platform for security control validation that helps businesses increase their cyber resistance. This tool analyzes your security measures using tens of thousands of predefined attack scenarios and identifies any weaknesses in your defenses, as well as how to close them.
Picus security control validation (SCV) helps detect logging and alert gaps where additional action is needed to optimize your security information and event management (SIEM) system by integrating it into an existing SIEM system. Administrators deploying SCV can take the required actions to thwart the subsequent sophisticated assault thanks to MITRE ATT&CK and kill chain visibility.
Together, the Picus Threat Library, Picus Threat Emulation Module, Picus Mitigation Library, and Picus Detection Analytics solutions can be used on-demand to provide a full cyber kill chain service, from threat production to validation and mitigation.
Pros
- Enables organizations to identify security gaps and simulate attacks.
- Offers threat intelligence feeds.
- Picus offers quick installation and is easy to run.
- It measures and tracks your security performance.
- Continuous simulation of cyber attacks
- Supports advanced usability and filtering features.
Cons
- It can be hard to use.
5. Cymulate
Cymulate, which was established in 2016, specializes in testing security postures and simulating security breaches and attacks. The platform evaluates network segments, identifies vulnerabilities, and optimizes remediation by utilizing the MITRE ATT&CK framework and imitating a variety of advanced hacking methods.
Cymulate also offers continuous security validation that offers constant direction for action to deal with the evolving threat landscape. A single lightweight agent may deploy Cymulate with nearly infinite attack simulations in a matter of minutes.
Pros
- Offers automated security services.
- Comprises workflow automation capabilities.
- Allows continuous testing of network security
- Compatible with cloud, on-premises, and other environments
- Helps to automate offensive cybersecurity operations.
- Easier to set up and use than you may expect.
Cons
- Doesn’t provide as many third-party integrations.
How to Select the Best Breach and Attack Simulation Tools
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1. Study the Solution’s Knowledge Base
The importance of choosing a Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) product from a respected security vendor cannot be overstated. Due to the abundance of BAS solutions available, conduct your research and choose one that uses cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence (AI) to identify vulnerabilities.
2. Recognize Your Expertise Level
It’s crucial to start your quest for the best BAS tool with a realistic evaluation of your management skills. If you or your team have a lot of management expertise with these products, ease of use won’t be a big deal for you.
You may prefer an open-source BAS package, such as Infection Monkey, if you do not require much technical support. But, if usability is going to be a crucial factor in your BAS tool, you should go with a choice that enables easy setup and operation.
3. Complexity of the Network’s Scenarios
Some networks have a straightforward layout, making it possible for nearly any BAS tool to produce the appropriate scanning findings. Yet, your network’s functioning may be very complicated, which could expose your network to uncommon vulnerabilities.
So, determining the level of complexity required in your scenarios should be the second stage in your quest for the ideal BAS tool.
4. Get assistance with problem-solving
You will also need to give some thought as to whether you and your team will require assistance in interpreting the outcomes of the scenario scans. Any of the tools on our list can be successfully used if you don’t need assistance with correcting the issues the BAS tool identifies.
5. The Value of Regular Updates
Finally, consider how worried you are about being the target of fresh assaults. Any of the tools on our list ought to be able to assist you in these situations if you don’t think your network is any more vulnerable to recently discovered attacks than to more established threats.
However, we advise concentrating on BAS tools that heavily emphasize research and ongoing monitoring for new attack vectors if you want to receive regular updates from the BAS tool developer regarding new scenarios based on new attack vectors.
What Are the Benefits of Breach and Attack Simulation Tools?
Breach and Attack Simulation is a well-liked IT security tool that conducts penetration testing and assists in automatically identifying vulnerabilities. It helps firms assess their current security measures and provide insightful data.
Additionally, BAS tools are very comprehensive. You can evaluate a variety of security measures that are in place all around your firm using their simulators. Endpoints, antivirus programs, content filters, data loss prevention tools, firewalls, email, and your intrusion prevention system are all included in this.
BAS solutions also make use of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, which is essential for understanding how well your security system will hold up to contemporary cybercriminal tactics. The framework can be thought of as a comprehensive inventory of all actual and observed malicious actors’ toolkits.
Again, frequent breach and attack simulations give your organization crucial insights to monitor, manage, and improve the capability of its systems and effectively protect against cyberattacks. Plus, they can help your organization spot possible weaknesses or other difficulties early on.
Besides the listed advantages, there are also several reasons you can choose BAS solutions over other security controls:
- Evaluate and validate the security posture.
- Increases the network’s visibility.
- Create malware assaults on lateral-moving endpoints.
- Provides automation and ongoing attacker monitoring.
- Determine vulnerabilities and order corrective actions.
- Quicker planning of security investments.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Best BAS Tools
1. What’s the difference between a breach and attack simulation and a penetration test?
Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) solutions let companies model the whole cyberattack lifecycle against their cyber security infrastructure. BAS conducts systematic, ongoing testing of the entire network and notifies stakeholders and IT when security infrastructure flaws are discovered.
Penetration testing, on the other hand, is the testing of a network or computer system to identify security holes that a hacker could exploit. It is frequently carried out as a result of an external influence, such as a compliance obligation or security audit.
2. Which areas of cyber security does a breach simulation cover?
The vast range of security challenges that breach and attack simulations cover includes data exfiltration, phishing assaults, malware attacks, attacks that move laterally through networks, and malware attacks on endpoints.
3. When should organizations undertake breach simulations?
Your specific needs will determine this, but it is advised that breach simulations be carried out when a company wishes to make sure that its security tools and controls are operating properly. Generally, it can be advantageous to conduct and evaluate simulations once a year.
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