Why ASM alone isn't enough — the case for combining attack surface management and cloud security posture management
When it comes to protecting your organization against cyber threats, most tools focus on a single layer of defense. But attackers don't care whether your risk lives outside your network or deep within your cloud configuration — they exploit both.
That's why relying on only Attack Surface Management (ASM) is no longer enough.
Tresal combines ASM + CSPM in one lightweight platform, helping you stay secure, compliant, and in control.
What is ASM, and why it matters
Attack Surface Management (ASM) focuses on identifying exposed digital assets from an external perspective. Think domains, subdomains, open ports, outdated software, shadow IT, and forgotten infrastructure.
It's what attackers see first — and often what they exploit first.
With a growing number of assets spread across clouds, vendors, and remote teams, organizations lose visibility fast. ASM helps regain control of your external footprint.
The blind spot: internal misconfigurations
Unfortunately, even the best ASM tools can't detect what's misconfigured inside your environment.
Common examples include:
- Publicly accessible S3 buckets
- Over-permissive IAM roles
- Misconfigured DNS or firewall rules
- Non-compliant cloud resources
These issues are invisible to ASM but dangerous nonetheless. This is where CSPM enters the picture.
CSPM complements ASM
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) scans your cloud infrastructure (like AWS, Azure, GCP) for configuration errors and policy violations. It ensures your environment aligns with security frameworks and regulations like GDPR, ISO 27001, or CIS Benchmarks.
When combined with ASM, CSPM allows you to:
- Correlate external visibility with internal risk
- Monitor compliance posture continuously
- Detect gaps before auditors, or attackers, do
Unified monitoring = actionable security
Tresal brings these two layers together in one platform:
- External scanning for ASM
- Internal configuration checks for CSPM
- Prioritized alerts with actionable fixes
The result? Real-time, continuous monitoring across both your exposed assets and your cloud security posture.
No more jumping between tools. No more flying blind.
Why now?
Cloud adoption has skyrocketed, and so has the attack surface. Most breaches still happen because of human error, misconfiguration, or forgotten assets.
SMEs and growing teams can no longer afford to ignore these blind spots. But they also don't need 6 different tools.
Tresal gives you complete visibility in one place.
The cost of fragmented security
When ASM and CSPM are separate:
- Blind spots emerge between external and internal monitoring
- Alert fatigue from multiple tools with different priorities
- Delayed response due to context switching between platforms
- Higher costs from managing multiple vendor relationships
A unified approach eliminates these inefficiencies while providing better protection.
Conclusion
Security shouldn't be fragmented — and neither should your tooling. Tresal unifies ASM and CSPM so you can see what's exposed and fix it fast.
Know what's exposed. Before attackers do.
Related Articles
5 red flags that your attack surface Is out of control
Your attack surface is every digital asset your company has exposed to the internet. Websites, cloud apps, APIs, IPs, subdomains, third-party integrations — they’re all part of it. And here’s the truth: Most companies have a much larger attack surface than they think.
Shadow IT is your biggest risk in 2025 – here’s how to spot it early
In most organizations, security teams focus on what’s known: the official tools, the approved systems, the assets documented in spreadsheets. But in 2025, the biggest risks often come from what no one is watching.
What attackers see first — and how to see it before they do
If someone tried to break into your house, they wouldn’t start by picking the safest lock. They’d look for the window you forgot to close. That’s exactly how attackers approach your company.
What we discovered when scanning 50+ companies’ attack surfaces
Most companies assume they have a good handle on their external IT footprint. They believe their attack surface is under control — until they actually take a closer look.
Tayfun
Cloud Security Architect
Security expert specializing in attack surface management and cloud security.
Protect your systems from vulnerabilities
Discover and address security risks in your infrastructure with our comprehensive scanning tools.