Maps Potential Attack Paths
Sophos Unveils New EPV Capability
- EPV identifies potential attack paths from vulnerabilities
- GPT Cyber Model will power the capability
- It also provides guidance to address critical risks
Cybersecurity company Sophos has announced a new Exploit Path Verification (EPV) capability. It will help identify what types of attacks could result from a specific vulnerability and whether an attacker can realistically use that vulnerability to enter a system. The capability will eventually be integrated with Sophos Managed Risk.
The EPV capability will be developed through Debrake Defense Network using OpenAI’s GPT Cyber Model. It is designed to provide cybersecurity professionals with reliable risk information. This will help them identify critical risks earlier and take steps to address them.
Security teams identify thousands of vulnerabilities every day. However, not all vulnerabilities carry the same level of risk. A severity score alone cannot always show whether a vulnerability can actually be exploited by attackers. At the same time, several smaller vulnerabilities can combine to create an opportunity for a major attack.
Sophos is developing EPV to address this challenge. Instead of relying only on vulnerability scores, the capability will focus on whether an attacker can actually use a vulnerability to gain access to a system.
EPV will assess factors including system updates, security controls, network access, user permissions and information about known cyber attacks. It will determine whether a vulnerability can be used in an attack, whether existing security controls can stop the attack and whether an attacker can reach the vulnerable point.
The capability will also indicate when there is not enough information to make a reliable determination.
EPV will identify potential paths that attackers could use to enter a system. It will also assess whether security controls can prevent the attack across the identified path. In addition, it will provide guidance on how the identified issues can be addressed.
The results generated by EPV will be presented as recommendations. Each result will clearly indicate that it was generated by AI. Users will also be able to see the information used as the basis for the recommendation.
//DBTech/SGA/SME/MIS//
