Excessive Attack Surface

Incomplete Base
Structure: Simple
Description

The product has an attack surface whose quantitative measurement exceeds a desirable maximum.

Extended Description

Originating from software security, an "attack surface" measure typically reflects the number of input points and output points that can be utilized by an untrusted party, i.e. a potential attacker. A larger attack surface provides more places to attack, and more opportunities for developers to introduce weaknesses. In some cases, this measure may reflect other aspects of quality besides security; e.g., a product with many inputs and outputs may require a large number of tests in order to improve code coverage.

References 2
An Attack Surface Metric
Pratyusa Manadhata
11-2008
ID: REF-966
Measuring a System's Attack Surface
Pratyusa Manadhata and Jeannette M. Wing
2004
ID: REF-967
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