Novee Launches AI-Powered External Surface Testing to Uncover Forgotten Assets
Novee's new AI capability scans for and tests internet-facing assets, including forgotten subdomains and exposed staging servers, to identify exploitable vulnerabilities.
Novee has introduced a significant enhancement to its AI penetration testing platform: External Surface Testing. This new capability is designed to proactively discover and rigorously test an organization's internet-facing assets, aiming to uncover vulnerabilities that traditional security assessments might miss.
The platform leverages AI to identify "forgotten" or unknown infrastructure, such as dormant subdomains, staging servers inadvertently left accessible, and other exposed systems that attackers could exploit. "Attackers don't limit themselves to the applications you’re already testing. They look for anything exposed to the internet – forgotten subdomains, staging servers left online, and infrastructure your team may not even know exists," explained Amit Zeevi, Product Manager at Novee Security.
Organizations often struggle to maintain an accurate inventory of their external-facing systems due to the dynamic nature of IT environments. Applications are launched, test environments are spun up, domains are acquired, and infrastructure is retired, creating a constant flux. Novee's tool addresses this by using a company name or domain to map out a broad range of exposed assets, including web applications, APIs, mail servers, file transfer services, remote access tools, VPN gateways, and management consoles.
Before testing commences, security teams review the discovered assets to confirm ownership, ensuring that only legitimate organizational infrastructure is subjected to scrutiny. This verification step is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the testing process and avoiding unintended consequences.
Novee's External Surface Testing goes beyond mere discovery by actively testing for exploitable vulnerabilities. Teams can import findings from third-party External Attack Surface Management (EASM) tools or select newly disclosed Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) to be tested against their approved assets. The platform then probes these assets from an external perspective, without requiring credentials, agents, or software installations on the client's network.
The core of this testing involves validating the exploitability of identified weaknesses, uncovering additional vulnerabilities, and assessing how multiple weaknesses could be chained together to form attack paths. Novee provides prioritized findings, complete with supporting evidence and actionable remediation guidance, enabling security teams to focus their efforts effectively. "When a critical new CVE is disclosed, security teams need answers fast – which assets are affected, what’s actually exploitable, and where to focus first," stated Netta Rager Dan, VP of Product at Novee.
For assets requiring deeper investigation, Novee's platform seamlessly integrates with its application penetration testing services. This allows teams to transition from external surface testing to authenticated testing, examining workflows, roles, permissions, and business logic with the benefit of carrying over discovery context and validated findings into a unified view.
Novee emphasizes that its testing methods are designed to be safe and non-disruptive. The platform validates vulnerabilities without employing destructive payloads or actions, and test traffic is managed within configured limits to minimize operational impact and reduce the likelihood of triggering unnecessary security alerts. The testing can also be scheduled to continuously monitor changes in an organization's external attack surface.