5 red flags that your attack surface Is out of control

(and how to fix it before it turns into a breach)

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.

As your tech stack grows, so does your exposure. But without continuous visibility, it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks.

So how do you know when things are getting risky?

Here are 5 red flags that your attack surface might already be out of control — plus how to detect them early, before they become a problem.

1. Old staging or test environments are still publicly live

It happens more often than you’d think.

A test site is spun up for a launch or demo, and someone forgets to take it down. Six months later, it’s still accessible — and completely unpatched.

These forgotten environments are rarely monitored and often wide open.

2. Subdomains exist without proper security

Your company might have 5 main websites… but 50 subdomains.

Many of those subdomains are:

• Unsecured (no HTTPS or TLS)
• Misconfigured
• Linked to third-party services with weak protections

They may not be “live” to users — but they’re still visible to attackers.

3. Former employees still have access to tools and services

When someone leaves the company, is their access fully revoked?

Or are there old API keys, SaaS logins, or admin roles still active somewhere in the system?

Access control is a major part of your attack surface — and it’s often overlooked.

4. DNS records point to outdated or vulnerable infrastructure

You may think a system is gone. But if its DNS record is still pointing to an old IP or cloud server, that service is still live.

And if no one is monitoring it? That’s a soft target.

5. Shadow IT is spreading across departments

From design teams testing AI tools to marketing spinning up landing pages — new tools and services are popping up constantly, often without IT knowing.

If you’re not actively tracking them, they’re part of your blind spot.

How to take back control

The key isn’t to lock everything down — it’s to gain visibility.

That starts with:

• Continuous asset discovery
• Monitoring changes and newly exposed services
• Removing anything unused or insecure
• Creating a culture of visibility, not blame

Most security tools assume you already know your full inventory.

But in reality, discovery is where it all starts.

What Tresal helps you do

We built Tresal to make external asset discovery fast, simple, and scalable — especially for teams that don’t have huge security budgets or complex infrastructure.

It takes just minutes to scan your domains and surface forgotten, risky, or unexpected assets — without complexity.