Tenable®, Inc. the exposure management company, today announced that Tohoku University, internationally recognized for its outstanding standards in education and research, has chosen Tenable Attack Surface Management to protect its external-facing IT assets in the cloud. 

Founded in 1907, Tohoku University is one of Japan’s leading institutions, with a rich legacy of academic excellence and international research collaborations. The university embarked on a digital transformation program as part of its “Cloud by Default” policy. However, as the university expanded its use of cloud services, it encountered challenges in identifying and managing IT assets across both internal and cloud environments. 

“We manage thousands of assets, many of which are external-facing and used for research or educational purposes,” said Mr. Katsuya Ohno, Information Security, Section, Digital Infrastructure Division, Information Department, Tohoku University. “Our previous asset inventory methods, which relied heavily on manual self-reporting, were time-consuming and prone to gaps in visibility, especially assets in the cloud.”

While on-premises assets were well accounted for, cloud assets were more difficult to track, increasing the institution’s vulnerability to potential cyber threats. 

After deploying Tenable Attack Surface Management, the university identified several independent web servers previously unknown to its IT management team. These servers, used by individual research units, were publicly accessible through various cloud and hosting services, posing a significant security risk.

“Thanks to Tenable Attack Surface Management, we were able to discover these unmanaged servers for the first time,” said Mr. Hidetomo Kitazawa, Information Security, Section, Digital Infrastructure Division, Information Department, Tohoku University. “Previously, when a high-severity vulnerability was publicly disclosed, we could only issue a blanket alert to the university, which often went unnoticed. Now, with Tenable Attack Surface Management, we can pinpoint vulnerabilities, understand the context of each asset, and communicate directly with the responsible research teams. This transparency is a game-changer in ensuring the security of our external-facing assets.”

With Tenable Attack Surface Management, Tohoku University has transitioned from a reactive security model to a proactive approach. The university can now identify and address vulnerabilities before incidents occur, creating a safer environment for its faculty and students to focus on their academic pursuits.

“We used to be passive in our security efforts, but with Tenable Attack Surface Management, we are now equipped to tackle vulnerabilities head-on, reducing risk with less effort. This has empowered our entire institution to operate more securely and efficiently,” said Mr. Kengo, Ishihata, Technical Expert in the Digital Innovation Unit, Digital Transformation Division, Information Department, Tohoku University.

“The challenge in securing the sheer scale of the modern cybersecurity architecture lies in identifying all external assets, both known and unknown, and doing it before cybercriminals discover the most critical exposures. Yet, full asset visibility remains one of cybersecurity’s most elusive goals,” said Naoya Kishima, Country Manager, Tenable Japan. “Tohoku University recognizes this need, and we’re pleased to support them in understanding their external footprint.”

About Tenable
Tenable® is the exposure management company, exposing and closing the cybersecurity gaps that erode business value, reputation and trust. The company’s AI-powered exposure management platform radically unifies security visibility, insight and action across the attack surface, equipping modern organizations to protect against attacks from IT infrastructure to cloud environments to critical infrastructure and everywhere in between. By protecting enterprises from security exposure, Tenable reduces business risk for approximately 44,000 customers around the globe. Learn more at tenable.com. 

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