Benjamin Franklin once wrote: “For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for the want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for the want of care about a horseshoe nail.” It’s a saying with a history that goes back centuries, and it points out how small details can lead to big consequences.
In IT security, we face a similar problem. There are so many interlocking parts in today’s IT infrastructure that it’s hard to keep track of all the assets, applications and systems that are in place.