> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-xpanse/attack-surface-testing/attack-surface-tests.md). # Attack surface tests Attack surface tests are designed to minimize the potential impact to scanned and tested services. Cortex Xpanse has an extensive set of attack surface tests for CVEs and other risks that affect externally-facing services and can be confirmed with controlled testing. Our attack surface testing is layered on top of our existing attack surface management (ASM) global scanning infrastructure, which distributes requests across a broad time range to minimize the impact to scanned and tested services. We perform external scans only, which means we only test directly-discovered services accessible from the public internet and that you selected for testing. To further decrease test load and the possibility of impacting a service, we map attack surface tests to service classifications, enabling us to run tests only on the relevant services in your approved set of targets. For example, we only run Apache attack surface tests against your Apache services. {% hint style="info" %} ### Note Attack surface testing scans are typically not CFAA compliant, meaning that they may attempt more extensive fuzzing to confirm or deny the presence of a CVE. Additionally, some attack surface tests are more intrusive than others. Tests are labeled with the level of intrusiveness, so you can decide whether to run more intrusive tests. {% endhint %} New attack surface tests are added at the discretion of the Cortex Xpanse Security Research Team when new vulnerabilities are announced. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-xpanse/attack-surface-testing/attack-surface-tests.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.