An unprecedented year of cyberthreats made 2023 a year like no other. With over thirty thousand new Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), security teams are overwhelmed by the volume of threats they must keep up with.
Skybox’s recently released 2024 Vulnerability and Threats Trends Report gives us insight into why. The astounding fact is that a new CVE emerges approximately every 17 minutes, which means that, on average, there were nearly 600 new vulnerabilities per week.
Vulnerability and Threat Trends Report 2024
The data is clear: the speed of cybercrime continues to increase. Another record-breaking year forces security teams to rethink vulnerability management.
Half of the new CVEs are classified as high or critical severity; the sheer volume of vulnerabilities dilutes focus and makes it challenging to prioritize the highest risks, leaving security teams with a “focus gap.”
With half of CVEs classified as “critical” or “high” severity, it’s difficult for teams to know which vulnerabilities pose the greatest risk to their organization, creating a Focus Gap.
If volume alone wasn’t enough, most teams struggle to understand their attack surface. This could be due to air-gapped networks, unpatchable OT devices, or having more than one scanner that provides conflicting information. Without a single source of truth and end-to-end visibility, many organizations are left with a “visibility gap.”
In addition to the overwhelming number of vulnerabilities, the report highlights the speed at which cybercriminals can exploit a new vulnerability. This makes visibility even more important for organizations that struggle to focus on the vulnerabilities that pose the highest risk. By introducing risk-based prioritization, you can ensure your efforts help you maximize your teams’ efforts and reduce risk.
When prioritizing risk, it’s critical to consider not just industry metrics, such as severity or exploitability, but organization-specific risk metrics, such as:
These enable you to cut out the noise and reduce thousands of vulnerabilities to a manageable number so you can find and act quickly on vulnerabilities that represent the most risk to your business — before they cause harm.
Having a comprehensive view of your hybrid attack surface and focusing on the risks that truly matter can help you better manage the ever-evolving threat landscape. Finding the right tools and strategies for a proactive approach helps organizations stay ahead of cybercriminals and better protect their networks.
June 26, 2024
The timeline of cybersecurity: Why organizations need to find better ways to mitigate risk
Today’s cybercriminals are quick to exploit new vulnerabilities. To stay protected, security teams need a more proactive approach to vulnerability management.
June 26, 2024
Skybox Security Report Reveals Over 30,000 New Vulnerabilities Published in Past Year
Annual Report Uncovers Major Gaps with Traditional Vulnerability Management Leading to Long Exposure Times and Increased Risk
