Last year alone, over 30,000 new vulnerabilities were published, with a new vulnerability emerging approximately every 17 minutes - averaging 600 new vulnerabilities per week, according to Skybox Security.
The report highlights a critical gap in remediation efforts, with the average time to patch exceeding 100 days, contrasted against the finding that 75% of new vulnerabilities are exploited in 19 days or less.
These findings underscore the urgent need for continuous exposure management and modern vulnerability mitigation strategies to safeguard against the growing risks of cyberattacks.
2023 witnessed a surge in vulnerabilities, with the National Vulnerability Database recording a 17% year-over-year increase.
Half of all 2023 vulnerabilities considered high or critical.
Skybox found that nearly half of all newly discovered vulnerabilities were classified as high or critical.
The sheer volume of threats makes it difficult to prioritize effectively, potentially leaving critical risks overlooked and organizations exposed.
This report further exposes a critical cybersecurity challenge: a shrinking window for vulnerability patching.
The mean time to exploit plummeted to just 44 days in 2023, with a concerning 25% of vulnerabilities exploited the same day and a staggering 75% within 19 days.
There is a very short window for remediation of new vulnerabilities, which leaves cybercriminals ample time to compromise networks if not acted upon quickly.
The downside of traditional vulnerability scanning methods.
Traditional vulnerability scanning methods struggle to keep pace with today's surge in vulnerabilities.
The sheer volume overwhelms even the most diligent security teams, making spreadsheet-based tracking and patching cycles ineffective.
This is why organizations are increasingly turning to modern vulnerability management solutions.
A modern vulnerability management approach integrated within a continuous exposure management program becomes crucial to combat shrinking remediation windows.
Continuous vulnerability identification: leveraging automated techniques to discover new vulnerabilities across systems and networks constantly.
Risk-based prioritization: Not all vulnerabilities are created equal.
Effective vulnerability management prioritizes threats based on factors like exploitability, potential impact on critical systems or data, and the existence of patches.
Leveraging existing controls: Vulnerability management solutions can help identify how these controls can be used to mitigate the risks posed by specific vulnerabilities, even before a patch is available.
Effective vulnerability management ensures adherence to relevant data privacy regulations and responsible testing.
This Cyber News was published on www.helpnetsecurity.com. Publication date: Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:13:05 +0000