In recent years, the landscape of cybersecurity has evolved drastically, presenting significant challenges for businesses striving to protect their assets. The continuous expansion of attack surfaces has heightened risks, making it increasingly difficult for traditional security measures to keep pace. Organizations now find themselves in search of effective solutions to manage these risks.
In response to these growing concerns, Gartner introduced the Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) framework in 2022. This framework has gained traction among various organizations due to its potential to enhance security readiness and resilience. By adopting CTEM, companies can achieve a comprehensive view of their attack surface, which aids in identifying vulnerabilities and assessing the effectiveness of existing security controls.
According to Gartner’s report titled “How to Manage Cybersecurity Threats, Not Episodes,” organizations that prioritize their security investments through a continuous exposure management program will be three times less likely to suffer a cybersecurity breach by 2026. CTEM facilitates a robust approach by continuously analyzing the attack surface, testing security measures, and implementing timely remediation strategies for identified vulnerabilities.
However, the journey to integrate CTEM can be daunting, comprising a multitude of interconnected elements. It requires a systematic approach to coordinate digital assets, workloads, networks, identities, and data within an organization. To streamline this process, the CTEM framework can be understood through its fundamental pillars.
The first pillar emphasizes the importance of expanding visibility of the attack surface. Effective asset management and the ability to discern each asset’s exposure profile are crucial for understanding the environment completely. Companies that implement CTEM develop a more accurate reflection of their digital assets’ vulnerabilities by adopting an attacker’s perspective, focusing not just on inventory but on navigating the attack surface regarding availability, integrity, and confidentiality.
The second pillar entails leveling up vulnerability management. Traditionally, organizations focused on identifying and patching known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), but that approach is waning in effectiveness due to the growing complexity of IT environments. With an overwhelming number of CVEs published annually—such as 29,085 in the previous year—many remain unexploited. CTEM shifts the focus from merely patching vulnerabilities to prioritizing exposures based on their likelihood of exploitation and their potential impact on critical assets, thus ensuring a more strategic defense posture.
The third pillar of CTEM is validation, which transitions the framework from theory to practical strategy. This involves proactively testing security controls by emulating the techniques used by attackers. Organizations can adopt various strategies to mirror adversarial methods, including thinking in terms of network graphs, automating tests, validating actual attack paths, and conducting continuous testing rather than relying solely on periodic assessments.
Investing in a CTEM strategy is imperative for businesses aiming to adapt to the evolving cybersecurity landscape. This ongoing process of refinement should focus on expanding existing asset and vulnerability management systems while ensuring that validation remains central to the strategy. With a well-implemented CTEM framework, organizations can better navigate the complexities of their cybersecurity environments and be prepared to address exposures as they arise.
For businesses looking to strengthen their cybersecurity posture through a validation-first CTEM strategy, further insights can be gained from specialized resources such as those offered by Pentera, which provides guidance on establishing a robust CTEM framework tailored to the organization’s specific needs. As the cybersecurity landscape continues to change, proactive measures and continual refinement of security strategies will be crucial in safeguarding against emerging threats.
