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Today, the risk of vulnerability exploits has become the number one issue in security – in conjunction with exploitation of other weaknesses, like a lack of or misconfigured multifactor authentication (MFA).
So, we brought together leading experts – from Check Point, Rapid7, Qualys, SentinelOne, Vulcan, and Continuity – to discuss emerging trends shaping the field of vulnerability management in 2025.
Three developments will continue to deliver positive impacts in the next 2 years.
Technology and data are being integrated in such a way that we will see the opportunity to more quickly and accurately contextualize risk, whereby threat intelligence is directly incorporated into the triaging process.
This is a welcome advancement, given the flood of vulnerabilities that are currently being exploited before the public can be made aware.
As the shift towards risk-based prioritization continues to gain momentum, it will likely become standard practice in the coming years.
This approach involves assessing vulnerabilities on their potential impact when compared to the criticality of the assets they sit on. It also encompasses ensuring that you’re taking a complete holistic view of all data, tools, countermeasures, and environmental factors when making some sort of a risk-based decision.
One of the most exciting developments in vulnerability management is the adoption of Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM).
This approach shifts organizations from periodic vulnerability scans to a dynamic, ongoing assessment of threats and exposures. It allows security teams to respond more quickly to emerging risks.
Simultaneously, the rise of Attack Surface Management (ASM) addresses the challenges posed by cloud services and shadow IT.
By identifying and securing external exposures, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of overlooked vulnerabilities.
The integration of real-time threat intelligence with vulnerability data will be crucial. By prioritizing vulnerabilities based on exploitability and adversary tactics, organizations can allocate resources where they matter most.
Finally, agentless scanning represents a leap forward in scalability and efficiency. These tools enable faster, non-intrusive assessments, particularly suited for cloud and IoT environments.
Over the next two years, we foresee several significant developments shaping the future of vulnerability management:
Shift to Continuous Vulnerability Assessment
I see more enterprises moving away from periodic scans to continuous vulnerability monitoring. This will ensure that vulnerabilities are identified as soon as they emerge, reducing exposure windows.
Partly driven by industry standards and regulation but also because it forces organizations to establish automated workflows for triage and remediation as opposed to periodic reports, excel files, etc. This will also put a greater focus on remediation validation.
Expanded Coverage for Non-Traditional Assets
Vulnerability assessment is broadening to cover non-traditional areas such as:
Enterprises increasingly depend on these technologies, which were historically overlooked in vulnerability scanning.
Regulatory and Compliance-Driven Enhancements
Enterprises are increasingly required to demonstrate compliance with frameworks such as NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), ISO 27001 and Industry-specific standards (e.g., HIPAA, PCI DSS).
Vulnerability management tools are expanding reporting capabilities to align with these standards. This will also trigger the convergence of vulnerability and configuration management.
Future solutions are expected to offer unified platforms that address both areas, providing comprehensive insights into system weaknesses and misconfigurations, thereby streamlining remediation efforts.
Last, as regulations now clearly outline that outsourcing IT to managed service providers does not dismiss the organization’s responsibility for cyber-security, we shall see more organizations adopt a “Trust but Verify” model that involves not only contractual commitment but also technical control and supervision over managed service providers.
Three key areas to be cyber resilient in the realm of continuous threats:
Maintaining a strong security posture requires organizations to maintain a proactive and continuous approach in managing their attack surface.
This includes rigorously assessing and monitoring their internal and external environments to pinpoint vulnerabilities and mitigate the exposures adversaries might exploit.
It also goes beyond traditional, episodic vulnerability scans in favor of a dynamic and cross-functional process that’s integrated with detection and response mechanisms.
By embedding exposure insights into incident response workflows, security teams can swiftly adapt their security strategies and implement compensating controls in real time.
This ensures a resilient posture that not only safeguards against threats but also enables a rapid recovery when breaches occur.
Security posture management (SPM) is crucial for enhancing cyber resilience. Organizations can leverage SPM by implementing continuous monitoring, risk-based prioritization, and automated vulnerability management.
You should deploy advanced analytics for threat detection, establishing comprehensive security controls, and developing robust incident response plans.
It's essential to focus on continuous improvement through regular assessments and employee training.
By integrating security into all business processes, including DevSecOps and cloud environments, organizations can not only prevent breaches but also ensure rapid recovery when incidents occur.
Organizations can enhance their resilience and expedite recovery from breaches by effectively managing their security posture. This involves continuous risk assessment, resilience testing, and centralized management, which includes:
Organizations can strengthen cyber resilience by consolidating visibility across all attack surfaces into a single pane of glass.
This approach enables rapid assessment of breach impacts and ensures access to current owner information, facilitating faster response, containment of lateral movement, and mitigation of the threat's impact.
Furthermore, clear prioritization paired with defined SLAs can help prevent breaches or, at the very least, minimize their effects.
There are a few key recommendations:
By integrating security posture management into their broader cybersecurity strategy, organizations can reduce their attack surface, improve detection and response times, and maintain robust recovery mechanisms. This proactive approach not only mitigates the likelihood of successful attacks but also ensures business continuity in the face of evolving cyber threats.
