Want to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management? Start Here!

Vulnerability Management (VM) has long been a cornerstone of organizational cybersecurity. Nearly as old as the discipline of cybersecurity itself, it aims to help organizations identify and address potential security issues before they become serious problems. Yet, in recent years, the limitations of this approach have become increasingly evident.

At its core, Vulnerability Management processes remain essential for identifying and addressing weaknesses. But as time marches on and attack avenues evolve, this approach is beginning to show its age. In a recent report, How to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management (Gartner, How to Grow Vulnerability Management Into Exposure Management, 8 November 2024, Mitchell Schneider Et Al.), we believe Gartner® addresses this point precisely and demonstrates how organizations can – and must – shift from a vulnerability-centric strategy to a broader Exposure Management (EM) framework. We feel it’s more than a worthwhile read and in this article, we’ll take a look at why Vulnerability Management falls short, why it’s so crucial to incorporate business context into security operations, and how organizations can better engage leadership with metrics that demonstrate tangible value.

To Start, Traditional Vulnerability Management is Limited

It surprises nobody that traditional Vulnerability Management solutions struggle to keep up with the challenges of cybersecurity today. There are a few specific reasons for this; Vulnerability management is a challenge owing to its wide scope of stakeholders who impact and interface with it. Another key challenge is simply the sheer volume of vulnerabilities identified. Without a clear way to rank them, traditional VM solutions leave security organizations with overwhelmingly long lists of vulnerabilities – and no clear roadmap to handle them.

Risk Based Vulnerability Management (RBVM) tools do come to prioritize remediations based on how likely they are to impact your environment or context, but even with these tools, it’s nowhere near enough to make a substantial dent in the volume of exposures you’ll need to address.

The operational fatigue born of this unprioritized deluge of vulnerabilities often results in critical vulnerabilities being overlooked. This, while less urgent issues consume valuable time and resources. It can also lead to ‘analysis paralysis’, when teams simply become paralyzed by the sheer number of issues they face, unable to decide where to start or how to act.

Traditional VM also misses the mark by failing to incorporate business context. This can lead to a focus on technical problems without considering how the associated vulnerabilities could impact critical business functions. Similar to analysis paralysis, this misalignment leads to inefficient use of resources and leaves organizations unnecessarily vulnerable.

Finally, compliance-driven vulnerability assessments are today more focused on meeting regulatory requirements than they are on improving security posture. While these VM-driven assessments may satisfy auditors, they rarely address the real-world threats that organizations face.

The Secret Sauce: Business Context

A crucial step in the shift to Exposure Management involves adding business context to every relevant security operation. This is essential in order to align cybersecurity efforts with strategic organizational goals. But it is also necessary so that we can shift cybersecurity away from being perceived as a technical exercise and a prevention-driven cost center and toward being a strategic and revenue enabler. By doing so, we can foster more informed decision-making on the security side, while reducing resistance from non-security stakeholders.

Aligning security objectives with business priorities also minimizes friction. Instead of focusing solely on technical risks, security teams can address questions like which assets are most critical to operations and reputation. This level of clarity helps ensure that scarce resources target the most significant risks. (Want to understand more about how to zero-in on business critical assets? Check out our recent article to learn how XM Cyber helps ID the assets that are absolutely essential to the functioning of your business and protect them from high-impact risks.)

What’s more, traditional security efforts often falter because they ask the wrong questions. The wrong question is: “How do I eliminate this vulnerability…and the next…and the next?” The right question would be “How does this vulnerability affect profitability/product adoption/revenue streams/name your business outcome – and should we even address it?” By asking the right questions and incorporating business context into security, we transform security from a reactive process into a proactive strategy. The shift to Exposure Management bridges the glaring gap between our technical teams and business leaders because it helps us show that security initiatives address the risks that matter most.

Understanding Today’s Attack Surface

It’s no secret that the attack surface has expanded far beyond traditional IT perimeters and that this introduces broader risks and challenges for security organizations. The era of ‘just’ on-prem systems and networks is long gone – today’s attack surface encompasses SaaS platforms, IoT devices, hybrid and remote workforces, complex supply chains, social media, third-party platforms, the dark web, public-facing assets and much, much more.

Managing attack surfaces can be overwhelming for security and risk leaders, especially when many are still poorly understood. To address these challenges, security operations managers need to prioritize their efforts by identifying attack surfaces that are easy to access or that hold high-value targets. And that’s why shifting from vulnerability management to exposure management is a critical step in making this happen.

This transition begins with improving visibility across all attack surfaces within the digital infrastructure. Key steps include identifying which attack surfaces to include in the program’s scope, conducting a gap analysis to uncover areas where existing technologies fall short, and using this information to define requirements for selecting the right vendors. These actions lay the foundation for effective attack surface management.

Engaging Leadership with Metrics

Finally, in the ridiculously complex cyber climate we operate in, finding common language to engage with organizational leadership is crucial to the transition from vulnerability management to exposure management.

Metrics is just such a language. It’s the best way to align cybersecurity efforts with business objectives and demonstrate the tangible value of exposure management. The key here is to ensure that C-suite executives, who live and breathe business outcomes, get business-driven metrics.

Metrics that reflect business-driven insights (such as a reduction of attack surface exposure, a decrease in risk to critical assets, and any operational efficiencies gained), bridge the gap between technical cybersecurity measures and business goals. Validated results, like simulations of attack scenarios or demonstrable reductions in lateral movement potential, are another way to deliver concrete evidence of success and grow leadership confidence.

As mentioned above, the closer we can tie security operations directly to business outcomes, the more likely leadership is to view cybersecurity as a business enabler rather than a cost center. Effective communication of metrics secures buy-in, resource allocation, and ongoing support for the shift exposure management. (To learn more on how to optimize reporting to the Board and or leadership, check out this eBook.)

The Bottom Line

The time to shift from Vulnerability Management to Exposure Management isn’t now – it’s yesterday. Traditional VM leaves organizations struggling to prioritize what truly matters and at risk of wasting precious resources. The shift to Exposure Management is more than just a natural technological evolution. It’s a mindset change that empowers businesses to focus on protecting what matters most: critical assets, operational continuity, strategic business outcomes. This transition isn’t just about better addressing vulnerabilities – it’s about creating a resilient, strategic defense that drives long-term success.

With Exposure Management, organizations can better address what truly matters: safeguarding our critical assets, minimizing operational disruptions, and aligning our cybersecurity efforts with business priorities.

Note: This article was expertly written and contributed by Shay Siksik, SVP Customer Experience at XM Cyber.