Fast action is essential for protection against exploits
In the first quarter of 2024, CISA added 40 Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) to the KEV catalog, an 8% increase from the same time last year. This underscores the persistent and evolving threats that organizations face from cyber adversaries. These new known exploits encompass a wide array of security issues ranging from remote code execution, access control and authentication bypasses, to injection vulnerabilities—all of which pose significant risks to affected systems by allowing unauthorized access, data manipulation, or complete system compromise.
Known Exploited Vulnerabilities by Vendor January -March 2024 Source: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency "Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog." 1 April 2024. - Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
No Immunity to Vulnerability Exploits
No organization, regardless of its size or industry, is immune to cyber threats. Even highly secured agencies like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have recently fallen victim to threats from adversaries who have exploited vulnerabilities. This reality underscores the fact that cyber threats are ubiquitous, penetrating every sector from government to private enterprises, demanding universal visibility and robust cybersecurity measures. These attacks are part of a trend of rapid escalation in cybersecurity threats, with an alarming surge in both the sophistication and frequency of attacks targeting organizations worldwide.
Cybercriminals are leveraging advanced techniques and exploiting new vulnerabilities at an unprecedented pace, posing significant challenges to cybersecurity defenses. According to CrowdStrike’s 2024 Global Threat Report, last year there was a 60% increase in interactive intrusions, which focus on exploiting vulnerabilities for credential access. Additionally, the report noted the average e-crime breakout time—in which an adversary can move in the network laterally after an intrusion—is a mere 62 minutes. With this level of sophistication and speed, organizations must be able to respond to threats with equal velocity and efficiency. With nearly 60% of companies taking two weeks or more just to initiate a patch deployment, the need for rapid response capabilities to mitigate vulnerabilities and prevent potential breaches has never been more critical.
Patching for Prevention
The known exploited vulnerabilities cataloged so far this year pose significant risks to affected systems and highlight the critical importance of timely patch application and security updates across various platforms, including web applications, operating systems, and network devices, to mitigate potential threats and safeguard sensitive information.
The time between the discovery of a vulnerability and its exploitation by adversaries has dramatically shortened, transforming speed to remediate from a best practice into an organizational lifeline. This heightened urgency underscores a critical shift: organizations must prioritize not just the thoroughness of their response but the velocity at which they can secure their networks against known vulnerabilities.
A Collaborative Response
The traditional silos separating IT and security teams have become untenable barriers to effective defense. The notion of waiting for absolute certainty before acting against potential threats is a luxury that organizations can no longer afford; securing endpoints with speed and precision is paramount. By fostering a culture of collaboration and decisiveness, IT and cybersecurity leaders can combine the agility needed to respond swiftly with the meticulousness required to ensure accuracy.
Delayed patch management and sluggish responses to security advisories no longer represent operational inefficiencies; they are direct invitations to cyber threats that can compromise sensitive data, disrupt operations, and erode stakeholder trust. It's time for a shift where speed in cybersecurity practices is seen as an essential component of resilience—not just a technical requirement—but a strategic asset. In doing so, organizations can transform their security posture from reactive to proactive, mitigating risks while actively shaping a safer digital ecosystem for themselves and their stakeholders.
