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Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) Emphasizes Prioritization and Validation

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Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is a framework that prioritizes and validates security exposures based on real business impact. It addresses the limitations of traditional vulnerability management, which often leads to chasing irrelevant alerts and ignoring critical threats. CTEM focuses on the handful of exposures that truly matter and validates them against specific environments to prove defense effectiveness. CTEM is designed to handle the increasing volume of vulnerabilities and non-technical exposures, such as misconfigured SaaS apps and human errors. It uses Adversarial Exposure Validation (AEV) technologies, including Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) and Automated Penetration Testing, to provide continuous validation and an attacker's perspective at scale. The framework emphasizes a continuous cycle of identifying, prioritizing, and remediating exploitable exposures across the attack surface. It integrates various sub-processes and tools like vulnerability assessment, vulnerability management, attack surface management, testing, and simulation. Threat intelligence plays a crucial role in CTEM by connecting vulnerabilities to adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) observed in active campaigns.

Timeline

  1. 25.09.2025 14:49 2 articles · 4mo ago

    CTEM Framework Introduced to Prioritize and Validate Security Exposures

    Gartner introduced the Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) framework, emphasizing prioritization and validation of security exposures. This approach addresses the limitations of traditional vulnerability management, which often leads to chasing irrelevant alerts and ignoring critical threats. CTEM focuses on the handful of exposures that truly matter and validates them against specific environments to prove defense effectiveness. The framework is designed to handle the increasing volume of vulnerabilities and non-technical exposures, such as misconfigured SaaS apps and human errors. It uses Adversarial Exposure Validation (AEV) technologies, including Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) and Automated Penetration Testing, to provide continuous validation and an attacker's perspective at scale. CTEM emphasizes a continuous cycle of identifying, prioritizing, and remediating exploitable exposures across the attack surface. It integrates various sub-processes and tools like vulnerability assessment, vulnerability management, attack surface management, testing, and simulation. Threat intelligence plays a crucial role in CTEM by connecting vulnerabilities to adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) observed in active campaigns.

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Gartner Introduces Exposure Assessment Platforms (EAP) Category

Gartner has introduced a new category called Exposure Assessment Platforms (EAP) in its Magic Quadrant, signaling a shift from traditional Vulnerability Management (VM) to Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM). This change addresses the inefficiency of legacy VM tools, which often focus on 'dead end' vulnerabilities that do not significantly reduce risk. EAPs consolidate discovery across environments, prioritize based on context, and integrate exposure data into operational workflows to provide a unified view of risk. Gartner projects that organizations using this approach will reduce unplanned downtime by 30% by 2027. The new category highlights a market split between legacy incumbents and native Exposure Management players, with success now measured by the elimination of critical attack paths rather than the number of vulnerabilities patched.

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Purple Teaming with Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) for Continuous Cyber Defense

Purple teaming integrates red and blue teams to collaborate on continuous validation of defenses using Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS). This approach helps organizations close security gaps by continuously testing and improving defenses against real-world adversaries. The process involves red teams emulating attacks, blue teams responding and refining defenses, and both teams working together to validate and improve security controls. BAS automates these tasks, enabling faster, more accurate validation and continuous improvement. The methodology focuses on realistic, high-impact attack paths, prioritizing gaps that slip through prevention and detection. It measures actual improvements in time-to-detect, mean time to validate fixes, and the percentage of detected and prevented TTPs. AI can assist in parsing threat intelligence but must be carefully managed to avoid simulating incorrect threats.

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Continuous Exposure Management Enhances SOC Operations

Security Operations Centers (SOCs) are increasingly overwhelmed by the volume of alerts they handle daily, many of which are false positives. Traditional tools often lack the necessary context to quickly verify malicious alerts, leading to excessive manual triaging. Continuous exposure management (CEM) integrates exposure intelligence into existing SOC workflows, providing a unified view of the attack surface and critical assets. This approach helps SOCs prioritize and respond to threats more effectively, transforming generic alerts into targeted investigations. CEM platforms offer real-time context about systems, configurations, and vulnerabilities, enabling more efficient alert triage and precise incident response. By integrating CEM with EDRs, SIEMs, and SOAR tools, SOC teams can correlate discovered exposures with specific MITRE ATT&CK techniques, creating actionable threat intelligence. This integration supports automated response, prioritized remediation, and continuous feedback loops that improve detection and response capabilities.

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Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) Adoption in Daily Security Operations

The Picus Breach and Simulation (BAS) Summit highlighted the shift from compliance-based security to continuous validation through BAS. Security professionals emphasized the importance of testing defenses against real-world threats, rather than relying on assumptions. BAS has evolved into a daily practice, stress-testing defenses to ensure they respond effectively to actual attacks. The summit showcased practical applications of BAS in various industries, demonstrating its effectiveness in identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities. BAS is increasingly integrated into Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) strategies, providing actionable insights and prioritizing patching efforts based on real risk. The event also discussed the role of AI in enhancing BAS, focusing on curation rather than creation, to ensure accurate and efficient threat emulation.

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Proactive Threat Hunting Enhances Cybersecurity Readiness

Proactive threat hunting is crucial for enhancing cybersecurity readiness beyond traditional awareness campaigns. It identifies and mitigates vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, focusing on the proactive left side of the Cyber Defense Matrix. This approach involves continuous threat exposure management (CTEM), which models threats, validates controls, and secures the business environment. By collecting comprehensive data, mapping attack paths, and prioritizing by business impact, organizations can achieve a deeper understanding of their security posture and strengthen their defenses. Security Awareness Month highlights the importance of human behavior in cybersecurity but acknowledges that awareness alone is insufficient. Proactive threat hunting complements awareness by providing actionable insights and continuous validation of security measures.

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