Ethical Hacking News
A new approach to cybersecurity has emerged: Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM). This proactive approach involves continuously monitoring an organization's exposure to cyber risks and identifying potential vulnerabilities before they become major issues. In this article, we explore the challenges and opportunities associated with CTEM and examine the experiences of three cybersecurity leaders who are putting this approach into practice.
Organizations need to implement effective security measures to detect and respond to potential breaches in real-time. Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating threats by continuously monitoring an organization's exposure to cyber risks. Asset inventory management is a key challenge facing organizations that implement CTEM, requiring a comprehensive understanding of an organization's assets and how they are being used. Weak service accounts, over-permissioned users, and legacy logins can create significant vulnerabilities in an organization's defenses. Threat intelligence is essential for informing security testing programs and providing valuable insights into an organization's adversaries. Reporting and communication are critical components of CTEM, requiring organizations to be prepared to answer hard questions from regulators about their exposure, remediation timelines, and risk treatment. Measuring progress in CTEM involves identifying and addressing potential risks, rather than just counting vulnerabilities.
The world of cybersecurity is constantly evolving, with new threats and vulnerabilities emerging every day. In order to stay ahead of these threats, organizations need to implement effective security measures that can detect and respond to potential breaches in real-time. One approach that has gained significant attention in recent years is Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM). CTEM is a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating threats by continuously monitoring an organization's exposure to cyber risks.
In this article, we will delve into the world of CTEM, exploring its challenges, opportunities, and best practices. We will also examine the experiences of three cybersecurity leaders who recently discussed their approaches to implementing CTEM in production environments. These leaders, Alex Delay, Ben Mead, and Michael Francess, shared their insights on how to overcome common challenges associated with CTEM, such as asset inventory management, identity management, and threat intelligence.
One of the key challenges facing organizations that implement CTEM is asset inventory management. According to Michael Francess, Director of Cybersecurity Advanced Threat at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, "You need to understand your adversaries, simulate their TTPs, and test your defenses against real-world scenarios, not just patching CVEs." This highlights the importance of having a comprehensive understanding of an organization's assets and how they are being used.
Another challenge associated with CTEM is identity management. Ben Mead, Director of Cybersecurity at Avidity Biosciences, pointed out that weak service accounts, over-permissioned users, and legacy logins can create significant vulnerabilities in an organization's defenses. "These are not small gaps, they're wide-open doors that need to be checked frequently," he emphasized.
Despite these challenges, CTEM offers a number of opportunities for organizations to improve their security posture. By continuously monitoring their exposure to cyber risks, organizations can identify and address potential vulnerabilities before they become major issues.
One approach to implementing CTEM is through the use of threat intelligence. According to Alex Delay, CISO at IDB Bank, threat intelligence can provide valuable insights into an organization's adversaries and help inform security testing programs. "Threat intelligence is the backbone of any security testing program," he said.
Another key aspect of CTEM is reporting and communication. According to Ben Mead, organizations need to be prepared to answer hard questions from regulators about their exposure, remediation timelines, and risk treatment. "You will get challenged on your exposure, your remediation timelines, and your risk treatment," he noted.
In terms of measuring progress, success in CTEM is not just about counting vulnerabilities, but rather about identifying and addressing potential risks. According to Michael Francess, one approach to measuring progress is through the use of tabletop exercises that walk leadership through real attack scenarios. "It's not about metrics, it's about explaining the risk and the consequences," he emphasized.
In conclusion, Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) offers a number of opportunities for organizations to improve their security posture. By implementing CTEM, organizations can identify and address potential vulnerabilities before they become major issues. However, this requires a proactive approach that includes asset inventory management, identity management, threat intelligence, reporting, and communication.
The experiences of three cybersecurity leaders - Alex Delay, Ben Mead, and Michael Francess - highlight the importance of these aspects of CTEM. Their insights offer valuable lessons for organizations looking to implement CTEM in their own production environments.
By understanding the challenges and opportunities associated with CTEM, organizations can take steps to improve their security posture and reduce their risk of being breached by cyber threats.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-Challenges-and-Opportunities-of-Continuous-Threat-Exposure-Management-ehn.shtml
https://thehackernews.com/2025/06/between-buzz-and-reality-ctem.html
Published: Tue Jun 24 13:58:32 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M