Over 25% of vulnerabilities are exploited before public disclosure, a chilling reality painting a stark picture of the evolving cybersecurity landscape. The recent Ivanti vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-46805 and CVE-2024-21887) serve as a sobering example: between December 2023 and February 2024, attackers leveraged undisclosed exploits to silently compromise systems before anyone knew they were vulnerable. This highlights the significant and complex challenge posed by threat actor-only known exploits.

Imagine attackers wielding secret keys, unlocking and infiltrating your defenses unseen. That's the power of undisclosed exploits. These "silent threats "** bypass conventional security measures**, leaving organizations vulnerable to data breaches, financial losses, and operational disruptions.

The targeted exploitation of CVE-2024-21893 further underscores the sophistication of attackers. Unlike the widespread attacks using CVE-2023-46805 and CVE-2024-21887, this vulnerability was selectively exploited, hinting at the potential existence of private exploits yet unknown to the public.

This pattern of exploitation exposes a broader issue: attackers are increasingly targeting undisclosed vulnerabilities, exploiting weaknesses unseen by traditional defenses. This complicates defense strategies as we fight an enemy armed with secret weapons.

To counter this evolving threat, organizations must be proactive. We can't solely rely on patching after public disclosure. We need to actively identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them.

To navigate the complex and evolving cybersecurity threat landscape, organizations need to proactively validate vulnerabilities within their external stack surface. This is crucial even when direct exploitability validation might not be achievable through passive validation methods. Clubbing active and passive validation for external vulnerabilities stands out as a critical strategy, enabling the discreet identification of potential vulnerabilities and misconfigurations through accurate profiling techniques without the need for active exploitability validation always with POC exploits. Implementing such methods, alongside robust vulnerability management practices, allows businesses to detect and mitigate security weaknesses preemptively.

Furthermore, organizations should harness threat intelligence gathered from passive and active validation methods concerning their external attack surface. This comprehensive approach is vital for avoiding the exploitation of potential vulnerabilities and emerging threats by TAs, especially those without publicly available exploits.

The contemporary cybersecurity domain requires unwavering vigilance and the ability to adapt swiftly. As cyber adversaries continually evolve tactics and target specific technologies and systemic vulnerabilities, embracing a multifaceted security approach is indispensable. Integrating proactive defense strategies with advanced detection and response mechanisms enables organizations to counter the sophisticated techniques of cyber adversaries effectively. This robust protection ensures the ongoing resilience and integrity of their digital infrastructure. At NST Cyber, our NST Assure Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) service embodies this approach, providing enterprise customers with the essential tools and insights to navigate the cybersecurity landscape confidently.

A Strategic Approach to External Cyber Threat Management

NST Assure Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) platform stands out by integrating exploitation intelligence, asset contextualization, vulnerability prioritization, and exploitation validation elements into a comprehensive threat management strategy.

The platform goes beyond basic vulnerability tracking by:

• Utilizing AI for observation contextualization and advanced discovery of the external attack surface.
• Automatically discovering and cataloging all organizational assets, including cloud resources and network devices.
• Mapping the attack surface with asset and threat context, ensuring continuous prioritization.
• Assessing vulnerabilities in relation to the criticality of affected assets with safe and controlled exploitation validation.

NST Assure CTEM's approach helps prioritize vulnerabilities effectively, combining exploitability and asset criticality. It supports real-time response to emerging threats and enables an automated remediation process with defense instrumentation. Continuous monitoring and detailed contextualization followed by vulnerability prioritization and exploitation validation help to maintain security posture hygiene over time, aiding in compliance and strategic security planning.

By focusing on external attack surface management and critical asset protection, NST Assure CTEM facilitates a shift towards a proactive security posture, concentrating on the most critical vulnerabilities and threats.

‍