It might seem like the security landscape is improving, but statistics from Rapid7’s 2022 Vulnerability Intelligence Report tell a different story. In 2022, 56% of the vulnerabilities in the report were exploited within seven days of public disclosure – a 12% increase over 2021, and an 87% increase over 2020. Resources for triaging and remediating vulnerabilities remain limited, and priorities can be misdirected. It’s also become more difficult to accurately assess the magnitude of a vulnerability, as evidenced by the hype surrounding Log4Shell, Spring4Shell, and Text4Shell. All of this is complicated by the decreasing time-to-exploit for newly disclosed vulnerabilities, leading to a situation where security teams must prioritize with limited resources and increased pressure.
The Rapid7 report reveals three primary takeaways: First, widespread threats remain high, with common payloads being cryptocurrency miners, web shells, and a variety of botnet malware. Second, the complexity of the ransomware ecosystem and its diversification has resulted in decreased visibility and lower confidence levels in tracking full attack chains and timelines. Third, the time-to-exploit for newly disclosed vulnerabilities is decreasing dramatically.
In summary, the security landscape is becoming increasingly challenging for security teams, with the time-to-exploit for newly disclosed vulnerabilities decreasing, resources for triaging and remediating vulnerabilities remaining limited, and the complexity of the ransomware ecosystem leading to decreased visibility. Security teams must prioritize with limited resources and increased pressure.
Key Points:
- Widespread threats remain high, with common payloads being cryptocurrency miners, web shells, and a variety of botnet malware.
- The complexity of the ransomware ecosystem and its diversification has resulted in decreased visibility and lower confidence levels in tracking full attack chains and timelines.
- The time-to-exploit for newly disclosed vulnerabilities is decreasing dramatically.
- Resources for triaging and remediating vulnerabilities remain limited, and priorities can be misdirected.
- Security teams must prioritize with limited resources and increased pressure.
