IT teams are tasked with identifying and fending off cyber threats before they can damage the organization’s IT assets. However, a record total of 40,704 new vulnerabilities were identified in 2024, a 30 percent increase over 2023. Almost half of those were critical or high severity, 31 were zero-day exploits, and 129 are widely exploited.
That’s almost 800 new vulnerabilities each week, more than most IT teams can handle. One recent survey found that it takes more than 21 minutes to detect and remediate each vulnerability. Not surprisingly, 66 percent of IT professionals said they have a backlog of more than 100,000 unpatched vulnerabilities.
IT teams simply don’t have enough resources to keep pace with the onslaught of vulnerabilities. That’s a big problem given that unpatched bugs are one of the most common attack vectors. Experts estimate that almost two-thirds of cyberattacks exploit flaws for which patches have been developed but not applied.
What Is Continuous Risk Scanning?
The magnitude of these issues is driving increased demand for continuous risk scanning. These solutions use agent-based, agentless and cloud-based scanners to continuously monitor the internal and external IT environment. AI-powered tools analyze the identified risks, providing IT teams with the insight they need to respond quickly to threats and prioritize vulnerabilities for remediation.
Best-in-class solutions start by conducting a baseline analysis against the most relevant vulnerabilities. They then use machine learning to analyze this data in context and rate each vulnerability based on the degree of risk. Continuous risk scanning solutions also identify all assets in the IT environment — a critical step given that unmanaged “shadow” devices are a growing challenge.
After the initial vulnerability analysis, continuous risk scanning tools assess the network on a predefined schedule. When they detect a change to the environment, they automatically update dashboards and reports so the IT team always has up-to-date insight into vulnerabilities.
Gaining Better Visibility into Vulnerabilities
Traditionally, vulnerability scans were performed manually at certain intervals, often quarterly or less frequently. However, the IT environment and threat landscape are constantly changing. New vulnerabilities can arise at any point, and IT teams often lack the tools and resources to respond to them rapidly.
Continuous risk scanning tools provide the peace of mind that the IT environment is being monitored around the clock. They generate real-time alerts whenever a potential vulnerability is identified, allowing IT teams to respond to threats quickly so malicious actors have less time to exploit them.
Comprehensive reporting is another key feature of continuous risk scanning solutions. IT teams can quickly drill down into the most critical vulnerabilities, or view snapshots of the IT environment at any particular point in time. Risk scoring reports prioritize vulnerabilities based on their potential to be exploited. Some tools also collect the metrics needed to ensure compliance with various government and industry regulations.
Preparing for Continuous Risk Scanning
Organizations need to conduct upfront planning and due diligence to get the most from continuous risk monitoring. A key step is to identify the most critical IT assets — the systems, applications and data that would cause the greatest disruption if they were compromised. Those assets will be prioritized in the risk scanning systems.
It’s also important to set goals for risk scanning, such as improving the overall security posture, meeting legal or regulatory requirements, or protecting specific assets. By establishing clear objectives, organizations are better positioned to select the right risk scanning tool and implement it successfully.
Verteks is here to help guide your continuous risk scanning initiative. Our team can assess your environment to identify the solution that best fits your needs and help you configure it for maximum effectiveness. Contact one of our security professionals to schedule a confidential consultation.
