CTEM Adoption Gap Widens in Enterprise Security

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A Growing Divide in Enterprise Security

A growing divide is emerging in the world of enterprise security, one that has nothing to do with budget size or industry, but rather the adoption of a single framework: Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM).

Study Findings

A recent market intelligence study of 128 senior security decision-makers reveals that organizations that have implemented CTEM demonstrate significantly better attack surface visibility, solution adoption, and threat awareness.

The study found that 16% of respondents have implemented CTEM, while 84% have not. This divide is not due to a lack of awareness, as 87% of security leaders recognize the importance of CTEM. However, implementing CTEM is a different story, with many security leaders struggling to sell its benefits to management in the face of competing priorities and budget constraints.

What is CTEM?

CTEM involves shifting from a reactive approach to security, where vulnerabilities are patched as they are discovered, to a proactive approach, where risk exposures are continuously discovered, validated, and prioritized.

This approach is widely recognized as a next-generation evolution of exposure and risk management, and the study reinforces Gartner’s view that businesses that adopt CTEM will consistently demonstrate stronger security outcomes.

Managing Complex Attack Surfaces

The study also highlights the challenge of managing complex attack surfaces. As the number of domains and connected assets increases, the risk of blind spots and attack vectors multiplies.

Traditional snapshot security approaches are unable to keep up with this complexity, and only CTEM-driven programs can provide the necessary oversight to continuously identify and validate dark assets.

Security Landscape

The study’s findings are particularly relevant in today’s security landscape, where 91% of CISOs report an increase in third-party incidents, and average breach costs have climbed to $4.44M.

The report shows that attack surface management has become a boardroom issue, and security leaders must consider the limitations of traditional security approaches in high-complexity environments.

Peer Benchmarking Data

The peer benchmarking data in the study reveals a clear pattern: beyond a certain level of complexity, traditional security approaches stop scaling.

The takeaway is clear: for security leaders operating in high-complexity environments, the question is no longer whether CTEM is valuable, but whether their current approach can realistically keep up without it.

Implications for Security Leaders

The study’s findings have significant implications for security leaders, who must navigate the challenges of implementing CTEM in the face of organizational inertia and competing priorities.

By understanding the benefits and limitations of CTEM, security leaders can make informed decisions about how to manage their attack surface and stay ahead of emerging threats.