One Billion Records Expose Security Limitations in Human-Scale Remediation Efforts
Enterprise Security Model Broken
New research from the Qualys Threat Research Unit reveals that the current operational model underpinning enterprise security is flawed.
Critical Vulnerabilities Remain Unpatched
An analysis of over one billion CISA KEV remediation records from 10,000 organizations over four years shows that:
- The percentage of critical vulnerabilities still open at seven days has increased from 56% to 63%
- Vulnerability volumes have grown six and a half times since 2022
- The average Time-to-Exploit has collapsed to negative seven days
Of the 52 tracked weaponized vulnerabilities, 88% were patched more slowly than they were exploited.
The “Manual Tax” Adds Complexity
A multiplier effect where long-tail assets that human processes cannot reach drag exposure from weeks into months adds complexity to the issue.
Cumulative Exposure is the True Risk Metric
The Average Window of Exposure (AWE) measures the full duration from weaponization to remediation across the environment.
Cybersecurity Must Evolve
Cybersecurity has long operated as a derivative of technology shifts, but AI breaks that pattern by fundamentally transforming the adversary itself.
A New Approach is Needed
The traditional scan-and-report model needs to be replaced by an end-to-end Risk Operations Center: embedded intelligence arriving as machine-readable decision logic, active confirmation validating whether a vulnerability is actually exploitable in a specific environment, and autonomous action compressing response to the timescale the threat demands.
Closing the Risk Gap Requires Adoption of AI-Powered Security
Organizations that succeed in closing the risk gap do so by removing human latency from the critical path, not by having larger teams.