Vulnerability Statistics Report
The 2023 vulnerability statistics report is our 8th edition and provides a statistical model of the most common weaknesses faced by organizations across the globe to enable data-driven decisions for managing risks and exposures more effectively.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
2023 Vulnerability Statistics Report
This year’s report delves into Risk Density, Mean Time to Remediate (MTTR) critical vulnerabilities, and the convergence of vulnerability management and penetration testing output. The report outlines the importance of visibility in controlling risks, as well as the need for patching and maintenance in protecting against known exploitables.
Additionally, the report emphasizes the importance of Risk Based Vulnerability Management, taking into account asset criticality to prioritize risks, and the difference between compliance and security. Finally, the report provides insight into the most common vulnerabilities in the web application, API, and Device/Host layers and how to prioritize them for remediation.
Interesting Findings Include:
- Non-internet facing systems have a significant risk density resulting in an easy time for criminals once the network perimeter is breached
- Mean Time to Remediation (MTTR) for Critical Severity vulnerabilities is 65 days
- 33% of all vulnerabilities across the full stack discovered in 2022 were either High or Critical Severity
- The most common application layer and API vulnerabilities are still Injection related
- 13.5% of vulnerabilities in an enterprise’s backlog are either high or critical severity
- 12% of all Risk accepted vulnerabilities in 2022 were considered (in isolation) Critical Severity
New in this report is the way Edgescan looks at prioritization and risk scores. Since Edgescan employs several risk prioritization scoring mechanisms we take a deeper look at the most common risks faced by organizations and look at correlation of the various risk scoring methodologies.
We are still not getting the basics right; In 2022 we’ve observed many very basic vulnerabilities, many of which are commonly leveraged by cybercrime. Continuous assessment, validation & prioritization will make a huge difference to any organization’s cybersecurity posture. All vulnerabilities are not created equal, and we must focus on what matters to protect our respective organizations and businesses…
– Eoin Keary, CEO & Founder
Overview of the Edgescan Vulnerability Stats Report
Since 2015 Edgescan has annually produced the Vulnerability Statistics Report to provide a global snapshot of the overall state of cybersecurity. The report presents a by-the-numbers insight into trends and statistics looking back across a 12-month data set from the previous year, including cyber threats, data breaches, and cyber attacks. Every year the report provides a statistical model, that is presented using infographics and charts, of the most common weaknesses faced by enterprises to enable data-driven decisions for managing risks and exposures more effectively.
This yearly report has become a reliable source for approximating the global state of vulnerability management. This is exemplified by our unique dataset being part of the Verizon Data Breach Report (DBIR), which is the de facto standard for insights into the common drivers for incidents and breaches today.
Methodology of Data Collection
