FAQ: Everything you need to know about Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM)

As the number of vulnerabilities grows each year, organisations are grappling with an increasingly complex security landscape. Traditional, reactive security methods struggle to keep pace, often leaving critical gaps unaddressed. Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) steps in as a proactive solution, providing a continuous approach that prioritises high-risk exposures and significantly reduces the chance of breaches. This FAQ explores how CTEM works and why it’s becoming essential for effective, modern cyber security.

1. What is Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM)?

Answer: Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is a cyber security programme designed to identify, prioritise, and manage vulnerabilities and exposures within an organisation on an ongoing basis. Unlike periodic scans, CTEM continuously monitors for risks, helping organisations prevent security incidents by addressing critical threats before they escalate. CTEM as a Service offers a real-time, comprehensive view of security exposures, making it an essential part of modern threat management.

2. Why do organisations need Continuous Threat Exposure Management?

Answer: With the rapidly increasing number of vulnerabilities, organisations need a way to continuously monitor and prioritise exposures. CTEM helps organisations manage this growing risk effectively, reducing the likelihood of breaches by focusing on the most critical vulnerabilities. According to Gartner, organisations that implement CTEM reduce their chances of experiencing a breach by threefold compared to those relying on outdated methods.

3. How does Continuous Threat Exposure Management differ from traditional Vulnerability Management?

Answer: Traditional vulnerability management relies on periodic scans, which can generate long lists of vulnerabilities with little prioritisation. CTEM, however, provides a continuous, prioritised approach to threat management. Rather than focusing solely on detecting vulnerabilities, CTEM evaluates their potential impact and prioritises remediations, ensuring organisations address the highest risks to their critical assets. This ongoing focus allows for more proactive and efficient cyber security management.

4. What are the Core Components of Continuous Threat Exposure Management?

Answer: CTEM is built on a structured, iterative process that includes:

• Scoping: Mapping the entire attack surface, including on-premises, cloud assets, and identity configurations, with an attacker’s perspective to uncover all possible entry points.
• Discovery: Identifying assets and categorising risk profiles to include not only vulnerabilities but also misconfigurations and ineffective security controls.
• Prioritisation: Ranking exposures based on their impact on critical assets, helping organisations focus on the highest-priority threats.
• Validation: Testing how potential exposures could be exploited by attackers and evaluating the effectiveness of existing security controls.
• Mobilisation: Coordinating remediation efforts by working closely with IT, DevOps, and other teams to implement mitigations and maintain a continuous improvement cycle.

5. How does Integrity360 deliver Continuous Threat Exposure Management as a Service?

Answer: Integrity360’s CTEM as a Service is powered by the XM Cyber Continuous Exposure Management Platform. The service begins with setting up and managing the platform, followed by continuous exposure detection and prioritisation. Integrity360 provides expert guidance for remediation, as well as optional support for organisations that need additional resources to manage remediations. This cyclical, managed approach ensures organisations can consistently improve their security posture, staying prepared for new and emerging threats.

6. What are the benefits of Continuous Threat Exposure Management?

Answer: Implementing CTEM offers a range of benefits, including:

• Risk Reduction: By identifying and remediating critical exposures, CTEM helps minimise attack paths, reducing the likelihood of a breach.
• Enhanced Resilience: Continuous monitoring and assessment enable organisations to adapt quickly to new threats.
• Cost Efficiency: CTEM focuses resources on the most impactful threats, maximising the return on investment in security efforts.
• Better Alignment Between Security and IT: CTEM ensures clear prioritisation, helping security and IT teams collaborate effectively.
• Continuous Improvement: With its iterative approach, CTEM allows organisations to regularly refine and enhance their security posture.

7. What Levels of Continuous Threat Exposure Management Service Does Integrity360 Offer?

Answer: Integrity360’s CTEM as a Service offers flexibility to meet the unique needs of each organisation:

• Continuous Threat Exposure Prioritisation: This foundational service provides ongoing management of the CTEM platform, continuous detection of exposures, and prioritised remediation recommendations.
• Continuous Threat Exposure Management: For those needing more in-depth support, this advanced level includes full remediation management. Integrity360 integrates with ticketing systems like Jira and ServiceNow, manages the entire remediation process, and provides regular KPI reporting.

For organisations facing resource challenges, Integrity360 also offers CyberConnect360, a resource augmentation service that provides access to expert remediation specialists who support or lead remediation efforts.

8. How Does Continuous Threat Exposure Management support remediation prioritisation?

Answer: One of the key objectives of CTEM is to support remediation prioritisation. With thousands of vulnerabilities potentially affecting any organisation, it’s impractical to address them all. CTEM helps by identifying which exposures most contribute to attack paths, guiding organisations to focus on high-impact remediations first. This prioritised approach aligns security and IT teams on what matters most, enabling faster and more strategic threat mitigation.

9. Why choose Integrity360 for CTEM?

Answer: Integrity360 offers a unique blend of technical expertise, industry experience, and customer focus. With high levels of technical certification, a robust partner network, and dedicated support, Integrity360’s CTEM as a Service stands out as a comprehensive, proactive solution. Our team of over 320 cyber security professionals works closely with clients to tailor solutions that address their specific needs, ensuring lasting value and improved security resilience.

10. How can organisations get started with CTEM?

Answer: Getting started with CTEM is simple. Contact Integrity360 to discuss how CTEM can benefit your organisation. Our experts will assess your unique security requirements, help set up the XM Cyber platform, and work with you to establish an ongoing CTEM programme that addresses your highest-priority risks.

With Integrity360’s CTEM as a Service, you’ll gain the tools, expertise, and ongoing support needed to build and maintain a resilient security posture.

Contact Integrity360 today to discover how CTEM can transform your organisation’s approach to cyber security, ensuring proactive protection and peace of mind.