Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is a cybersecurity framework for continuously identifying, assessing, and remediating security weaknesses across an organization's digital assets.[1][2][3]
History
editThe CTEM framework was developed in the early 2020s in response to the limitations of traditional Vulnerability management. As organizations' digital attack surfaces expanded due to cloud adoption and remote work, periodic security scans and annual penetration tests were often insufficient to keep pace with modern cyber threats.[4]
Gartner introduced the term CTEM in 2022 to formalize a more continuous and integrated approach.[5][6] By 2023, Gartner had identified CTEM as one of its top cybersecurity trends.[1] In 2024, Gartner delineated related technology categories, such as Exposure Assessment Platforms (EAP) and Adversarial Exposure Validation (AEV), to support CTEM programs. During this period, various cybersecurity vendors such as Element Security, Nanitor and others began to develop and release products aligned with the CTEM model.[7][8]
Framework
editCTEM is a programmatic approach, not a single product.[9] It consists of a five-stage iterative cycle designed to systematically reduce an organization's security exposures.[1] The cycle begins with scoping, where the organization defines the boundaries for an assessment, identifying business-critical assets and processes.[4] This is followed by the discovery phase, in which security teams conduct a comprehensive inventory of vulnerabilities and misconfigurations within the defined scope.[4] Next, in the prioritization phase, identified exposures are analyzed and ranked based on their potential business impact and exploitability.[4] The validation phase then tests the real-world exploitability of high-priority vulnerabilities using methods such as penetration testing.[4] Finally, during the mobilization phase, the organization allocates resources to remediate the validated exposures.[4] Upon completion, the cycle continues to ensure continuous monitoring and improvement of the organization's security posture.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Vakulov, Alex (May 24, 2024). "The Power of Continuous Threat Exposure Management".
- ^ a b Eddy, Nathan. "How Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) Helps Your Business".
- ^ George, Torsten (April 17, 2025). "Demystifying Security Posture Management".
- ^ a b c d e f "CTEM: How It's Changing Cybersecurity and Tech Pros' Jobs". March 4, 2025.
- ^ Ajish, Deepa (2024-04-12). "A Review on the Benefits of Continuous Threat Exposure Management in the Banking Industry" (PDF). International Journal of Current Science Research and Review. 7 (4): 2169–2179. doi:10.5281/zenodo.10964132. ISSN 2581-8341. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- ^ Kande, Santosh Kumar (2025-01-02). "Comparative Study of CTEM Frameworks: NIST, MITRE and Beyond" (PDF). Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences Technology. 7 (1). doi:10.47363/JEAST/2025(7)283. ISSN 2634-8853. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- ^ Kovacs, Eduard (September 17, 2024). "Element Security Emerges From Stealth With CTEM Solution, $5M in Funding".
- ^ "Nanitor þakkar fyrir stuðning ríkisins". Morgunblaðið.
- ^ "How CTEM will become mainstream in 2024".