By: Shaun Bertrand
Over the years, we’ve seen pivotal moments in cybersecurity where innovation fundamentally reshaped how organizations manage threats. From the introduction of application-layer firewalls and the early days of security information and event management (SIEM) to the evolution of endpoint detection response (EDR) and the adoption of zero trust, these breakthroughs altered how security teams think and operate.
Now, we’ve reached another critical juncture with Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM). CTEM is more than just a framework. It’s a smarter, more continuous approach to mitigating risk, and the data speaks volumes about its value. For instance, organizations that adopt continuous security validation, a core CTEM practice, have been shown to reduce breach risk by up to 69% (Ponemon Institute & AttackIQ, 2023). Additionally, Gartner forecasts that by 2026, companies prioritizing CTEM will be three times less likely to experience a significant breach.
If staying ahead of cyber threats while maximizing ROI on security investments is your goal, CTEM should be a priority for your organization.
What Is CTEM?
CTEM is an approach introduced by Gartner that shifts organizations away from periodic, siloed security assessments to a continuous, prioritized, and risk-based model. It’s designed to identify, validate, prioritize, and mitigate exposures on an ongoing basis before attackers can exploit them.
The five stages are:
1. Scoping
Define the assets and attack surfaces to evaluate (e.g., internal networks, external systems, cloud environments, applications, identities).
2. Discovery
Use tools like attack surface management (ASM), cloud security posture management (CSPM), vulnerability scanners, and penetration testing to uncover vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and exposures continuously.
3. Prioritization
Identify high-risk exposures based on threat intelligence, exploitability, and business risk context. This ensures remediation focuses on what’s critical.
4. Validation
Simulate or test exploitability using techniques like breach attack simulation (BAS), red teaming, or penetration testing to validate exposure risks.
5. Mobilization
Implement and track remediation efforts across operational teams while emphasizing accountability through measurable metrics like mean time to remediate (MTTR).
What makes CTEM exceptionally valuable is its alignment with business priorities and resource constraints. By focusing on real, immediate threats, CTEM improves ROI on security investments. For instance, BAS/CTEM tools typically deliver an average ROI of 150-300% by enhancing threat detection and streamlining risk mitigation (Forrester Total Economic Impact Reports).
Where to Start With CTEM
One common misconception about CTEM is that it requires a massive investment or an overhaul of your existing security infrastructure. The reality is, CTEM builds upon what organizations already have, aligning those resources to continuously reduce priority risks.
Here’s how you can get started:
1. Define Scope and Objectives
Identify high-priority segments of your attack surface, such as external-facing assets, internal networks, cloud environments, identity platforms, or third-party supply chains. Starting small, with focused scope areas like cloud assets or business-critical applications, often delivers quick wins and builds momentum for broader adoption.
2. Inventory and Map Assets
It’s often said that you can’t protect what you don’t know exists. Effective asset management is foundational to CTEM. Utilize tools like CMDBs, ASM solutions, and CSPM technologies to map your attack surface comprehensively. Platforms like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Entra ID asset data can also help streamline this process.
3. Prioritize by Risk
Organizations often struggle with prioritization, but lightweight threat modeling can provide clarity. Focus on understanding which adversaries are likely to target your organization, along with their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). Incorporate exploitability data (e.g., CVSS scores, is this vulnerability being exploited in the wild, are probable adversaries using this exploit, etc.) and business criticality to determine which assets demand immediate attention.
4. Validate Exposures
One of CTEM’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to connect theoretical risks with real-world scenarios. Instead of attempting to evaluate risks across all assets, focus red teaming and penetration testing efforts on the high-priority vulnerabilities identified earlier. Utilize tools like BAS or red teaming to validate how specific exposures could be exploited and their potential impact.
5. Mobilize the Right Teams
Effective CTEM implementation requires collaboration between security, IT, operations, and development teams. Assign clear ownership for each exposure and set deadlines, whether through tools like Jira and ServiceNow, or even Excel paired with Power Automate to track progress. Regardless of the platform used, what is key to success is tying every exposure to a named owner and a due date, along with objectively measurable data points with KPIs (percentage of critical exposures remediated, mean time to remediate (MTTR), etc.).
Why CTEM Provides a Strategic Advantage
The threat landscape isn’t waiting, and neither should you. CTEM is a strategic shift toward continuous, prioritized, and validated defense. It aligns security with business risk, moves teams from reactive firefighting to proactive exposure management, and turns visibility into action.
Whether you’re just beginning with asset discovery or ready to validate your defenses through adversary emulation, the time to start is now. The organizations that adopt CTEM today will be the ones still standing tomorrow. Not because they avoided threats, but because they managed them relentlessly, intelligently, and continuously.
Take action today and empower your organization with CTEM. Schedule your complimentary strategy session to discover how CTEM can transform your security approach. Together, we’ll identify actionable steps to reduce risks and strengthen your defenses.
Additional Resources
How to Manage Cybersecurity Threats Effectively: Learn insights from Gartner on managing cybersecurity threats with a forward-thinking approach. (Gartner)
What Is CTEM?: Get a deep-dive into Continuous Threat Exposure Management and its impact on modern security strategies. (CSO)
Why CTEM Is the Winning Bet for CISOs in 2025 Explore how leveraging CTEM improves efficiency and reinforces your organization’s cybersecurity posture. (The Hacker News)
Threat Modeling Cheat Sheet by OWASP: Reference this practical guide to better understand and implement effective threat modeling within your security practices. (OWASP Cheat Sheet Series)
Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool Overview: Discover how to use Microsoft’s Threat Modeling Tool to design and build secure applications. (Microsoft)
