As we step into 2024, the field of cybersecurity is undergoing significant transformations. One change is that vulnerability management has emerged as a critical component in safeguarding organizations from threats. Here, we explore four key predictions that address the changing dynamics of vulnerability teams. 

1. In 2024 we will see increased investment in vulnerability teams as companies navigate the exponential increase in connected assets, a growing number of common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs), and longer mean time to-repair MTTR).

Traditionally there has been an internal asymmetry when it comes to investment inside the security department; vulnerability teams have been under-served, while security operation center (SOC) teams were overwhelmed with security tools.  But in recent times, we have witnessed a surge in interest in cybersecurity tools in order to prioritize vulnerability and repair, and we expect much more to come. 

The traditional workflow in regard to vulnerability management, which has remained largely unchanged for the past 15 years, is no longer sufficient. Vulnerability teams have been heavily reliant on simple tools, such as scanners. The advent of vulnerability prioritization and remediation promises to better address the current landscape by enabling organizations to allocate resources more efficiently, ultimately enhancing their security posture.  

2.  In the next two years, vulnerability teams will increasingly prioritize understanding the opportunities for hackers to exploit certain technology vulnerabilities, and will focus on gaining a more comprehensive view of their risk for each asset in the environment.

One of the fundamental shifts occurring in vulnerability management is the recognition that a more complete understanding of risk is needed. Instead of randomly chasing and remediating CVEs without context, organizations are now realizing the importance of considering asset characteristics as whether they are exploitable by hackers. Questions like, "Is an asset supporting critical business applications?" and "Is the CVE actively weaponized?" are becoming central to decision-making and can only be answered by understanding the context of each asset. 

Previously, common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) scores were the sole criterion for prioritization, but this limited approach fails to differentiate between the importance and urgency of vulnerabilities.  

3. As artificial intelligence (AI) gears up, companies are still racing to build the foundations needed to derive intelligence from data. This upcoming year, companies will look for a unified source of information that can become the foundation for automated orchestration and streamlined workflows, and can truly bring insights and drive business decision-making.

While AI has become the focal point for many technological advancements, the reality is that for most companies the race is not yet in deploying these technologies; the race is in gaining the necessary foundations to do so. Chief information security officers (CISOs) have been talking about data-driven decisions and intelligence for a long time, but are still struggling to achieve it, due to fragmented data and segmented views of their environment. With an onslaught of alerts, rising threats, and an ever-increasing attack surface, data seems to be abundant, but intelligence is not easy to come by. 

4. In 2024 there will be a concerted push for technology solutions that bridge the gap between IT and operational technology (OT) in critical infrastructure, ensuring that legacy OT technology in our most critical systems in society is secured, and all assets are remediated accordingly.

Critical infrastructure sectors, such as manufacturing, oil and gas, and utilities, have historically lacked appropriate cybersecurity tools. Their complex environments, involving both OT and IT present unique challenges, and vulnerabilities are a very common find, so it is key to bridge the gap between the two domains. 

As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, these predictions for vulnerability management and remediation in 2024 and beyond highlight the need for proactive adaptation. Organizations that embrace and invest in vulnerability prioritization and remediation, and utilize an asset-centric approach, based on foundational understanding of data, will be better positioned to navigate the ever-changing threat landscape. In this dynamic environment, staying ahead requires not only technological innovation but also a strategic shift in mindset towards a more intelligent approach to cybersecurity, and specifically vulnerability management. 

Desiree Lee is CTO for Data, Armis.