What is CTEM? Continuous visibility for identifying real-time threats

What is CTEM?

Continuous threat exposure management (CTEM) is a security approach that helps companies to continuously identify and manage threats in their IT environment. The framework shifts the focus from scheduled scans to an event-driven system that assesses risks in real-time and enables immediate action.

By using CTEM, companies can better understand where the greatest risks lie and how they can effectively manage them. This leads to an improved security posture and faster response times. CTEM therefore plays a central role, especially in cloud security, where configurations and environments are constantly changing.

Because CTEM helps organizations prioritize and remediate threat, it is considered a proactive approach to cybersecurity that can help improve cyber ROI.

How does CTEM work?

A CTEM program includes the following five key phases:

• Scoping
• Discovery
• Prioritization
• Validation
• Mobilization

The process begins with scoping to identify the most important attack surfaces. This is followed by the discovery phase, in which all relevant assets and their risks are recorded. The prioritization phase identifies the most pressing threats and creates a mitigation plan. The validation phase then analyzes potential attack vectors and their impact to ensure adequate protection measures are in place.

Finally, in the mobilization phase, all teams are brought together to effectively implement the planned security measures. CTEM enables companies to continuously monitor and track changes in the cloud environment in real-time. With CTEM, threats are detected early, which significantly increases the efficiency and response speed of security teams.

What distinguishes CTEM from other methods?

CTEM differs fundamentally from conventional security methods because risks are recognized and assessed more quickly. Traditionally, many organizations rely on vulnerability management, scheduled or periodic scans and manual reviews to identify risks. In contrast, CTEM offers event-driven risk assessment by monitoring cloud activity logs and tracking changes in real-time. This means resources can be immediately identified and assessed as they are created, modified, or deleted.

Continuous visibility makes it possible to identify risks at an early stage, react faster and take immediate measures increasing the likelihood of successful attack detection. This proactive and continuous approach leads to a significant increase in efficiency, since security gaps can be identified and remedied at an early stage and maximizes the efficiency and effectiveness of security measures in dynamic cloud environments.

What companies should pay attention to when using CTEM

When using CTEM, it is important that the solution not only identifies threats but also enables efficient management and follow-up of remedial measures. Companies should ensure that the entire process is clearly structured and documented providing complete transparency across all cloud assets. Finally, all teams must work closely together to effectively implement the and continuously monitor the measures. A well thought-out CTEM approach helps improve cloud security and shorten threat response times.