Continuous threat exposure management (CTEM)

Continuous threat exposure management (CTEM) is a proactive approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential security threats in cloud environments. For cloud security engineers, CTEM provides a systematic method to understand and manage an organization's evolving attack surface and risk landscape.

CTEM solutions offer continuous visibility into an organization's cloud assets, configurations, and potential vulnerabilities. These platforms use advanced analytics and threat intelligence to assess the likelihood and potential impact of various threats, allowing security teams to prioritize their efforts on the most critical risks. By continuously monitoring for new exposures and changes in the threat landscape, CTEM enables organizations to stay ahead of potential attacks.

A key feature of CTEM is its ability to provide context-aware risk assessments. This means considering not just individual vulnerabilities or misconfigurations, but also how they interact within the broader cloud ecosystem. For example, a seemingly low-risk misconfiguration might become critical when combined with other factors. CTEM platforms help security teams understand these complex relationships and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly. Additionally, CTEM often integrates with other security tools and processes, such as vulnerability management and incident response, to provide a more holistic approach to cloud security.