Unlocking MSSP Success: Why CTEM is Critical

Last updated at Fri, 14 Mar 2025 20:11:39 GMT

Co-authored by Thomas Green and Sid Nanda

What is Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM)?

Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) is a five-stage, continuous security program introduced by Gartner in 2022. It proactively assesses an organization’s exposure across networks, systems, cloud infrastructure, IoT devices, applications, and identities. Unlike traditional vulnerability assessments, CTEM prioritizes risk mitigation strategies and iteratively refines security postures through continuous validation and remediation.

By emphasizing offensive security techniques such as continuous red teaming and simulation-based testing, CTEM goes beyond basic vulnerability prioritization to identify and address weaknesses before adversaries can exploit them. The result is an adaptable, intelligence-driven security framework that enables organizations to transition from reactive defenses to proactive resilience.

Why Should Service Providers Care?

The MSSP market is increasingly competitive, and differentiation is critical. Gartner has identified CTEM as a key opportunity for MSSPs in 2024, emphasizing that “product leaders who differentiate their portfolios by offering services that result in prioritized remediation outcomes and measured reduction in exposure stand out in the crowded MSSP market.”

Moreover, the expansion of the attack surface - combined with the inability to patch all vulnerabilities in a timely manner -has made traditional vulnerability management insufficient. MSSPs must demonstrate how their services deliver tangible security benefits to customers. A well-structured CTEM program enables MSSPs to provide a continuous, data-driven security validation framework that reduces risk while aligning stakeholders across IT, security, and leadership teams.

CTEM: A Programmatic Approach

Unlike traditional security programs that rely on static tools, CTEM is an adaptive program that integrates offensive security methodologies, including red teaming, penetration testing, vulnerability management, cloud security posture management, and web application security. This holistic approach ensures alignment with Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) initiatives while delivering continuous security improvements.

The Five Stages of a CTEM Program

1. Scoping: Defining the Attack Surface

Scoping, as defined by Gartner, involves identifying an organization’s complete attack surface. This is where Surface Command, a key component of the Exposure Command suite, provides critical visibility by combining Cyber Asset Attack Surface Management (CAASM) with External Attack Surface Management (EASM). Unlike point-in-time assessments, Surface Command offers continuous monitoring of assets across on-prem, cloud, and SaaS environments, ensuring that no shadow IT or misconfigured exposure goes undetected.

2. Discovery: Mapping Assets, Vulnerabilities, and Risks

Discovery involves identifying both known and hidden assets, vulnerabilities, and misconfigurations. A common pitfall is confusing scoping with discovery—simply identifying a large number of vulnerabilities does not equate to security success.

Rapid7 Exposure Command enhances the discovery phase by integrating InsightVM for vulnerability management, InsightAppSec for dynamic application security testing (DAST), and InsightCloudSec for cloud security posture management (CSPM). These tools work together to provide comprehensive visibility intoexposure across hybrid environments.

3. Prioritization: Focusing on What Matters

Not all security issues require immediate remediation. Effective prioritization should factor in:

• Business risk and potential impact
• Urgency and exploitability
• Availability of compensating controls
• Tolerance for residual attack surface

Rapid7 Exposure Command’s risk-based prioritization framework goes beyond CVSS scoring by incorporating real-world exploitability data, asset criticality, and threat intelligence. The Command Platform provides a unified view of risks and remediation priorities, enabling MSSPs to help customers focus on the most impactful security improvements.

4. Validation: Proving Security Effectiveness

Validation is the cornerstone of CTEM. Organizations must confirm that vulnerabilities are exploitable, understand potential attack paths, and assess the effectiveness of security controls.

MSSPs can use continuous red teaming, penetration testing, and adversary simulations to validate security postures. Additionally, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions provide real-time threat correlation, ensuring organizations can detect and respond to threats before they escalate.

5. Mobilization: Operationalizing Security Improvements

The final stage of CTEM is mobilizing findings into actionable security improvements. This involves:

• Streamlining approval workflows for remediation
• Automating patch management and configuration changes
• Ensuring alignment between IT, security, and executive teams

Rapid7 Exposure Command facilitates mobilization by providing automation and orchestration capabilities, reducing friction in vulnerability remediation processes. By integrating with existing IT workflows, MSSPs can ensure that security enhancements are implemented efficiently and effectively.

Achieving a Secure Environment with CTEM

The burden of threat management continues to grow as attack surfaces expand and adversaries evolve. MSSPs must help organizations move beyond traditional vulnerability management to a continuous, risk-driven security approach.

By leveraging ExposureCommand, MSSPs can:

• Provide continuous visibility into evolving threats and vulnerabilities
• Enable proactive risk mitigation through prioritized remediation
• Validate security effectiveness through ongoing testing and adversary simulations
• Streamline remediation efforts with automation and orchestration

CTEM is not just a security strategy—it’s a key differentiator for MSSPs. By embedding CTEM into their service offerings, MSSPs can deliver measurable risk reduction, enhance customer trust, and solidify their role as strategic security partners.