It started with a single alert. A security analyst at a major financial institution noticed unusual activity on one of their servers. At first glance, it looked like routine traffic, but something was off. Within minutes, multiple alerts from different parts of the network started flooding in. By the time the security team realized what was happening, it was too late. The attackers had already gained access, moved laterally, and exfiltrated sensitive data. The breach had occurred before anyone even knew there was a vulnerability.
80% of Exploits are Published Even Before their Corresponding CVEs are Released
This is not just an isolated incident. The reality is that 80% of exploits are published before their corresponding CVEs (Common Vulnerability Exposures) are even released. The National Vulnerability Database (NVD), a division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the U.S. Department of Commerce, is responsible for analyzing every CVE published in the CVE list, maintained by the MITRE Corporation.
CVEs provide a standardized identification system for vulnerabilities so security teams can act upon them. However, there is an average 23-day gap between the publication of an exploit and its CVE assignment. This gives attackers a massive head start before defenders can even begin patching their systems. The only viable option is to have a continuous threat exposure and active attack path discovery system in place.
Otherwise, it’s a race where defenders are always behind. By the time security teams identify and understand a new vulnerability, hackers have already figured out how to exploit it. Once a patch is available and an organization begins deployment, attackers may have already infiltrated unpatched systems, stolen data, or installed backdoors for future attacks.
The Time-to-Exploit (TTE) Dropped from 32 Days to Just 5 days
AI-driven reconnaissance, automated attack scripts, and underground exploit marketplaces have accelerated the weaponization of vulnerabilities. In the past, defenders had months to patch; now, they barely have days, sometimes only hours. The gap between vulnerability disclosure and its exploitation has never been this narrow.
Consider the case of Equifax, one of the largest credit reporting agencies. In 2017, it suffered a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of approximately 147 million individuals. The breach was traced back to a known vulnerability in the Apache Struts web application framework (CVE-2017-5638). A patch for this vulnerability was released in March 2017, but Equifax failed to apply it promptly. Attackers exploited this unpatched vulnerability, gaining unauthorized access to Equifax’s systems from mid-May through July 2017. The breach resulted in significant financial and reputational damage to the company.
This incident underscores the dangers of delayed patching and highlights how attackers can exploit known vulnerabilities when organizations do not act swiftly.
Also Read: IT Blind Spots: The Weak Links In Your Cybersecurity
The Reducing TTE Trend Continues in 2025
The problem isn’t just the speed of attackers but the delays inherent in traditional security workflows. Many organizations still follow outdated patching processes that prioritize business continuity over security. Change management approvals, testing environments, and phased deployments create bottlenecks that leave vulnerabilities open for longer than necessary. In today’s threat landscape, delays equal breaches.
Looking back at historical trends, the pace of exploitation is accelerating at an alarming rate. In 2021-2022, 23 n-day vulnerabilities remained unexploited for over six months before being weaponized. By 2023, that number had dropped to just two. Attackers are becoming faster, more efficient, and increasingly sophisticated, leaving defenders struggling to keep up.
As we move into 2025, this trend is expected to continue. The average Time-to-Exploit is likely to shrink even further, with some vulnerabilities being weaponized within hours of disclosure. The number of exploited vendors has already reached an all-time high, jumping from 25 in 2018 to 56 in 2023, and is expected to rise further. The attack surface is expanding, and organizations must evolve their defense strategies accordingly.
The Need for Real-time Threat Intelligence and Automated Patching
Organizations can no longer afford to react only after a CVE is declared. They need continuous monitoring, real-time threat intelligence, and automated patching to stay secure. Traditional security models that rely on periodic assessments and scheduled patching cycles are now outdated and ineffective. The only way to stay ahead of attackers is to embrace a proactive approach, where vulnerabilities are identified, validated, and remediated in real time.
This is where our platform makes the difference. As a SaaS-based Continuous Threat Exposure and Attack Path Discovery platform, CyberMindr empowers organizations to detect, validate, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Unlike traditional security solutions that rely on passive monitoring, CyberMindr takes a proactive approach, monitoring real-world attack paths and vulnerabilities from a hacker’s perspective.
Beating the Time-to-Exploit Race With CyberMindr
With the average Time-to-Exploit (TTE) dropping, organizations can no longer afford delays in vulnerability detection and remediation. CyberMindr continuously scans, validates, and prioritizes vulnerabilities in real time, ensuring security teams identify and patch critical threats before attackers strike.
- Faster Incident Response: operates entirely from the outside requiring no integration or deployment. It scans digital assets just like a hacker would, sweeping through the deep and dark web to uncover exposed data and vulnerabilities.
- Improved Decision Making: Once identified, built-in scripts actively test each asset to identify real threats and false positives. By filtering out irrelevant results, CyberMindr delivers only verified, exploitable vulnerabilities.
- Third-party Vulnerabilities and Phishing Attacks: The platform doesn’t just stop detecting internal security risks, it extends its reach to third-party vulnerabilities, ensuring organizations stay protected beyond their direct attack surface. It also detects email enumerations, helping prevent phishing attacks before they escalate into breaches.
By analyzing the risks each vulnerability poses, CyberMindr helps organizations pinpoint the most urgent security gaps and respond before the attack window closes. Instead of relying on outdated, passive monitoring, CyberMindr actively thinks like an attacker, ensuring vulnerabilities are remediated before they can be weaponized.
Conclusion: The clock starts ticking the moment a vulnerability is disclosed. With CyberMindr, you can take control of the race, ensuring that your defenses stay one step ahead. Because in cybersecurity, the difference between compromise and resilience is measured in minutes, not days.