Picus launches tool for real-time validation of exploitable risks

Picus Security has introduced a new capability designed to help security teams determine which vulnerabilities in their environments are actually exploitable.

The new feature, called Picus Exposure Validation, uses real-time attack simulations to provide evidence-based assessments of vulnerability risks within a specific organisation's environment. This approach aims to address the challenge of large numbers of vulnerabilities that are often identified but not all requiring immediate attention or remediation.

With more than 40,000 new Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) disclosed in 2024 - with 61% ranked as high or critical - security teams often struggle to respond effectively, as traditional vulnerability management methods can lead to inefficient allocation of resources. Picus Security says the new capability assists security teams in distinguishing between vulnerabilities that can actually be exploited in their unique systems and those that can be safely deprioritised.

Traditional vulnerability management is typically driven by severity metrics such as Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) and Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), which provide generalised risk indicators but may not account for an individual organisation's existing security controls and asset criticality. Picus Exposure Validation aims to fill this gap with the Picus Exposure Score, an evidence-based, context-aware metric intended to reflect actual risk, according to the company.

The system continuously tests security controls using real-world attack techniques to determine whether known vulnerabilities can be exploited given the organisation's current defences. The findings are automatically updated and presented in transparent reports, enabling quicker and more confident decision-making in response to new security threats.

Volkan Ertürk, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Picus Security, commented: "The challenge today isn't finding vulnerabilities, it's knowing which ones matter in your unique environment. CVSS, EPSS and KEV offer theoretical risk signals. Picus Exposure Validation delivers proof by testing threats against your production defenses in real time. It replaces assumptions with evidence so security teams can focus on vulnerabilities that are actually exploitable."

Key features highlighted by the company include the ability for security teams to more accurately prioritise remediation work, safely deprioritise less urgent vulnerabilities, and reduce manual workloads through the use of automated validation processes. The solution is said to include tailored recommendations to quickly improve the effectiveness of security controls, offering an alternative when immediate patching is not feasible.

A global industrial firm reported that, upon deploying Picus Exposure Validation, it was able to reduce its list of critical patches by 85%. Based solely on CVSS ratings, 63% of the vulnerabilities in the organisation's systems were initially classified as critical. However, after applying Picus Exposure Validation, it was found that only 9% of those were truly high risk and required prioritisation. This reduction reportedly saved the organisation thousands of hours on patching activity and allowed the security team to focus resources more efficiently.

The company positions Picus Exposure Validation as a new methodology for combining data about vulnerabilities with automated attack simulation to create an organisation-specific analysis of exploitability. This approach, according to Picus, offers security teams a more focused view on where to deploy efforts for mitigation and remediation and thereby enables more effective closing of security gaps.

The Picus Exposure Validation feature is now available to organisations seeking enhanced vulnerability validation for their own environments.