The 2024 Vulnerability Crisis – Managing Cybersecurity Threats

In 2023, cybersecurity teams were under pressure like never before, facing an unprecedented influx of vulnerabilities—nearly half of which were classified as high or critical severity.

According to Skybox Research Lab, a new vulnerability was discovered approximately every 17 minutes, or around 600 per week.

Compounding the challenge, the mean time to exploit (MTTE) dropped to just 44 days, underscoring the urgent need for an adaptive, well-planned vulnerability management approach.

In this specific environment, understanding the types of vulnerabilities and deploying focused protection strategies is important to keeping assets as secure as possible.

The rise in vulnerabilities can largely be attributed to the complexity of newer digital ecosystems. Today’s organizations are increasingly reliant on vast networks of interconnected devices, cloud platforms, and internet of things (IoT) technologies. This expansion of the attack surface introduces multiple potential entry points, each of which could be exploited.

Adding to the challenge is shadow IT—unmonitored devices and applications introduced by employees without the knowledge or oversight of central IT. These unauthorized assets often bypass standard security protocols, offering attackers easy targets within an organization’s infrastructure.

In addition, a large number of vulnerabilities are derived from third-party software components and open-source libraries integrated into applications. These components often have hidden vulnerabilities or unpatched issues, especially in complex software ecosystems where dependencies aren’t always fully documented.

Below, we examine five common vulnerability types, the process involved in patching them, and complementary protective measures that strengthen security until patches can be applied.

1. SQL Injection (SQLi)

SQL Injection allows attackers to manipulate SQL queries, often accessing or modifying sensitive data. To patch SQLi vulnerabilities, developers must sanitize and validate all user inputs, ensuring they can’t alter database queries. This involves using parameterized statements or stored procedures, which isolate user data from query syntax and prevent it from influencing the database commands.

Given that patching can take time, especially in applications with numerous database interactions, many organizations deploy web application firewalls (WAFs). These tools monitor and block common SQLi attack patterns, providing a real-time barrier until permanent fixes are in place. Additionally, database activity and data exfiltration monitoring can alert security teams to unusual behaviors indicative of attempted SQLi.

2. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

XSS vulnerabilities allow attackers to inject scripts into web pages viewed by other users, enabling data theft, session hijacking, or content manipulation. The patching process for XSS involves validating and encoding user inputs to prevent them from being executed as code by the browser. For modern web applications, this typically requires a thorough review of input fields and output displays, ensuring that any potentially executable content is properly sanitized.

Due to the prevalence of XSS, organizations often implement content security policies (CSP), which restrict the types of scripts that can run on a site. A CSP reduces the likelihood of script execution even if XSS vulnerabilities are present, making it a powerful interim measure alongside patching.

3. Buffer Overflow

Buffer overflow vulnerabilities occur when data exceeds allocated memory space, potentially allowing attackers to crash the relevant system or execute arbitrary code. Patching buffer overflows requires close inspection of memory management within the application, often through static and dynamic code analysis. Developers may need to refactor code, add bounds-checking mechanisms, and employ safer data-handling functions.

To mitigate the risk while patching, organizations employ memory protection techniques like address space layout randomization (ASLR) and data execution prevention (DEP). These techniques make it harder for attackers to predict memory locations or execute injected code, reducing the risk of successful exploitation if a buffer overflow remains unpatched.

4. Privilege Escalation

Privilege escalation vulnerabilities let attackers increase their level of access within a system, potentially giving them control over resources or sensitive data. Patching this type of vulnerability involves revising access control and permissions settings, typically by implementing the principle of least privilege (POLP) and refining role-based access controls (RBAC). This process can be complex in large environments where multiple roles and permissions intersect.

To limit potential damage, organizations deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, which can track and alert on unusual or unauthorized access attempts. Additionally, regular privilege audits help identify any excessive or unused permissions, allowing security teams to address risks related to privilege escalation. BlackFog is also able to monitor process hijacking and prevent many forms of privilege escalation and lateral data movement on any endpoint.

5. Remote Code Execution (RCE)

Remote code execution vulnerabilities are some of the most critical, as they allow attackers to run code remotely on a target system. Patching RCE vulnerabilities requires restricting how external inputs interact with code execution paths, often involving enhanced validation, sandboxing, or restructuring application logic to eliminate unauthorized execution paths.

Since patching RCE vulnerabilities is a priority, organizations frequently implement network segmentation to limit the spread of potential attacks, isolating sensitive or high-risk systems. Intrusion detection systems (IDS) and behavior-based monitoring further strengthen defenses by identifying unusual activity patterns associated with RCE attempts, allowing for a quick response if an exploit is attempted. BlackFog uses AI to monitor process call injection and data movement in real time to prevent these attacks and system takeovers.

Effective vulnerability management isn’t just about identifying vulnerabilities but also understanding the time and resources required for remediation. Patching timelines vary significantly depending on the vulnerability type and the complexity of the application.

For instance, SQLi and XSS vulnerabilities, often widespread in web applications, may take one to two weeks for complete patching and testing. Buffer overflow issues, requiring in-depth code refactoring and memory management adjustments, may extend up to a month.

Privilege escalation vulnerabilities can demand even more time if multiple user roles and access permissions are involved, often stretching remediation efforts across two to four weeks.

Meanwhile, critical vulnerabilities like RCE are typically prioritized, with patches rolled out as quickly as possible—anywhere from a few hours to days, depending on system complexity and required protections like network segmentation.

Given these timelines, it’s clear that successful vulnerability management relies on prioritizing high-risk vulnerabilities and planning for the resource-intensive process of patching.

The reality is that because of the wide variety of risks that organizations face, there needs to be a strategic approach to vulnerability management. In addition to the help of vulnerability management programs, BlackFog’s anti data exfiltration (ADX) technology provides the ability to block unauthorized data exfiltration and process injection in real time.

With BlackFog, organizations are able to be ahead of known and emerging vulnerabilities by proactively targeting threats before they turn into problems. Get in touch with BlackFog to protect your organization and important data, so you can move in the intricate cybersecurity world with confidence.