Time is a critical currency when it comes to cyber security. Exploited vulnerabilities are on the rise – 768 were publicly reported as exploited in the wild in 2024, a 20% increase from 2023 – and this leaves businesses with less-than-robust cyber security measures extremely vulnerable.
A service that tracks vulnerability alerts for you and provides immediate remediation information is one of the most valuable tools in a business’ cyber security arsenal. It allows you to patch software in a controlled way, minimizing downtime and disruption to operations, and can mean the difference between prevention and becoming another cyber-victim story for the world to read about.
A Head Start Against Hackers
Attackers are predators once a new exploit is released. Speed is of the essence and the earlier you know about a vulnerability, the faster you can act to protect your assets.
Many businesses don’t realise how much software they use and tracking hundreds, even thousands of software, can be a liability. One missed alert, update or notification can have detrimental effects.
It’s times like this when an in-house vulnerability management system, while cost-effective, shows itself for what it is i.e. no match for cyber criminals. The same can be said if the vulnerability alert service you use relies solely on NVD for its vuln info. Delays are frequent and these are passed on to you, leaving your business open to attack, the consequences of which can be swift and brutal.
Beyond financial losses, breaches can erode trust. Customers expect companies to demonstrate they are proactively securing data, not just reacting when things go wrong.
Compliance Pressure Mounts
As well as the potential for attack, many businesses face frequent regulatory scrutiny that requires them to show they maintain visibility over vulnerabilities and are able to remediate in a timely manner. Real-time alerts provide evidence of compliance efforts, strengthening a business’ security posture in the eyes of auditors and regulators.
Immediate alerts give businesses a head start. Rather than reading about vulnerabilities in the media following a breach, security personnel can move decisively and patch, isolate, or mitigate systems before they become the target of an attack.
Cutting Through the Noise
The number of new vulnerabilities grows each year. Between 2023 and 2024 there was an increase of 28% and, for the first time, vulnerabilities topped 40,000 (40,303) in 2024. No matter the size of your business, figuring out which vulnerabilities matter to your environment can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t employ the aid of a specialised service.
Many cyber security companies offer a suite of products, of which vulnerability management, including alerts, is one. However, it’s often the case that once you’ve logged in and navigated your way to the necessary information, you then have to sift through a mountain of vulnerabilities to find the ones you want.
Businesses don’t always need a suite of products, or have to deal with a mountain of info to get what they want i.e. vulnerability alerts. They want a service that delivers.
Instead of a suite of products, SecAlerts’ streamlined service delivers relevant, actionable vulnerability alerts matched to your business’ software, using information as soon as it’s released, rather than relying solely on NVD and passing on any of its delays.
Another advantage of SecAlerts is that it allows you to cut out the noise, so you only receive vulnerabilities relevant to you, your team, or anyone else wishing to see them, at a frequency of your choosing. When every second counts, SecAlerts saves you precious time.
Affordable Security in a High-Stakes Game
Historically, advanced vulnerability intelligence has been the domain of big enterprises with deep pockets. Cyber criminals don’t discriminate, but smaller budgets can lead to fewer defences. Businesses – not always small – often use free cyber security tools, which offer less protection than expensive cyber security services used by the top end of town.
SecAlerts provides businesses of all size an affordable, yet robust first line of defence with which to bolster their cyber security. Large businesses and corporation even use SecAlerts alongside their other “suite of services” cyber security product/s because it allows then to filter out the noise and receive alerts delivered directly to them.
The Bottom Line
The cyber security battleground is defined by speed. With attackers constantly exploiting new flaws, often within hours, immediate vulnerability alerts are no longer optional. They are an essential frontline defence, helping businesses stay one step ahead.
As cyber threats escalate, SecAlerts continually proves to be indispensable. By turning overwhelming streams of vulnerability information into timely, relevant, actionable alerts, SecAlerts ensures you the edge in a race where every second counts.
