Number of Critical Vulnerabilities Crossed SLA Threshold

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1. Day in the Life of an AppSec Engineer Using This Chart

An Application Security (AppSec) Engineer would use this chart as part of their vulnerability management and compliance tracking workflow:

• Morning Security Review:

  • The engineer checks for spikes in the number of critical vulnerabilities that have crossed the SLA threshold, indicating missed deadlines for fixing high-risk security issues.

  • If there's a significant increase, they flag applications for urgent review.

• Vulnerability Prioritization:

  • The engineer identifies which vulnerabilities have been open longer than the SLA period and works with DevOps and engineering teams to ensure remediation.

  • If vulnerabilities continue to exceed SLA thresholds, the engineer may escalate to security leadership.

• Weekly or Monthly Security Meetings:

  • Uses this trend data to track security debt and discuss risk exposure in meetings.

  • If the number of SLA-violating vulnerabilities is trending upward, it signals a need for better vulnerability management processes.

• Compliance and Audit Reporting:

  • If the organization follows compliance frameworks (e.g., ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, NIST 800-53), this data is critical for audits.

  • If too many vulnerabilities are crossing SLA thresholds, it may indicate a compliance risk that needs immediate action.

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2. Impact on AppSec Operations

This chart significantly affects how security teams manage vulnerabilities:

• Better SLA Compliance Tracking:

  • Helps ensure critical vulnerabilities are remediated within the required timeframe.

  • Reduces the risk of non-compliance penalties in regulated industries.

• Security Debt Reduction:

  • Identifies long-standing vulnerabilities that are not being patched on time, allowing teams to enforce stricter patching policies.

• Proactive Risk Management:

  • Instead of reacting to individual security findings, the team can detect trends and improve remediation efforts before risks escalate.

• Optimized Resource Allocation:

  • If a team is consistently missing SLAs, security leadership can reallocate resources or introduce automation to speed up patching.

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3. What Decisions Does This Chart Drive?

• Are we meeting our SLA targets for vulnerability remediation?

  • If too many vulnerabilities cross the SLA threshold, the organization needs better enforcement and tracking mechanisms.

  • If numbers improve over time, it suggests a healthier security posture.

• Which teams or applications are struggling with vulnerability remediation?

  • If the number of SLA breaches is increasing, it may indicate that certain teams lack security maturity or that specific applications have high risk exposure.

  • Helps determine which teams need additional training or automated patching solutions.

• Should security policies be adjusted?

  • If vulnerabilities are not being fixed within SLAs, the team may need harsher enforcement mechanisms (e.g., blocking deployments with outstanding vulnerabilities).

  • May drive policy changes to require faster remediation timelines.

• Is leadership intervention needed?

  • If SLA violations are consistently high, executive-level security leaders may need to step in and allocate more resources or escalate the issue to CISO-level discussions.