Vulnerabilities By Age and Security

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

An Application Security (AppSec) Engineer would use this Vulnerabilities by Age and Security chart to track how long vulnerabilities have been left unresolved. Here’s how it fits into their daily workflow:

• Morning Security Review:

  • The engineer examines the age distribution of vulnerabilities, focusing on older vulnerabilities (>91 days) that still haven’t been remediated.

  • If most vulnerabilities are over 91 days old, this signals poor patch management or a lack of urgency in remediation.

• Prioritizing Vulnerability Fixes:

  • The engineer works with developers and operations teams to focus on vulnerabilities that have been open for the longest time.

  • If vulnerabilities remain unpatched beyond SLA timelines, they escalate the issue to security leadership.

• Security Operations Meetings:

  • Uses this chart in weekly meetings to report on remediation efficiency and aging security debt.

  • If a high number of vulnerabilities persist beyond 91 days, teams may need process improvements or automation to accelerate fixes.

• Ensuring Compliance Readiness:

  • Works to remediate aging vulnerabilities before an upcoming audit or compliance review (e.g., ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, NIST 800-53, SOC2).

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2. Impact on AppSec Operations

This chart helps security teams track unresolved vulnerabilities over time, impacting operations in several ways:

• Improved SLA Compliance:

  • Helps teams ensure vulnerabilities are patched within acceptable timelines.

  • Reduces the risk of compliance violations and regulatory fines.

• Faster Risk Remediation:

  • Identifies bottlenecks in security patching efforts so that AppSec teams can prioritize fixes more effectively.

• Security Debt Reduction:

  • Provides a clear snapshot of how security debt is growing over time.

  • Helps organizations track progress in reducing unresolved vulnerabilities.

• Optimized Remediation Strategies:

  • If vulnerabilities are not being resolved quickly, teams may implement:

    • Automated patching workflows.

    • Stricter security governance policies.

    • More developer training on secure coding practices.

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3. What Decisions Does This Chart Drive?

• Are vulnerabilities being patched quickly enough?

  • If most vulnerabilities are over 91 days old, teams need to improve remediation processes.

• Which vulnerabilities should be remediated first?

  • If older vulnerabilities remain open, they should be prioritized for fixes before newer ones.

• Are security teams meeting their SLA commitments?

  • If vulnerabilities are exceeding SLA thresholds, security leaders may enforce stricter remediation policies.

• Do development teams need more support in fixing vulnerabilities?

  • If vulnerabilities stay open too long, it could indicate that developers lack security resources, automation, or training.

• Should leadership intervene in security remediation?

  • If security debt is continuously increasing, CISO-level involvement may be necessary to ensure security risks are taken seriously.

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Final Thoughts

This Vulnerabilities by Age and Security chart is a critical tool for tracking unresolved security issues. It helps security engineers and leadership teams:

✅ Prioritize older vulnerabilities for faster remediation. ✅ Ensure compliance with security policies and SLAs. ✅ Reduce security debt before vulnerabilities become major risks. ✅ Identify gaps in remediation processes and automation needs.