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ARMIS PLAYBOOK

Mastering Cyber Exposure Management & Security

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Introduction to Cyber Exposure
Management & Security

As organizations navigate a rapidly evolving digital attack surface, there are more threats, vulnerabilities and risk than ever before. And it is impacting

Every Organization
Of Any Size
In All Industries
Globally

The need for comprehensive Cyber Exposure Management (CEM) and security has never been greater. CEM is not just a set of tools but a strategic approach to identifying, assessing, prioritizing and mitigating risks across an organization’s entire digital footprint. This playbook provides a foundational understanding of CEM and actionable steps for companies to strategically adopt it, ensuring resilience in the face of evolving cyber threats.

Did You Know

A recent study by IBM reveals that 83% of organizations have experienced more than one data breach, and the complexity of interconnected systems means that organizations are now 15 times more likely to face simultaneous threats across IT, OT, and cloud environments.

Your Attack Surface

CEM attack surface diagram 1

Defining the Category

Cyber Exposure Management is a systematic approach to managing and reducing cyber risk by identifying and addressing risk, vulnerabilities and threats across an organization’s physical and virtual assets which include IT, Operational Technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT), & Medical Devices, and connected ecosystems. Unlike traditional security practices, which often focus on isolated threats, CEM provides a holistic view of an organization’s exposure to cyber risk.

Core Elements of CEM:

  1. Visibility – Understanding all assets, wherever they are and whatever they do.
  2. Context – Prioritizing risks based on business impact and threat intelligence.
  3. Proactivity – Identifying and addressing vulnerabilities & other security findings before they can be exploited.
  4. Orchestration – Coordinating security efforts across the existing technology stack.
  5. Continuous Monitoring – Maintaining an up-to-date picture of the organization’s risk landscape.

Did You Know

Organizations, on average, are only aware of 60% of the devices connected to their network, leaving 40% as “shadow assets”.

Prevailing Factors Pushing the Rapid Adoption

The Expanding Attack Surface

With the rise of digital transformation, organizations are now operating in a hyper-connected world. This has expanded the attack surface, making it harder to secure every entry point. IT systems, cloud environments, OT, IoT devices, and even medical equipment must now be protected under a unified strategy.

 

Evolving Threat Landscape

Cyber adversaries are increasingly sophisticated, leveraging AI and zero-day vulnerabilities to launch targeted attacks. Organizations must shift from reactive to proactive defense strategies to stay ahead.

 

Regulatory and Business Imperatives

Regulatory frameworks demand stricter compliance with data protection and security standards. Meanwhile, the cost of breaches—financially and reputationally—makes CEM a business-critical priority.

Did You Know

By 2025, the number of IoT devices is expected to exceed 30 billion, with 57% of organizations reporting attacks on IoT devices as part of broader breaches.

 

Strategic Adoption Phases

 

coworkers collaborate in a system control room - number 1 in corner

Build a Comprehensive Cyber Exposure Strategy

| Understand Your Environment
Conduct a baseline assessment to identify all assets, vulnerabilities, and existing security measures.

 

| Define Objectives
Align CEM initiatives with broader business and compliance goals.

 

| Engage Stakeholders
Secure buy-in from executive leadership and cross-functional teams.

Did You Know

In 2025, cybercrime is expected to cost the global economy $10.5 trillion annually, equivalent to the third-largest GDP in the world, after the U.S. and China.

Block chain network concept with number 2

Achieve Holistic Visibility

| Implement tools that provide real-time discovery and detailed inventory of assets across all devices and assets whether physical or cloud.

 

| Classify and contextualize assets by their role, criticality, behaviors and risk level.

 

| Break down silos between departments and initiatives to ensure unified asset visibility.

Did You Know

Nearly 70% of CISOs admit they lack a comprehensive view of their organization’s attack surface, even though 94% of organizations claim “full visibility” is a top priority.

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Prioritize and Remediate Risk

| Use risk-based frameworks to identify, deduplicate, prioritize vulnerabilities and other security findings based on exploitability and impact.

 

| Automate workflows assignments for patching, configuration updates, and other remediation efforts.

 

| Regularly update threat models and conduct penetration
tests to validate defenses.

Did You Know

Using AI-driven vulnerability prioritization reduces the average number of “critical” vulnerabilities organizations must address by 80%, improving operational efficiency.

earth with hexagon spots and spikes of light with number 4

Leverage Advanced Threat Detection

| Deploy AI/ML-powered Early Warning systems to detect anomalies and predict emerging threats.

 

| Integrate real-time threat intelligence to identify patterns indicative of attacks.

 

| Ensure incident response plans are in place for rapid containment and recovery.

Did You Know

The average “dwell time”—the period between breach and detection—remains around 277 days. Cyber exposure management solutions are designed to drastically reduce this time.

finger touching screen with data management workflow shown with number 5

Integrate & Orchestrate with the
Existing Technology Ecosystem

| Map out integration points with SIEM, SOAR, EDR, ITSM,Ticketing Systems and other platforms.

 

| Enable data sharing and workflow automation across tools to improve efficiency.

 

| Regularly evaluate work flows, access controls and
interconnections to ensure they meet organizational needs and do not result in being contributory to unacceptable risk.

Did You Know

Organizations with fully integrated security ecosystems reduce their average time to detect and respond to cyber threats by 50%, compared to those relying on siloed tools. By integrating Cyber Exposure Management (CEM) with platforms like SIEM, SOAR, EDR, and ITSM, companies can streamline workflows, automate data sharing, and enhance overall efficiency, drastically improving their ability to mitigate risks in real time.

IT specialist uses laptop in data center with number 6

Commit to Continuous Improvement

| Establish KPIs and metrics to measure the effectiveness of your CEM program.

 

| Regularly review and refine strategies based on new threats and organizational changes.

 

| Foster a culture of security awareness through ongoing training and communication.

Did You Know

Organizations that establish clear cybersecurity KPIs and regularly refine their strategies experience a 30% reduction in successful cyberattacks compared to those with static, outdated approaches. By continuously improving their Cyber Exposure Management (CEM) program and fostering a culture of security awareness, these organizations stay ahead of evolving threats and maintain stronger overall cyber resilience.

 

Translating Strategy Into Action

 

double corner black and orange squares Asset Management and Security Across IT, OT, IoT, and Medical Devices

 

Why It Matters

Understanding and securing every asset across your environment is foundational to managing cyber risk. Today’s enterprises face a convergence of IT systems, Operational Technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT), and medical devices, each with unique vulnerabilities and security requirements.

Strategic Steps

  1. Deploy a platform capable of automatically discovering and profiling all connected assets in real time.
  2. Establish a centralized asset inventory to break down silos between IT, OT, IoT, and medical device ecosystems.
  3. Classify and prioritize assets based on business criticality and risk profile.
  4. Continuously monitor asset behavior for anomalies.

Key Principles

  • Achieve Real-Time Visibility – Ensure full visibility into every asset—managed, unmanaged; physical and virtual.
  • Contextual Asset Intelligence – Enrich asset data with details such as location, owner, configuration, and risk level.
  • Zero Trust for Assets – Apply Zero Trust principles to all assets, enforcing least privilege and continuous monitoring.

3 “Dig Deeper” Resources

double corner black and blue squares Vulnerability Prioritization and Remediation

 

Why It Matters

With thousands of vulnerabilities disclosed each year, organizations cannot afford to treat all vulnerabilities or security findings equally. Effective identification, deduplication, contextualization prioritization and remediation ensure that resources are allocated to address the most critical threats first.

Strategic Steps

  1. Implement a vulnerability management solution that integrates with your asset inventory to identify risks in context.
  2. Use risk scoring to prioritize vulnerabilities based on threat intelligence, asset criticality, and exploitability.
  3. Automate workflows to notify appropriate teams and track remediation progress.
  4. Regularly assess the effectiveness of remediation efforts.

Key Principles

  • Risk-Based Prioritization – Focus on vulnerabilities with the highest likelihood and greatest impact.
  • Automation – Leverage AI/ML to streamline vulnerability identification and triage.
  • Closed-Loop Remediation – Integrate vulnerability management workflows with patch management and ticketing systems.

3 “Dig Deeper” Resources

double corner black and purple squares Multi-Detection Engine: Policy, Anomaly, and Asset Intelligence

 

Why It Matters

A single detection method is insufficient to address today’s complex threats. A multi-detection engine ensures comprehensive threat detection by combining policy-based controls, anomaly detection, and asset intelligence.

Strategic Steps

  1. Establish baseline policies for asset permissions and behavior. Enforce compliance.
  2. Implement anomaly detection to identify deviations from baseline behavior.
  3. Integrate an asset intelligence engine to provide context for detection results.
  4. Continuously refine detection algorithms based on real-world findings.

Key Principles

  • Layered Detection – Use multiple detection techniques to identify known and unknown threats.
  • Behavioral Analysis – Detect deviations from normal behavior across assets.
  • Continuous Improvement – Refine detection capabilities with feedback and intelligence.

3 “Dig Deeper” Resources

double corner black and orange squares Early Warning of Threats Leveraging AI/ML

 

Why It Matters

A proactive cybersecurity solution designed to empower organizations with early warning intelligence to anticipate and mitigate cyber risk effectively. By leveraging AI/ML-powered system insights into the vulnerabilities that threat actors are exploiting in the wild or are about to weaponize, allowing organizations to understand their impact and take preemptive action.

Strategic Steps

  1. Deploy an Early Warning system that leverages AI/ML for threat detection and contextual analysis.
  2. Continuously update threat models with real-time data from your environment.
  3. Conduct regular threat-hunting exercises to validate and refine detection capabilities.
  4. Establish an incident response plan for threats identified by Early Warning systems.

Key Principles

  • Early warning intelligence – fills a gap that exists today in intelligence lists. Focus on timely, accurate and evidence-based intelligence on the vulnerabilities that are being exploited in the wild or are about to be weaponized.
  • CVE Insights Breakdown – has identified hundreds of CVEs prior to being published in CISA KEV.
  • Preempt an Attack – gives you time to secure your environment before an attack is ever launched and before any damage has ever occurred.
  • Proactive Response – that gives you the ability to prioritize your efforts and get out of reactive firefighting mode.

3 “Dig Deeper” Resources

double corner black and blue squares Complete Orchestration with the Existing Technology Stack

 

Why It Matters

Cybersecurity solutions do not operate in isolation. Effective CEM requires seamless integration with the organization’s existing technology stack, including SIEM, SOAR, EDR, and ITSM platforms.

Strategic Steps

  1. Map existing tools and identify integration points.
  2. Deploy APIs and connectors to synchronize data across platforms.
  3. Automate workflows for incident detection, investigation, and remediation.
  4. Conduct regular reviews to ensure integrations remain effective.

Key Principles

  • Unified Data – Centralize data from disparate tools to provide a single source of truth (CMDB).
  • Automated Workflows – Enable automated responses by integrating with orchestration platforms.
  • Scalability – Ensure integrations can scale as your environment grows.

3 “Dig Deeper” Resources

circuit paths with light beam shining up

Key Business Outcomes

| Reduced Risk

By gaining complete visibility and prioritizing remediation efforts, organizations can significantly reduce their exposure to cyber threats.

 

| Enhanced Operational Efficiency

Automation and integration streamline security operations, reducing the burden on IT and security teams.

 

| Improved Compliance

CEMS helps organizations meet regulatory requirements by providing the necessary documentation and controls.

 

| Stronger Resilience

Proactive risk management ensures organizations are better prepared to respond to and recover from incidents.

Armis Cyber Exposure Management & Security Checklist

Category Checklist Item
Cyber Exposure Strategy 01. Conduct a baseline assessment to identify all assets, vulnerabilities, and existing security measures.
02. Align Cyber Exposure Management & Security (CEM) initiatives with business goals and compliance requirements.
03. Secure buy-in from executive leadership and cross-functional teams to prioritize CEM efforts.
Achieving Holistic Visibility 01. Implement tools for real-time discovery and inventory of assets across all assets whether physical or cloud environments.
02. Classify and contextualize assets based on their role, criticality, and risk level.
03. Break down silos between IT, security, and operational teams for unified asset visibility.
Risk Prioritization and Remediation 01. Use a risk-based framework to prioritize vulnerabilities and other findings based on exploitability and business impact.
02. Automate workflows for patching, configuration updates, and other remediation activities.
03. Automate workflows for patching, configuration updates, and other remediation activities.
Advanced Threat Detection 01. Deploy AI/ML-powered systems for anomaly detection and predictive threat analysis.
02. Integrate real-time threat intelligence to identify patterns indicative of potential attacks.
03. Integrate real-time threat intelligence to identify patterns indicative of potential attacks.
Technology Orchestration 01. Map integration & orchestration points with existing technology tools (e.g., SIEM, SOAR, EDR, ITSM).
02. Enable seamless data sharing and workflow automation across tools to enhance efficiency and eliminate siloed activity.
03. Conduct regular evaluations of technology integrations to ensure effectiveness and risk posture.
Continuous Improvement 01. Implement tools for real-time discovery and inventory of assets across all assets whether physical or cloud environments.
02. Classify and contextualize assets based on their role, criticality, and risk level.
03. Break down silos between IT, security, and operational teams for unified asset visibility.
Benefits Realization 01. Confirm reduced cyber risk by measuring improvements in asset visibility and vulnerability/risk management.
02. Ensure operational efficiency gains through streamlined automation and integration efforts.
02. Validate compliance with regulatory standards using updated documentation and controls.
03. Assess organizational resilience through tabletop exercises and incident recovery simulations.
Getting Started 01. Schedule a comprehensive assessment of your organization’s current exposure landscape.
02. Define an action plan based on assessment results and prioritize high-impact areas.
03. Engage with trusted partners or vendors, like Armis, to implement and optimize your CEM strategy.