Scaling Vulnerability Management Beyond CVSS Scores

The Problem With Raw CVSS CVSS provides a baseline severity, but it ignores whether the vulnerable asset faces the internet, holds regulated data, or has compensating controls. Mature programs layer business context on top to focus remediation where it matters most.

Building a Contextual Risk Engine Ingest vulnerability scanner results, asset inventory, exploit availability, and business criticality into a unified data store. Assign weights to each dimension and compute a composite risk score. Visualize the output so engineering managers know exactly which systems to patch first.

Driving Accountability Publish weekly scorecards that show outstanding high-risk findings per team. Tie patch SLAs to risk tiers instead of static severity levels. Provide automation—self-service patch pipelines, configuration as code—to help teams remediate quickly.

Feedback Loops Track remediation time, re-open rates, and exceptions. Use the data to refine your weights and to highlight architectural debt that generates recurring issues. Celebrate teams that consistently beat SLAs; culture reinforces process.

Conclusion Risk-based vulnerability management gives you clarity in a sea of findings. Context is the multiplier that turns scanners into strategy.