The Prioritization Challenge
With thousands of vulnerabilities to address, organizations need effective scoring systems to prioritize remediation efforts. Three main approaches exist.
CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System)
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Measures intrinsic severity of vulnerabilities |
| Scale | 0-10 (None to Critical) |
| Factors | Attack vector, complexity, impact |
| Best For | Understanding technical severity |
| Limitation | Doesn't predict exploitation likelihood |
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System)
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Predicts likelihood of exploitation in the wild |
| Scale | 0-1 probability |
| Factors | Exploit availability, threat activity, vulnerability age |
| Best For | Prioritizing actively exploited vulns |
| Limitation | Doesn't consider business context |
Custom/Business-Contextualized Scoring
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Risk assessment based on your environment |
| Factors | Asset criticality, exposure, business impact |
| Best For | Aligning security with business priorities |
| Limitation | Requires ongoing calibration |
Which to Use?
The most effective approach combines all three:
- Use CVSS to understand technical severity
- Use EPSS to identify likely exploitation
- Apply business context to finalize prioritization
Scapien's Scoring
Scapien integrates multiple scoring approaches with business context to deliver actionable prioritization that reflects both technical risk and business impact.