How Can You Tell Which Security Vulnerabilities Will Actually Harm Your Business?

Why Do Most Security Alerts Fail to Protect Companies from Real Cyber Threats?

Think of security flaws like broken locks on doors. Some broken locks are on doors that nobody uses. Others are on your front door where everyone can see them. The difference matters a lot.

In 2024, experts found over 29,000 security problems in computer systems. But here’s the thing: most of these problems can’t actually hurt you right now. Only a small number are being used by bad actors to break into systems.

This creates a big problem for companies. They get thousands of alerts about security issues. But which ones should they fix first? The answer lies in understanding which flaws can actually be used against you.

Two Types of Security Problems

The Dangerous Kind: Exploitable Vulnerabilities

An exploitable vulnerability is like a broken lock that criminals can easily pick. It has three main features:

• Someone knows how to break it: There’s a clear method or tool available
• It’s easy to reach: Attackers can get to it without jumping through hoops
• It can cause real damage: Like stealing data, taking control of systems, or shutting things down

Real Example: In March 2025, hackers found a way to break into Apache Tomcat servers. Within just 30 hours of the problem being announced, criminals were already using it to attack companies.

The Less Dangerous Kind: Non-Exploitable Vulnerabilities

A non-exploitable vulnerability is like a broken lock on a door that’s sealed shut. The lock is broken, but nobody can reach it. This happens when:

• The broken code isn’t actually running in your system
• Strong security walls block anyone from reaching it
• You need special admin passwords that outsiders don’t have

Real Example: Imagine a security flaw in a back-office system that only works on your internal network, needs admin access, and sits behind multiple security barriers. It’s technically broken, but attackers can’t touch it.

Why This Difference Matters So Much

The Problems with Treating Everything as Urgent

When companies panic about every security alert, bad things happen:

1. Teams waste time: They spend days fixing problems that can’t hurt them
2. Real threats get missed: Important issues get buried under less important ones
3. People stop caring: When everything is “urgent,” nothing feels urgent anymore
4. Resources get wasted: Money and time go to the wrong places

Studies show that over 70% of security alerts get ignored because teams can’t tell what’s actually important.

Real-World Impact Stories

The Grafana Attack

Hackers found a way to steal user accounts without needing passwords. They just had to trick the system with fake session cookies. This affected thousands of internet-facing systems because it was so easy to use.

The PHP Windows Problem

A flaw in how PHP handled certain characters let attackers run their own code on Windows servers. Criminals quickly started using this in organized attack campaigns.

Both of these weren’t just severe on paper – they were easy for criminals to use and caused real damage.

How to Tell If a Security Flaw Can Actually Hurt You

Step 1: Check the Basic Risk Score

The CVSS system gives every vulnerability a score. It looks at:

• How can it be attacked? (Over the internet vs. needing physical access)
• How hard is it to use? (Simple vs. complex setup required)
• What permissions are needed? (Regular user vs. admin access)
• Does someone need to click something? (Automatic vs. requires user action)

But remember: a high score doesn’t always mean high danger for your specific setup.

Step 2: Look at Your Environment

Ask these key questions:

• Is the vulnerable system actually running in production?
• Can outsiders reach it, or is it internal only?
• What security protections are already in place?
• How important is this system to your business?

Step 3: Test if Attackers Can Actually Reach It

This is called reachability analysis. It checks:

• Is the vulnerable code actually loaded and running?
• Can external input reach the vulnerable parts?
• Are there barriers that would stop an attack?

Step 4: Check if It’s Already Being Used by Criminals

The CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list shows which flaws criminals are actively using. If your vulnerability is on this list, it jumps to the top of your priority list – regardless of its score.

Step 5: Consider Business Impact

Technical risk is only half the story. Also think about:

• How critical is the affected system?
• What kind of data could be stolen?
• Would an attack shut down operations?
• Could it cause legal or compliance problems?

Why You Still Need to Care About “Safe” Vulnerabilities

Even if a security flaw can’t hurt you today, it might become dangerous later:

1. Things Change: New features, configuration changes, or system updates might make a safe vulnerability suddenly dangerous.
2. Attackers Get Creative: Criminals often chain together multiple small problems to create big attacks.
3. New Attack Methods: Someone might discover a new way to exploit an old vulnerability.
4. Compliance Requirements: Many standards require you to address all known vulnerabilities, not just the dangerous ones.

The Smart Approach to Vulnerability Management

Priority 1: Fix What’s Actually Dangerous

• Focus on vulnerabilities that are reachable and exploitable
• Pay special attention to anything on the KEV list
• Consider your specific environment and protections

Priority 2: Monitor the Rest

• Keep track of non-exploitable vulnerabilities
• Set up alerts for when their status might change
• Plan for future fixes during regular maintenance

Priority 3: Build Better Defenses

• Use multiple layers of security
• Implement runtime protections
• Design systems with security in mind from the start

Not all security vulnerabilities are created equal. The key to effective security is focusing your limited time and resources on the problems that can actually hurt you. This means understanding the difference between what’s theoretically possible and what’s practically dangerous in your specific environment.

By taking this smarter approach, you can protect your organization more effectively while avoiding the burnout and waste that comes from treating every alert as a crisis.