KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 29): The global vulnerability management (VM) market is expected to reach US$2.51 billion by 2025, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.3%, said Frost & Sullivan.

VM is a security practice specifically designed to proactively prevent the exploitation of IT vulnerabilities that could potentially harm a system or organization.

The practice involves identifying, classifying, mitigating and fixing known vulnerabilities within a system. It is an integral part of computer and network security and plays an important role in IT risk management.

In a report earlier this month, Frost & Sullivan said enterprises are becoming more vulnerable to cyber-attacks as they embrace digital transformation initiatives.

It said this is due to an expanded attack surface resulting from multiple touchpoints through an open network and easy accessibility to databases and applications.

An expanded attack surface has triggered the need for greater investments in vulnerability management (VM) solutions, it said.

Frost & Sullivan senior industry analyst for cybersecurity Swetha R Krishnamoorthi said the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting work-from-home economy have expanded organizations’ attack surface.

"With organisations adjusting to a new mode of business operations, VM capabilities for emerging platforms and applications will gain traction.

“In addition, as businesses embrace network-attached endpoints, cloud-based applications, and connected devices, the need for managing vulnerabilities in the extended attack surface will surge," she said.

Krishnamoorthi said  organisations’ move toward holistic and focused security will encourage vendors to integrate capabilities from upstream, downstream, and alternative applications.

"Over the next decade, there will also be a likely emergence of an ‘integrated security posture assessment tool’ that provides end-to-end risk managemen for enterprises," she said.