Traditionally, organizations have used Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) scores to prioritize their vulnerabilities. CVSS scoring was created almost two decades ago with the intent of providing “open and universally standard severity ratings of software vulnerabilities.” They do a good job looking for opportunistic vulnerabilities (i.e. can they be exploited remotely?), but they lack the ability to effectively prioritize for an organization’s unique circumstance. 

A CVSS scoring prioritization methodology might have your teams patching all critical CVSS scores. But the reality is, some of the most widespread and devastating attacks have exploited vulnerabilities with high, medium, and even low CVSS scores. 

Fortunately, there is a better way. 

Risk-based prioritization is a method of prioritizing potential vulnerabilities and risks based on their potential impact on a business. This approach considers the specific context of a business, including its industry, size, and the sensitive information it holds, in order to determine which vulnerabilities and risks are most important to address. In contrast, CVSS prioritization is a method of prioritizing vulnerabilities and risks based on their technical severity, as determined by a standardized scoring system. 

Here are four reasons why risk-based vulnerability management for prioritization better aligns with business objectives:

1. By using risk-based prioritization, businesses can better understand the potential impact of vulnerabilities and risks on their operations and make more informed decisions about how to prioritize their response. 
2. Another reason to implement risk-based prioritization is that it can help to align their cybersecurity efforts with business objectives. By prioritizing vulnerabilities and risks based on their potential impact on the business, organizations can maximize the effectiveness of their cybersecurity efforts and ensure that they are properly aligned with the broader goals of the organization. 
3. Furthermore, risk-based prioritization can help businesses to better manage their cyber risks over time. By regularly assessing and prioritizing vulnerabilities and risks, organizations can track the evolution of their cyber risks and adjust their responses accordingly. This can help to ensure that they are always focusing on the most important vulnerabilities and risks, and that their cybersecurity efforts are properly aligned with their business objectives. 
4. In comparison, CVSS prioritization can lead to a mismatch between the priorities of the business and the priorities identified by the CVSS scoring system, which can make it difficult for organizations to effectively manage their cyber risks. 

Overall, risk-based prioritization is a more effective approach for businesses because it takes into account the specific context of a company and aligns their cybersecurity efforts with their business objectives. By using risk-based prioritization, businesses can better understand the potential impact of vulnerabilities and risks on their operations and make more informed decisions about how to prioritize their response. CVSS prioritization can be less effective because it is based on a standardized scoring system that does not consider a business’s specific circumstances.