Exploitability Pipeline Application Security Exploitability: A Deep Dive with a risk-based approach

Sean Wright appsec from pipeline to production Appsec risk vulnerability management

Appreciating Application Security (AppSec) could not be timelier in today’s digital world where cyber-attacks are common occurrences. Insights from a Webinar with Industry Experts, Frank and Sean. This discusses App-Sec, Vulnerability Management, Risk- Based Vulnerabilities, and Digital Supply Chain Security with a Guide to Navigate Complicated Issues in Details.

Sean Wright Securing Modern Digital Security from pipeline to production

Introduction

0:00 – 1:30 Frank and Sean introduce themselves and set the stage for the discussion on Application Security (AppSec).

Challenges in AppSec

1:31 – 5:00 Discuss the various challenges in AppSec, including the conflict between business and security needs.

Why is AppSec Complicated?

5:01 – 8:30 Explain the complexities in AppSec, such as the lack of standardization and the presence of legacy software.Solutions and Approaches

8:31 – 12:00 Sean and Frank discuss potential solutions, including awareness programs and real-time vulnerability detection tools.

Risk Acceptance

12:01 – 15:00 The duo discusses the concept of risk acceptance and why it often becomes the norm.

Vulnerability Management

15:01 – 18:00 Discussions on how to manage vulnerabilities effectively using scoring systems like EPSS.

Closing Remarks18:01 – 20:00 Summary of the key takeaways and a preview of upcoming panels.


Introduction

The recent webinar between Frank and Sean, a Principal Application Security Engineer, provided a wealth of information on the complexities of AppSec. This blog post aims to summarize their key insights, focusing on vulnerability management, risk-based vulnerability, and digital supply chain security.


The Complexity of AppSec (Webinar Time: 1:31 – 5:00)

AppSec is a multifaceted field that poses numerous challenges, including the conflict between business and security needs. Sean emphasizes that understanding these complexities is the first step in effective vulnerability management.


Vulnerability Management: More Than Just Patching (Webinar Time: 5:01 – 8:30)

Vulnerability management goes beyond merely patching software; it involves a comprehensive approach to identifying, classifying, and mitigating vulnerabilities. Sean suggests that real-time vulnerability detection tools can be invaluable in this process.


Risk-Based Vulnerability: A Calculated Approach (Webinar Time: 8:31 – 12:00)

Sean introduces the concept of risk-based vulnerability, which involves prioritizing vulnerabilities based on their potential impact. Scoring systems like the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) can be instrumental in this risk-based approach.


Digital Supply Chain Security: The Overlooked Aspect (Webinar Time: 12:01 – 15:00)

The webinar also touches on the importance of securing the digital supply chain. With software often comprising various third-party components, the risk of vulnerabilities entering through the supply chain is high. Sean stresses the need for rigorous vetting processes for third-party vendors.


Risk Acceptance: Handle With Care (Webinar Time: 15:01 – 18:00)

Risk acceptance is often seen as a necessary evil, but Sean points out that it can be a ticking time bomb if not managed carefully. Understanding the exploitability of accepted risks is crucial for informed decision-making.


Conclusion

The webinar offers a comprehensive look into the world of AppSec, vulnerability management, risk-based vulnerability, and digital supply chain security. As businesses continue to navigate the digital landscape, these insights provide a valuable roadmap for enhancing security postures.

Get in control of your Application Security posture and Vulnerability management

Moreover, Phoenix Security’s correlation capabilities can help organizations link the activities in the code with the context in the shift-right part, ensuring that issues are identified and addressed proactively. Using Phoenix Security’s scorecard, organizations can create a common language between the security, development, and business teams, ensuring everyone is aligned and focused on achieving the same goals.

shift smart, risk based, vulnerability management, phoenix security

Finally, Phoenix Security’s ability to create risk-based profiles can help organizations translate their security goals into dynamic and smart targets for engineers. By using risk-based profiles, engineers can prioritize their work and focus on the most critical issues, ensuring that they make the most effective use of their time and resources.

Overall, by leveraging Phoenix Security’s powerful capabilities, organizations can implement a smart, risk-based approach to software development that ensures the success of their initiatives while minimizing risk and improving overall efficiency. With Phoenix Security as their partner, organizations can feel confident that they are taking a proactive approach to software development that is aligned with their business objectives and goals.

Francesco is an internationally renowned public speaker, with multiple interviews in high-profile publications (eg. Forbes), and an author of numerous books and articles, who utilises his platform to evangelize the importance of Cloud security and cutting-edge technologies on a global scale.

Discuss this blog with our community on Slack

Join our AppSec Phoenix community on Slack to discuss this blog and other news with our professional security team

From our Blog

The 2024 CWE Top 25 is out, and it’s no casual stroll through the vulnerability garden—especially when ransomware operators are busy planting path traversal exploits, while bug bounty hunters dig up endless injection flaws. In this blog, we examine the biggest risers, the most surprising dips, and the divergence between real-world exploit data and official CWE rankings. We’ll also reveal how AI-driven ASPM (Application Security Posture Management) and Phoenix Security’s contextual risk-based approach unite to help you focus on your most pressing threats. After all, not all flaws are created equal—some are simply more mischievous than others.
Francesco Cipollone
The 2024 CWE Top 25 list highlights the most dangerous software weaknesses. This article explores the methodology behind the list and how AI is improving threat detection. Discover how Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) and unified vulnerability management can help organizations address these critical threats.
Francesco Cipollone
Phoenix Security kicks off 2025 with recognition from Gartner Digital Markets through GetApp, solidifying its position as a leader in Application Security Posture Management (ASPM). Recognised for best customer success and support in ASPM, Phoenix Security empowers organisations with comprehensive, contextual vulnerability management and actionable cybersecurity solutions. With a user-friendly interface, robust real-time monitoring, and seamless risk prioritisation, the platform reduces alert fatigue while delivering precise remediation. As a cloud security leader, Phoenix Security continues to innovate, partnering with enterprises like LastPass and ClearBank to tackle the modern cybersecurity landscape head-on.
Francesco Cipollone
Discover how Phoenix Security is revolutionizing vulnerability management with its latest advancements in Application Security Posture Management (ASPM). From contextual deduplication to container version monitoring, this update empowers teams to prioritize vulnerabilities, streamline workflows, and strengthen application security. Dive into new integrations, enhanced asset details, and smarter risk management tools designed for modern security challenges.
Alfonso Eusebio
Phoenix Security’s Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) introduces Reachability Analysis and Contextual Deduplication to revolutionize vulnerability management. These features help security teams prioritize risks by correlating vulnerabilities from code to runtime, focusing on what’s exploitable. With contextual deduplication, Phoenix reduces vulnerability noise by up to 95%, ensuring only real threats are addressed. Stay ahead with 4D Risk Quantification, combining business criticality, network, and runtime reachability for smarter, more effective security.- Associate assets with multiple Applications and Environments – Mapping of vulnerabilities to Installed Software – Find Assets/Vulns by Scanner – Detailed findings Location information Risk-based Posture Management – Risk and Risk Magnitude for Assets – Filter assets and vulnerabilities by source scanner Integrations – BurpSuite XML Import – Assessment Import API Other Improvements – Improved multi-selection in filters – New CVSS Score column in Vulnerabilities
Alfonso Eusebio
Derek

Derek Fisher

Head of product security at a global fintech

Derek Fisher – Head of product security at a global fintech. Speaker, instructor, and author in application security.

Derek is an award winning author of a children’s book series in cybersecurity as well as the author of “The Application Security Handbook.” He is a university instructor at Temple University where he teaches software development security to undergraduate and graduate students. He is a speaker on topics in the cybersecurity space and has led teams, large and small, at organizations in the healthcare and financial industries. He has built and matured information security teams as well as implemented organizational information security strategies to reduce the organizations risk.

Derek got his start in the hardware engineering space where he learned about designing circuits and building assemblies for commercial and military applications. He later pursued a computer science degree in order to advance a career in software development. This is where Derek was introduced to cybersecurity and soon caught the bug. He found a mentor to help him grow in cybersecurity and then pursued a graduate degree in the subject.

Since then Derek has worked in the product security space as an architect and leader. He has led teams to deliver more secure software in organizations from multiple industries. His focus has been to raise the security awareness of the engineering organization while maintaining a practice of secure code development, delivery, and operations.

In his role, Jeevan handles a range of tasks, from architecting security solutions to collaborating with Engineering Leadership to address security vulnerabilities at scale and embed security into the fabric of the organization.

Jeevan Singh

Jeevan Singh

Founder of Manicode Security

Jeevan Singh is the Director of Security Engineering at Rippling, with a background spanning various Engineering and Security leadership roles over the course of his career. He’s dedicated to the integration of security practices into software development, working to create a security-aware culture within organizations and imparting security best practices to the team.
In his role, Jeevan handles a range of tasks, from architecting security solutions to collaborating with Engineering Leadership to address security vulnerabilities at scale and embed security into the fabric of the organization.

James

James Berthoty

Founder of Latio Tech

James Berthoty has over ten years of experience across product and security domains. He founded Latio Tech to help companies find the right security tools for their needs without vendor bias.

christophe

Christophe Parisel

Senior Cloud Security Architect

Senior Cloud Security Architect

Chris

Chris Romeo

Co-Founder
Security Journey

Chris Romeo is a leading voice and thinker in application security, threat modeling, and security champions and the CEO of Devici and General Partner at Kerr Ventures. Chris hosts the award-winning “Application Security Podcast,” “The Security Table,” and “The Threat Modeling Podcast” and is a highly rated industry speaker and trainer, featured at the RSA Conference, the AppSec Village @ DefCon, OWASP Global AppSec, ISC2 Security Congress, InfoSec World and All Day DevOps. Chris founded Security Journey, a security education company, leading to an exit in 2022. Chris was the Chief Security Advocate at Cisco, spreading security knowledge through education and champion programs. Chris has twenty-six years of security experience, holding positions across the gamut, including application security, security engineering, incident response, and various Executive roles. Chris holds the CISSP and CSSLP certifications.

jim

Jim Manico

Founder of Manicode Security

Jim Manico is the founder of Manicode Security, where he trains software developers on secure coding and security engineering. Jim is also the founder of Brakeman Security, Inc. and an investor/advisor for Signal Sciences. He is the author of Iron-Clad Java: Building Secure Web Applications (McGraw-Hill), a frequent speaker on secure software practices, and a member of the JavaOne Rockstar speaker community. Jim is also a volunteer for and former board member of the OWASP foundation.

Join our Mailing list!

Get all the latest news, exclusive deals, and feature updates.

The IKIGAI concept
x  Powerful Protection for WordPress, from Shield Security
This Site Is Protected By
ShieldPRO