The Vulnerability Management Playbook (2025 Edition)
TL;DR
This Playbook outlines a practical approach to vulnerability management. It's not about CVSS scores, flashy tools, or perfect compliance. It's about building a process that works — under pressure, with limited time, and across fragmented teams.
If you're looking for something that's repeatable, explainable, and effective, this is for you.
Why We Need a Playbook
Everyone knows the basic idea: scan, assess, patch.
But in practice:
Ownership is unclear
SLAs are missed
Reports lack context
Backlogs grow faster than they shrink
Leadership asks for risk impact, not raw numbers
This site is here to help bridge the gap between policy and practice — turning VM into something manageable, not chaotic.
What This Playbook Covers
This site will evolve over time, but the core structure will remain:
Playbooks
Repeatable processes and workflows to manage:
Backlog burndown
Patch cycles and triage
SLA tracking and escalation
Risk-based prioritisation
Ownership handoff and audit trails
Briefings
High-level summaries of:
Key CVEs and what they actually mean for your environment
Changes to industry patching expectations (e.g. CISA KEVs, vendor shifts)
Vulnerability trends that require process change
Fundamentals
Clear explanations of core concepts like:
Risk vs. severity
Vulnerability lifecycle stages
Ownership models
Reporting metrics that matter
Resources
Templates, checklists, dashboards, and scorecards to help you move faster with less noise.
What Good Looks Like
A mature vulnerability management function includes:
Defined ownership for remediation
A triage model based on business impact
A documented process for risk acceptance and exception handling
Transparent reporting that leadership can use
Realistic, enforced SLAs
This site is designed to help you get there — one playbook at a time.
Who This Is For
This site is aimed at:
CISOs and security managers aligning teams with risk strategy
Patch and remediation leads drowning in backlog
Vulnerability analysts looking for structure and clarity
GRC and audit teams that need to understand what “good” looks like
The focus is operational, not academic. Everything here is meant to be usable and adaptable — whether you're in a global enterprise or scaling up.
What’s Coming Next
Here are some of the upcoming pieces in development:
Triage models that go beyond CVSS
A 4-week backlog burndown sprint guide
Ownership matrices and risk waiver paths
Tips for simplifying your reporting
Stay in the Loop
New content will be published 1–2 times a month. If you'd like to get updates when new Playbooks go live, subscribe here or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Thanks for reading,
— Dave
