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Security8 min read

Security Debt: The Fastest-Compounding Technical Liability

Security debt compounds faster than code debt because vulnerabilities attract attackers.

By Richard Ewing·

Why Security Debt Is Different

Code debt compounds at the rate of development activity. Security debt compounds at the rate of attacker interest + vulnerability disclosure. A known CVE in your stack makes you a target — and the longer it's unpatched, the more likely it is to be exploited.

Remediation priority: critical CVEs within 24 hours, high within 7 days, medium within 30 days, low within 90 days. Every day past these thresholds, your risk increases exponentially.

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Published Work

This article expands on ideas from my published work in CIO.com, Built In, Mind the Product, and HackerNoon. View published articles →

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Richard Ewing

The Product Economist — Quantifying engineering economics for technology leaders, PE firms, and boards.