The Challenge:

Too Much Data, Not Enough Direction

The security team at a large Italian financial services firm was overloaded with vulnerability data. Their traditional scanners flagged issue after issue, but didn’t help the team figure out what really mattered – or where to start prioritizing.

“We needed to know which elements could compromise our critical assets – which choke points had to be fixed in our infrastructure,” said their lead detection and response analyst.

Without context, every vulnerability looked urgent. It was hard to focus, hard to prioritize, and even harder to explain progress to leadership. What the team lacked was visibility into exposures – the subset of vulnerabilities that actually connect to attack paths and could be used to reach critical assets. They needed a way to separate these real risks from the dead ends.

The Solution: 

Exposure-Driven Insights With a Focus on Choke Points

The company implemented XM Cyber to see how attackers could reach critical assets. By enabling them to visualize attack paths and pinpoint choke points, the platform reshaped the team’s approach to risk. “XM Cyber helped me identify hidden parts of our infrastructure and understand vulnerabilities that traditional scanners missed,” said their analyst. “One example was a vulnerability in the print spooler. Even after applying a patch, the real issue was a misconfiguration. XM Cyber showed me what still needed to be fixed,” said their detection and response analyst.

The onboarding process was fast and smooth. “XM Cyber gave us a fully pre-configured platform. It was easy to deploy,” he shared. Ongoing support from the XM Cyber team helped the company stay on track. “We work with XM Cyber all the time. Continuous communication with their technical operations team is very important to us.”

Benefits and Outcomes

Better Visibility, Stronger Prioritization, and Clear Value for Leadership

The team started with a security score that indicated critical risk. As they remediated key choke points identified by XM Cyber, that score steadily improved. “It helped us focus only on the elements that could really be used by an attacker,” said their lead detection and response analyst. “We reduced time spent chasing vulnerabilities that don’t present real risk.”

The platform also helped the team demonstrate measurable progress to leadership. “Every three months, we review the improved security score with top management. XM Cyber makes it easy to show the value of our work.”

The visibility into attack paths and risk prioritization changed the way leadership views vulnerability management. “The CISO understands now that prioritization is key. We arrange remediations based on XM Cyber’s recommendations,” he continued.

Recommendation and Future Expectations

From Financial Services to Industry – A Tool That Brings Risk Out of the Shadows

The analyst sees XM Cyber as a valuable partner for any organization that wants to make risk-based decisions and reduce exposure. “It’s a great product. It helped me prioritize exposures in a way that wasn’t possible before. Without XM Cyber, some of these issues would still be in the shadows.” With XM Cyber, they can improve efficiency, maintain visibility, and ensure that both technical teams and business stakeholders stay focused on what matters most.