Beyond Scanning: QKS Group Names the 2025 Leaders in Exposure Management
The analytical firm QKS Group has published its Exposure Management market study for the fourth quarter of 2025. The report evaluates more than 30 vendors operating in the fields of vulnerability management and attack surface management.
Exposure Management is defined as a continuous process of identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and mitigating potential attack vectors across an organization’s digital infrastructure. Unlike traditional vulnerability scanning, this approach incorporates business context, asset criticality, and the real-world likelihood of exploitation.
The researchers highlight three major trends. First, the shift from fragmented point solutions toward unified platforms that consolidate vulnerability management, perimeter monitoring, threat analysis, and remediation automation. Second, the expansion of the attack surface concept to include cloud services, Internet of Things devices, industrial systems, and Active Directory configurations. Third, rising demand for automation and integration with ITSM systems amid a persistent shortage of cybersecurity specialists.
Among the market leaders, the report names Tenable, Qualys, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft, Rapid7, and the Russian company Security Vision. Tenable is recognized for its Tenable One platform with attack path modeling. Qualys stands out with its TruRisk risk assessment framework. CrowdStrike leverages a single agent for both endpoint protection and vulnerability management, while Microsoft embeds Exposure Management capabilities into the Defender ecosystem.
Security Vision, founded in Moscow in 2007, received high marks for its comprehensive suite of modules, including Vulnerability Management (VM), Vulnerability Scanner (VS), Asset Management (AM), Risk Management (RM), and Security Profile Compliance (SPC). Analysts noted the company’s particularly strong performance in the EMEA region. Key strengths of the platform include low-code and no-code process builders, extensive third-party integration capabilities, business-context-driven risk assessment, cross-domain visibility across IT, cloud, and industrial systems, flexible dashboard and reporting tools, and built-in artificial intelligence.
Among the rising players, QKS Group highlights Pentera, BreachLock, and Zafran Security. Founded in 2018, Pentera serves more than 1,100 customers across 65 countries and specializes in attack emulation within production environments, having raised $250 million in funding. BreachLock combines automated scanning with testing performed by ethical hackers. Zafran Security, established in 2022, applies generative AI to produce vulnerability remediation recommendations.
European vendors are represented by Finland’s WithSecure, with a strong focus on GDPR and NIS2 compliance; Sweden’s Holm Security, which includes phishing simulation capabilities; and Italy’s Alfa Group, noted for its integration with Tenable products.
The SPARK Matrix methodology evaluates vendors along two dimensions: technological excellence and customer impact. The technological assessment covers asset discovery, vulnerability validation, risk prioritization, automation, and integration capabilities. Customer impact is measured through market presence, track record, ease of deployment, and the quality of customer support.
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