Overview#
Creation of code that leverages vulnerabilities for execution or access. Used by security researchers and adversaries; informs mitigations and patch priorities.
Core objectives#
- Establish shared definitions of Exploit Development for security, engineering, and leadership teams.
- Connect Exploit Development activities to measurable risk reduction and resilience goals.
- Provide onboarding notes so new team members can quickly understand how Exploit Development works here.
Implementation notes#
- Identify the primary owner for Exploit Development, the data sources involved, and the systems affected.
- Document the minimum viable process, tooling, and runbooks that keep Exploit Development healthy.
- Map Exploit Development practices to standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, NIST CSF, or CIS Controls.
Operational signals#
- Leading indicators: early warnings that Exploit Development might degrade (e.g., backlog growth, noisy alerts, or missed SLAs).
- Lagging indicators: realized impact that shows Exploit Development failed or needs investment (e.g., incidents, audit findings).
- Feedback loops: retrospectives and metrics reviews that tune Exploit Development continuously.
Related practices#
- Align Exploit Development with defense-in-depth planning, threat modeling, and disaster recovery tests.
- Communicate updates to stakeholders through concise briefs, dashboards, and internal FAQs.
- Pair Exploit Development improvements with tabletop exercises to validate expectations.