The New Mandate For CISOs: Secure Fast AND Smart

In the race to contain cyber threats, one metric is gaining prominence in executive suites: mean time to remediation (MTTR). Once relegated to backend dashboards, MTTR now functions as a proxy for how effectively an enterprise can manage risk, not just from a security perspective, but from a business one.

Industry data suggests there is still a long way to go. On average, it takes more than 270 days to fix a critical vulnerability, a timeline that is deeply out of sync with today's threat environment. Adversaries now routinely exploit newly disclosed vulnerabilities in under 24 hours. That disparity underscores a sobering reality: many companies remain exposed for months after the first sign of danger.

This disconnect has made MTTR a central topic not just for CISOs, but for CFOs, risk officers, and board members. Cyber insurers increasingly use MTTR as a variable in pricing models, while regulatory audits frequently demand it as a compliance indicator. For decision-makers, the question is no longer, "Did we detect the threat?" but rather, "How long have we been exposed—and at what cost?"

According to industry analysts like Gartner, one of the most reliable levers for improving MTTR is clear risk ownership. When developers have visibility into the risks linked to their own code, remediation tends to happen quickly. But when accountability is ambiguous, vulnerabilities often stall in backlogs.

There's also a human dimension. Security experts are increasingly pointing to Security Champion programs as a cultural strategy to operationalize this ownership model. These programs identify and empower developers inside engineering teams to serve as peer leaders in secure practices. Their impact can be significant. In a study commissioned by Nominet, companies with active Security Champion initiatives were found to be 65 percent less likely to experience a data breach than those without such programs.

Still, traditional Security Champion programs come with scaling limitations. Most rely on manual nominations or manager selections—an approach that often lags behind shifting teams and growing dev orgs.

That's where automation is beginning to play a pivotal role. One company tackling this problem is Arnica,  a pipelineless, developer-native workflows provider for the AppSec industry. Instead of relying on titles or tenure to identify champions, Arnica uses behavioral analytics to surface developers already demonstrating secure behavior.

"It takes roughly 100 times longer to fix a vulnerability not authored by the developer in the company—and these still make up the majority of vulnerabilities, significantly slowing down development velocity," says Nir Valtman, co-founder and CEO of Arnica. By pinpointing those who naturally take ownership—such as those who quickly remediate issues or review pull requests with security in mind—Arnica's system automatically identifies Security Champions based on action, not assumptions.

The platform then integrates directly into the developer's existing tools—Slack, Microsoft Teams, GitHub, GitLab—delivering alerts, guidance, and feedback without disrupting workflow. This frictionless approach is showing measurable results.

"Arnica accelerates risk remediation by delivering real-time, blameless feedback directly to developers—before code reaches production. By identifying the right person to fix each issue and integrating seamlessly into workflows like Slack and Teams, 78 percent of flagged issues are resolved without AppSec involvement, and 92 percent never make it to production," Valtman explains.

Beyond identification, Arnica's platform supports Security Champions with tools like real-time ChatOps-based risk dismissals, dynamic ticket routing based on product ownership, and granular access control, ensuring developers only see the risks relevant to their code. This keeps engineers focused and encourages action without fatigue.

Security Champions can play a meaningful role in encouraging secure development practices across teams. Arnica aims to streamline the Security Champion model by automating identification based on developer behavior and embedding support into existing workflows. "This turns security into a team sport—seamless, scalable, and driven by the people already advocating for safer code," says Valtman.

Arnica is not alone in this effort. Tools like GitHub Copilot Autofix, Apiiro's risk graphing platform, and Armis's ownership mapping across operational technology (OT) environments all reflect a larger industry momentum: move security closer to those doing the work, and reduce friction wherever possible.

Yet tools alone can't solve what is fundamentally a trust and alignment challenge. Developers still often see security as a blocker; security teams frequently feel outpaced by the cadence of development. Security Champions, particularly when supported by automation and data, can bridge that divide.

For the C-suite, the implications are stark. If your organization's MTTR is still high, if you can't tie vulnerabilities to individual owners, or if your engineering leaders don't know who your Security Champions are, your organization may be operating with heightened risk and limited efficiency.

In 2025 and beyond, companies aiming to stay competitive may need to prioritize faster remediation and stronger accountability around risk. And they won't just be protecting their code—they'll be protecting their business.

Image credit: Pexels

This post was authored by an external contributor and does not represent Benzinga's opinions and has not been edited for content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.