When a new CVE is published, the typical workflow is predictable: the vulnerability scanner flags it, the severity score looks alarming, and someone opens a ticket. But as a Hacker News webinar description points out, none of that answers the practical question—can this bug actually be exploited in your infrastructure? A high CVSS number describes the theoretical worst case, not whether the attack path is viable given your specific configuration, controls, and exposure.
The source also highlights a growing pressure on this gap. So-called "Mythos-class" AI is compressing the time between a vulnerability's public disclosure and the creation of a working exploit. That means the window for defenders to assess and respond is shrinking, while the need to prove exploitability early becomes more urgent.
The webinar's implicit argument is that security teams should move beyond passive scanning and actively test whether a given CVE is exploitable in their own environment. That is the only way to prioritize what actually matters—before attackers do it for you.