Federal Cybersecurity Vulnerability Trends
Critical findings in Synack's FedRAMP Moderate Authorized environment took an average of 41 days to remediate. Low severity findings took 86. This report sets out what federal agencies should prioritize, and why severity ratings alone are a poor guide to urgency.
What the data shows
Drawn from vulnerabilities reported in 2024 to Synack public sector customers in the FedRAMP Moderate Authorized environment.
23.3% rated critical
Nearly ten times the share rated low, which accounted for just 2.4%. Medium was the largest group at 57.6%, and high accounted for 16.8%.
41 days to fix a critical
The average remediation time for critical findings. High severity took 64 days, medium 77 and low 86.
180% rise in exploitation
Verizon recorded a 180% increase in vulnerability exploitation as an initial access step into breaches in 2023 compared with 2022.
Severity is not the same as urgency
Two in five findings demanded prompt attention: 23.3% were rated critical and 16.8% high. Medium accounted for 57.6% and low just 2.4%. The types were wide ranging: cross-site scripting, authorization permissions, SQL injection, information disclosure, content injection, brute force, authentication management, cross-site request forgery, business logic flaws, server misconfiguration and remote code execution.
The remediation figures tell a more uncomfortable story than the severity ratings do. Critical findings closed fastest, at 41 days on average, and the time to fix rose steadily as severity fell, reaching 86 days for low severity. Teams are triaging by label. That is reasonable when resources are tight, but it leaves a long tail of unremediated findings that an attacker can chain, and it assumes the severity rating reflects what is actually reachable in a specific environment.
The external picture reinforces the point. Verizon's 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report reported a 180% increase in vulnerability exploitation as an initial access step into breaches in 2023 compared with 2022. Agencies that concentrate on the vulnerabilities most likely to lead to a breach, rather than working down a severity list, protect more with the same resources.
Why Log4Shell still matters
Log4Shell (CVE-2021-44228) is a critical vulnerability in the Apache Log4j Java logging framework, with a CVSS severity score of 10.0. More than four years after disclosure, affected versions remain embedded in software supply chains and open source libraries, which makes every instance hard to find and patch across a complex estate. Where a vulnerable version is reachable, an attacker can run code of their choosing. Exploitation techniques continue to evolve, so it behaves as a persistent and changing threat rather than a closed incident.
The report sets out three actions agencies can take. Actively scan systems and prioritize patching. Apply strict practices across supply chain vendors so all are running current, secure software versions. Combine periodic in-depth assessments with ongoing testing and remediation verification as systems change, because a vulnerability that reappears between assessments is invisible until the next one.
How Synack supports federal agencies
Synack helps agencies detect and remediate dangerous vulnerabilities at scale without adding headcount, with privileged access to isolated networks and testers who hold security clearances.
FedRAMP Moderate Authorized
Synack is a FedRAMP Moderate Authorized PTaaS provider, compliant with more than 300 security controls, so testing can run inside federal boundaries on systems that hold sensitive data.
Continuous, not point in time
A continuous pentesting model surfaces exploitable risk as the environment changes, rather than capturing a single moment. Findings integrate with SecOps tools and tests can be scheduled on demand.
Questions about the report
What share of federal vulnerabilities are critical or high severity?+
In the vulnerabilities reported to Synack public sector customers during 2024, 23.3% were rated critical and 16.8% high, so roughly two in five were critical or high. Medium accounted for 57.6% and low 2.4%. Percentages total 100.1% due to rounding.
How long does it take federal agencies to remediate vulnerabilities?+
In the same dataset, critical findings took an average of 41 days to remediate, high severity 64 days, medium 77 days and low 86 days.
Why is Log4Shell still a federal concern?+
Log4Shell (CVE-2021-44228) is a critical vulnerability in Apache Log4j with a CVSS severity score of 10.0. Affected versions remain embedded in software supply chains and open source libraries, which makes every instance difficult to locate and patch. Exploitation techniques continue to evolve, so it behaves as an evolving threat rather than a closed one.
Is Synack FedRAMP authorized for federal pentesting?+
Yes. Synack is a FedRAMP Moderate Authorized PTaaS provider, compliant with more than 300 security controls, which allows testing of systems holding sensitive government data.
How current is this report?+
The report was published in 2025 and analyzes vulnerabilities reported during 2024. It was updated in October 2026 to refresh the context and capability sections. The findings themselves are a 2024 dataset and are unchanged.
Get the full report
Eight pages on the vulnerabilities facing federal systems, remediation timelines, why Log4Shell persists, how AI is changing both defense and attack, and what validated testing adds. No form, no email required.