The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program has begun soliciting public comments on a proposed standard designed to ensure that FedRAMP Authorized cloud service offerings use automated systems to continuously identify, analyze, mitigate and remediate vulnerabilities.
FedRAMP said Tuesday the comment period for the proposed Continuous Vulnerability Management Standard will run through Aug. 21. Learn more about FedRAMP and other federal IT programs at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on August 26 at the Hilton McLean!
What Is the Purpose of the FedRAMP Continuous Vulnerability Management Standard?
According to FedRAMP, the proposed Continuous Vulnerability Management Standard seeks to ensure that cloud service providers, or CSPs, promptly detect and respond to critical vulnerabilities by prioritizing realistically exploitable weaknesses and advancing automated vulnerability management.
The program expects the standard to facilitate the use of existing commercial tools for providers and reduce custom government-only reporting requirements. The draft standard seeks to define new plain-language terms, include all weaknesses in the definition of a vulnerability, encourage urgent mitigation of vulnerabilities prior to remediation and directly define potential adverse impact levels.
FedRAMP noted that a modified version of the standard will be informed by public input and assessed with volunteer CSPs during 20x Pilot and Rev5 Beta Tests.
Expected Outcomes From FedRAMP Continuous Vulnerability Management Standard’s Implementation
FedRAMP expects the proposed standard to enable CSPs to meet and validate FedRAMP security requirements with simple changes and automated capabilities, and help federal agencies quickly review and use security information about a cloud service to make informed risk-based authorizations.
The standard intends to provide third-party independent assessors with a simpler framework for evaluating security and implementation decisions. When finalized, it will initially apply to all FedRAMP 20x authorizations.
