• 21 June, 2025
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Understanding Technical Debt and Security Debt: A Strategic Approach to Risk Management

I am sitting here with my third cup of coffee — you’re too kind — thinking about something that just keeps nagging me (after decades doing this in cybersecurity): security debt. That’s right, security debt. It’s similar to technical debt, the thing that everyone complains about, but with nastier repercussions because it has to do with the security of your data, the privacy of your customers, and, yes, the very existence of your company.

I started as a network admin in 1993, babysitting a pair of multiplexers for voice and data (over the PSTN), and watched the Slammer worm propagate through networks in minutes; I had an early and up-close seat to how cutting corners on security (or ignoring security completely) can leave you broke, not just financially but reputationally as well. Now, having been running P J Networks Pvt Ltd and recently assisting three banks to uplift their zero trust architectures, I have become sure of the fact and the silent killer we need to talk about is security debt.

What is Technical Debt vs. Security Debt?

First, a crash course for the jargon-newbies. The concept here is technical debt; when you cut corners or avoid fixing things in your software or infrastructure, it’s like borrowing time, but you have to pay it back with interest later. The interest? Slower performance, buggier software, developer vexation.

That’s true with security debt, too, but far more dangerous. Far from being just an annoyance or extra work, this debt compounds into

• Outdated patches
• Misconfigurations
• Overlooked backdoors or legacy systems that never quite died
• Outdated access controls

— and all of it silently welcomes in invaders the way an unlocked back door you forgot to bolt does. But while tech debt’s interest is paid through slow downs and inefficiency, security debt’s interest is paid in risk, in exposure, and in potential catastrophic breaches. It’s sort of like a corporate skyscraper — we’re too busy building up that skyscraper to notice a few microfractures in the foundation.” Here’s a picture I sketched out to illustrate that — depicts a digital slab starting to crack, with concerned execs gazing at dashboards that show increasing risk. Guess what? The cracks don’t self-heal.

I passed through the dog days of the Slammer worm firsthand, and so I know how quickly a flaw can mutate into actual devastation if you’re not watching close—and how much worse the new threats that I watched buzzing around at DefCon’s hardware hacking village just last week are. And trust me — those vulnerabilities get lost under layers of business priorities, budgets and “We’ll fix that later.”

Identifying Security Debt in Your Organization

How can you identify this insidious menace, lying in wait in front of your very eyes? You might notice:

• Emergency patches occurring regularly, which feels like they are reactive not responsive.
• Legacy hardware and software clinging on for dear life, like that old car your grandpa won’t sell.
• Overdue security audits that are collecting digital dust.
• Shadow IT systems — garbage that nobody’s sure is endorsed or audited.
• Alerts that are ignored because they’re too loud.

And here’s the kicker: a lot of the time executives aren’t even aware of the risk. They receive dashboards filled with colorful graphics, but do not see the undercurrents of risk that are steadily accumulating.

Which is, of course, all about communication. When I advised those three banks recently, I found the hardest part wasn’t fixing the architecture; it was translating the business impact of security debt to nontechnical C-level people. They don’t care about patches, they care about being branded, compliance fines and penalties, losing customers’ trust.

Security Debt Inventory Process

Before you can start paying anything off, you’ve gotta understand what that debt looks like, right? The starting point is development of a security debt inventory. This involves:

• Listing out all of the systems there, all the devices everything or the applications in scope
• Noting vulnerabilities and unpatched or outdated systems and configurations
• Log access and permission controls
• Tracking user actions to detect out-of-the-ordinary behavior
• Focus on legacy technology that remain essential to operations

Get your teammates together for this one (I mean network admins, security (like me), business people, etc.) because security debt knows no bounds. It’s like creating a recipe for a fancy dish: You need to have your ingredients straight before you can even coherently decide what to cook.

Prioritization Framework

So once you have that inventory, you need a prioritization framework — otherwise, you’re just chucking money and effort at issues willy-nilly. Here’s what I generally suggest:

1. Impact, not Severity – What can attackers actually use to get in? Sometimes, after all, a medium-severity vulnerability on a critical system is more dangerous than a critical one on a test server.
2. Exploitability: The vulnerability is being exploited in the wild? Practical threats trump theoretical threats all the time.
3. Business Impact: What is the impact on operations, compliance and brand?
4. Cost of remediation: Is it a band-aid, or is it a major re-architecting?

And, let’s face it, sometimes the cost category is a constraint since there’s not enough money to go around. But here’s where I totally part ways with the views of some in the security community — if you’re focused mainly on chasing shiny new tech or AI-fueled magic, you’ve lost sight of the forest for the trees.

Remediation Strategies

So what does it look like to actually repay security debt? Some no-bull advice from my years of combining the old and new:

• Work on aggressive, regular patching. This may sound obvious, but I promise you: Lots of organizations are still behind.
• Segment your networks. Zero-trust isn’t some sexy buzzword, it actually prevents attackers from rolling through your entire infrastructure like bowling balls.
• Retire legacy systems. If it’s E.O.L. and critical to your operation, it’s time to replace it, whether or not that damages your budget.
• Automate the scanning and monitoring for these vulnerabilities. But again, use these tools to help prioritize things you can act on — not just to bury your teams in noise.
• Train your staff. It’s the people that are almost always the weakest link (and let me get on my soapbox about password policies! Can we not put difficult passwords, that people just put on sticky notes?).

When I worked on those bank zero-trust upgrades, we married tech with policy shifts—because tech alone without buy-in is like putting better brakes on a bike with a bad rider.

How to Avoid Security Debt in the Future

Paying off debt is tough. Avoiding it is better. Here’s the deal: There is an organizational mindset shift that has to occur in order to stop security debt.

• Build security in to design and development cycle. Don’t bolt it on, build it in.
• Maintain a rolling risk register and update it frequently.
• Create an environment where vulnerabilities are not only not hidden, but talked about openly.
• Invest in on-going education and cross-team collaboration.
• Speak risk in business to have your executive team remain interested and supportive.

Quick Take

• Security debt = vulnerabilities & misconfigurations accumulated in rushed cyber defenses.
• It’s not just tech debt — it costs you risk, reputation, and sometimes actual money.
• Discover debt by scanning old systems and patch cycles, and shadow IT.
• Let’s prioritise fixes by exploitability, impact, and business risk, not just severity scores.
• Remediation takes technological, policy and culture change.
• Stop debt with security-by-design and executive involvement.

Wrapping Up

I can tell you, I’ve made my mistakes in the rush to patch and protect (and some that continue to haunt me). But ultimately, doing so is all about both identifying and keeping security debt in check. Those are the companies I’ve assisted—and that I operate every day with P J Networks Pvt Ltd—that are discovering that while they may not be as sexy as a new firewall or router, investing in systems and processes is just as important.

And yes, I’m still reeling from DefCon—the hardware hacking village in particular really expanded my understanding of how inventive attackers can be. But here’s a lesson from my two decades in this business: no AI-powered silver bullet can replace the basics done right.

Security is your base. You can’t look the other way and expect the building not to collapse.