Most security programs follow a set of predefined controls. They look good on paper but often fall short in real life. Why? Because cyber threats change constantly. Attackers move quickly, using new tactics that bypass outdated defenses. If your security framework isn’t evolving, your organization is falling behind.

HITRUST doesn’t rely on a one-and-done approach. Our security assessments adapt to today’s threats — based on real data, not assumptions. We constantly update our control requirements to stay aligned with the latest risks. That’s what makes our security framework different. It's built to evolve with the threat landscape.

How HITRUST stays ahead

HITRUST uses a continuous, data-driven approach called the Cyber Threat Adaptive (CTA) program. It’s a constant cycle of collecting, analyzing, and responding to real-world threat intelligence.

In the last quarter of 2024, we

• Reviewed 22 real-world breaches
• Analyzed nearly 4,000 threat intelligence articles
• Evaluated around 129,000 threat indicators
• Mapped approximately 42,000 of those indicators to known attack techniques and mitigations using the MITRE ATT&CK framework

All these analyses feed directly into how we update and refine the HITRUST CSF and our core security assessments. The updates ensure that every requirement in the assessments reflects the current threat landscape. So, when you’re working with HITRUST, you’re working with security controls that are relevant today — not outdated guidance from last year.

What are the top threats right now?

Here are the top five techniques attackers are using.

1. Phishing

It is still the most common way attackers get in. AI-powered phishing campaigns are now more targeted and harder to detect.
What it leads to: Malware, ransomware, and stolen data.
What helps: Email security, anti-phishing training, and strong auditing.

2. Command and scripting abuse

Attackers run malicious code using tools like PowerShell.
What it leads to: System takeovers and deeper access.
What helps: Code signing, antivirus, and limiting what scripts can run.

3. Process injection

Malicious code is hidden inside trusted applications.
What it leads to: Evasion of detection tools.
What helps: Endpoint protection and managing privileged accounts.

4. Hiding in normal traffic

Attackers use common web protocols (like HTTP or DNS) to avoid detection.
What it leads to: Stealthy control over compromised systems.
What helps: Network filtering and advanced detection tools.

5. Ransomware

Attackers encrypt data and demand payment to unlock it.
What it leads to: Downtime, data loss, and high recovery costs.
What helps: Strong backups and fast recovery plans.

What should you do now?

Take the following steps to stay resilient against cyber threats.

• Train your people: Make anti-phishing education a priority and track how well it’s working.
• Test your backups: Make sure you can recover quickly if ransomware hits.
• Control your environment:
  • Block unused network protocols.
  • Keep a complete inventory of all systems.
  • Monitor endpoints for suspicious behavior.

• Use modern tools: Protect your environment with robust firewalls and an EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) system.

The bottom line

Cyber threats don’t wait. Your security programs shouldn’t, either.

HITRUST assessments are designed to keep up with today’s threats. Backed by real intelligence and constant updates, they help organizations build trust and resilience in a fast-changing digital world.

Whether you’re just starting your security assessment process or need deeper protection, HITRUST helps you stay ready — not just compliant. Download the complete analysis to learn more.

Organizations need more than just checklists to stay protected against the evolving threat landscape. They need cyber assurance that’s proven to work. That’s where the HITRUST Trust Report comes in.

The 2025 Trust Report provides measurable proof that organizations with HITRUST certifications experience fewer breaches, improve their security posture over time, and are better prepared to face emerging threats — including those posed by AI. It offers a unique view into the power of reliable, data-backed cyber assurance.

What is the HITRUST Trust Report?

The HITRUST Trust Report is an annual publication that details how HITRUST certifications perform in the real world. It reveals insights backed by breach data, control maturity trends, and customer outcomes to show the effectiveness of HITRUST assessments.

The report serves one purpose: to demonstrate that when you invest in HITRUST, you’re not just achieving compliance — you’re reducing cyber risk.

Key features of the Trust Report

The Trust Report isn’t just a summary of numbers — it’s a strategic resource designed to validate, measure, and improve cybersecurity assurance. Here are the core features of the report.

Transparency into assurance performance

The report delivers objective, data-backed insights into how HITRUST certifications perform in the real world by sharing metrics on breach rates, assessment outcomes, and more.

Evidence of cyber risk mitigation

HITRUST tracks and reports on real security outcomes, unlike other frameworks. The 2025 report provides measurable proof that organizations with HITRUST certifications experience fewer breaches.

Insights into threat trends

By analyzing breach causes and assessment data, the report identifies which controls are most difficult to implement and which attack vectors are most commonly exploited. These insights help you prioritize resources and improve resilience where it matters most.

Accountability through centralized quality

Every HITRUST certification is backed by a rigorous, six-layer quality assurance process. The report details how this centralized approach ensures consistency, integrity, and reliability — so organizations and stakeholders can confidently rely on HITRUST results.

How the Trust Report supports cyber assurance

Comprehensive risk assessment

HITRUST assessments adapt to the evolving threat landscape. They leverage cyber threat intelligence and align to 100% of MITRE ATT&CK mitigations to ensure broad and relevant coverage.

Evaluating security controls

Organizations undergoing HITRUST assessments evaluate and strengthen their security controls based on best practices and relevant threat data.

AI assurance for emerging risks

HITRUST’s expanded assurance capabilities address AI-related risks. Organizations can evaluate and demonstrate control over data privacy, ethical use, and security threats tied to AI with the AI Security Certification and AI Risk Management Assessment.

Building stakeholder confidence

The Trust Report gives stakeholders confidence that your certification is more than a checkbox — it’s proof of cyber risk mitigation.

Cyber risk mitigation through the Trust Report

Identifying and addressing vulnerabilities

The most common breach vector is vulnerability exploits. HITRUST’s framework includes specific, tailored requirements that directly reduce exposure to these threats.

Demonstrating ongoing cybersecurity efforts

The Trust Report highlights how HITRUST customers continue improving and building stronger defenses. For example, repeat HITRUST customers had 54% fewer corrective actions in their consecutive i1 assessments.

Benefits of using the Trust Report for organizations

Enhanced trust with clients and partners

Customers and partners want proof, not promises. The Trust Report provides it, helping organizations build trust with their stakeholders.

Reduced risk of cyber threats and breaches

With only 0.59% of HITRUST-certified environments reporting a breach in 2024, the results speak for themselves. HITRUST is the only assurance mechanism that measures and provides proof of its effectiveness.

The role of the Trust Report in regulatory compliance

Aligning with industry standards and regulations

The HITRUST framework incorporates over 60 frameworks, regulations, and standards like HIPAA, NIST, and ISO. This comprehensive mapping helps you meet multiple requirements with a single assessment.

Meeting compliance requirements with HITRUST

HITRUST ensures your security program meets modern expectations and regulatory needs, whether it’s protecting healthcare data or deploying secure AI.

The future of cyber assurance with HITRUST

The 2025 Trust Report shows how AI assurance, continuous improvement, and a centralized quality process set HITRUST apart. With Continuous Assurance launching soon, organizations will gain ongoing visibility into their security posture — reducing evidence decay and reinforcing trust every step of the way.

Cyber risk management is complex. But your assurance strategy doesn’t have to be. Learn more about how the 2025 Trust Report can help your organization strengthen security, reduce risk, and demonstrate trust.

An effective third-party risk management (TPRM) strategy is critical for organizations that depend on vendors and other third parties to deliver their goods, services, and solutions. Without a rigorous approach to TPRM, protecting sensitive data, ensuring business continuity, maintaining regulatory compliance, and preserving consumer trust is difficult. Vendors and service providers often have direct access to business systems or handle data on your organization’s behalf, making them integral yet potentially vulnerable links in your security and compliance chain.

Effective third-party vendor risk management is more than just a compliance checkbox. It is an essential safeguard against operational disruptions, reputational harm, and legal pitfalls. Organizations can mitigate threats and maintain continuity by integrating a structured third-party risk management framework throughout the vendor lifecycle.

Importance of managing vendor risk

Vendors can pose complex, multi-layered risks. Their internal policies, security controls, and procedures might not align with your organization’s standards, making it imperative to manage third-party vendor risk proactively. A strategic TPRM plan:

• Protects sensitive data: Ensures that the vendors handling organizational or customer data follow stringent data protection and privacy protocols
• Maintains compliance: Keeps you ahead of evolving regulations and industry standards, reducing the chance of noncompliance penalties
• Preserves reputation: Demonstrates a commitment to cybersecurity and risk management, boosting customer and stakeholder confidence

Key components of third-party risk management

An effective third-party risk management program typically involves the following.

• Risk identification and assessment: Determine the potential impact of each vendor on your operations, data security, and reputation.
• Due diligence: Evaluate vendor capabilities, information security posture, and compliance history.
• Monitoring and reporting: Track ongoing vendor performance metrics, security controls, and adherence to contractual requirements.
• Remediation and response: Create procedures for promptly addressing identified risks, lapses in compliance, or security incidents.

Businesses can stay ahead of emerging risks and align vendor performance with organizational objectives by applying these components through a structured third-party risk management framework.

Vendor risk evaluation

Identifying and evaluating vendor risks is the cornerstone of TPRM strategy. It involves determining which vendors pose the greatest risk and prioritizing resources accordingly.

Assessing vendor criticality and impact

Not all vendors are created equal. Critical vendors typically have direct access to your most sensitive data or systems, or they perform mission-critical functions. To classify vendors effectively, consider the following.

• Data sensitivity: Type and volume of data handled
• Operational dependency: The degree to which your organization relies on the vendor’s services
• Regulatory impact: Compliance requirements (e.g., HIPAA, PCI DSS) that extend to vendor operations

Types of assessments

Vendor assessments are most effective when approached from multiple angles.

• Financial assessments: Confirm the vendor’s financial stability to reduce business continuity risk.
• Operational assessments: Evaluate how the vendor’s processes align with your performance and reliability standards.
• Compliance assessments: Examine any legal or regulatory obligations the vendor must meet, such as GDPR or HIPAA, and their adherence to security frameworks.

Evaluating a vendor’s information security posture

The next step is to assess each vendor’s security controls. This process can include

• Reviewing policies and procedures: Ensure the vendor’s information security policies align with industry best practices.
• Inspecting certifications and attestations: Look for recognized credentials such as HITRUST certifications.
• Conducting cybersecurity audits: Determine the vendor’s vulnerability to threats like phishing, ransomware, or data breaches.

Vendor risk assessment tools and technologies

With countless vendors under consideration, manual evaluation can be tedious and prone to error. The right automated tools streamline your cybersecurity TPRM efforts by centralizing data collection and scoring risk objectively.

Features of vendor risk management tools

Efficient third-party risk management solutions typically include automated workflows to gather vendor data, track risk scores, and manage documentation, and centralized reporting for better risk visibility and streamlined executive communication. However, they must also offer an accurate picture of your vendor’s security posture to manage risk effectively.

HITRUST’s standardized risk assessments with proven outcomes

The HITRUST CSF framework allows organizations to harmonize over 60 authoritative sources, including HIPAA, ISO, NIST, and GDPR, for consistent and comprehensive vendor security evaluations. HITRUST frequently updates its framework based on near real-time threat intelligence data, making it the only assurance mechanism proven to reduce risk. 99.41% of HITRUST-certified environments reported no security incidents in 2024.

HITRUST’s streamlined and scalable approach to vendor management

Through the HITRUST Assessment XChange, organizations can reduce manual, administrative efforts and automate essential tasks such as vendor evaluations, follow-ups, and compliance tracking. Organizations can request, track, and analyze HITRUST assessment data directly within their existing systems as the Assessment XChange App integrates with popular platforms like ServiceNow to manage even large, complex vendor networks efficiently without compromising the depth or accuracy of security assessments.

Ongoing vendor monitoring and management

Establishing a robust risk management process is only half the battle. Sustaining vendor oversight through continuous monitoring and communication is equally vital.

Key performance indicators for vendor monitoring

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as the following ensure that vendors maintain agreed-upon security postures and compliance levels.

• Incident response time: Speed at which vendors identify and address potential threats or breaches
• Security metrics: Vendor patching cadence, vulnerability scan results, and results of periodic penetration testing
• Compliance status: Frequency of compliance lapses, failed audits, and resolved or unresolved citations

Regularly benchmarking vendors against these KPIs will help you course-correct promptly when performance starts to slip.

Challenges in third-party vendor risk management

While TPRM is vital, several challenges can hinder its success.

• Varying compliance requirements: Different industries have distinct rules — harmonizing them for diverse vendors can be complex.
• Resource constraints: Smaller organizations may struggle to manage numerous vendor assessments or lack specialized TPRM tools.
• Globalization: Vendors operating in multiple jurisdictions face additional data protection laws and cross-border constraints.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Insufficient due diligence: Conduct thorough assessments upfront to avoid costly breaches later.
• One-size-fits-all controls: Tailor controls to the vendor’s risk level rather than applying universal requirements.
• Poor communication: Maintain open lines of communication with vendors for timely updates on security or operational changes.
• Lack of remediation protocols: Develop clear escalation paths and remediation measures for identified risks.

Future trends in vendor risk management

TPRM approaches must adapt to the fast-evolving digital landscape. From the growing adoption of technology to heightened regulations, the vendor risk environment is constantly in flux.

The evolving threat landscape and its impact on vendor risk management

• Cyber threat sophistication: Ransomware, phishing, and new attack vectors call for proactive assessments that spot vulnerabilities early.
• Regulatory changes: As governments strengthen data privacy laws, organizations must ensure vendors remain up-to-date and compliant.
• Technology innovations: AI and ML tools are becoming vital for predictive vendor risk assessments.

Organizations looking to stay ahead of these trends should consider using specialized third-party risk management approaches like HITRUST’s to maintain a resilient program.

Conclusion

With supply chains becoming increasingly complex, third-party risk management stands as a strategic imperative for any organization seeking to safeguard data and fortify brand reputation. HITRUST offers a trusted approach to third-party vendor risk management by providing scalable assessments that streamline evaluations, mitigate risks, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Learn more about the benefits of effective cybersecurity TPRM with HITRUST and discover how you can optimize your vendor risk management program and enforce trust across your entire supply chain.