The Hidden Cost Explosion
AI is exploding the volume of security findings and fixes. But every one still has to become proof: reviewed, approved, evidenced, and defensible to customers, suppliers, auditors, regulators, and insurers. The security back office was never built to scale manually at this speed.
See why security admin work is compounding.
CVE submission growth
NIST reported CVE submissions increased 263% from 2020 to 2025.vendor assessment work each week
Whistic 2025 TPRM survey: average weekly vendor-assessment work.initial assessments needing follow-up
Whistic 2025 TPRM survey: initial supplier assessments requiring follow-up.reporting clocks
NIS2 and Cyber Resilience Act reporting sequences include 24-hour early warning and 72-hour notification windows.The same trigger crosses systems.
A theory-backed network maps how discovery, supplier assurance, regulatory proof, insurance evidence, audit burden, and AI attack surface reinforce each other.
Theory annotation, not measured causality.
How to read this exhibit
The exhibit shows how one signal moves through multiple administrative systems.
- A trigger rarely stays in one queue.
- Each handoff creates a decision record or evidence request.
- The system effect is the extra work created between functions.
Optimization target: economic impact, not just passing proof.
Evident's trust graph should not stop when proof exists. It should ask whether proof was rejected, whether an incident created real cost, whether admin cost missed its target, and where reusable evidence can reduce the next cycle.
Sources behind the public numbers.
Public claims stay attached to the reports, regulator materials, and standards references used for the figures and clocks above.