Cary, NC, Dec. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — INE, a global leader in cybersecurity training and upskilling, is emphasizing the critical role Skill Dive, particularly the Vulnerabilities Lab Collection, plays in helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) defend against the surge of quickly emerging cyber threats. Through hands-on, scenario-based training, Skill Dive enables SMB teams to identify, mitigate, and remediate critical security weaknesses before they escalate into business-disrupting or business-ending incidents.
With cyberattacks increasingly driven by publicly disclosed vulnerabilities (CVEs), SMBs face unprecedented pressure to react quickly and effectively. Recent high-profile examples, including CVE-2025-55182 (React2Shell), exploited within hours of disclosure, and CVE-2025-61882, a zero-day flaw in Oracle E-Business Suite weaponized by ransomware groups, highlight how rapidly attackers now move. For resource-strained SMBs, even a single lapse can lead to catastrophic downtime or financial loss.
“SMBs are being hit with the same sophisticated vulnerability exploits as Fortune 500 companies but without the cybersecurity teams or budgets those enterprises rely on,” said Lindsey Rinehart, Chief Executive Officer at INE. “The Skill Dive Vulnerabilities Lab gives small teams the practical, hands-on experience they need to understand and mitigate real-world threats, helping them react faster, respond smarter, and stay secure.”
Why SMBs Remain Highly Vulnerable to Modern Cyber Threats
Industry research continues to show that SMBs are disproportionately vulnerable to cyber incidents, despite making up the backbone of the global economy. According to data compiled by StrongDM, over 60% of small businesses experience at least one cyberattack each year, and nearly 1 in 5 say a successful breach would force them to close their doors (Viking Cloud, 2025). Many lack the dedicated cybersecurity staff, formal patch cycles, or vulnerability-management processes common in larger enterprises, leaving them exposed when new CVEs emerge.
Recent high-impact vulnerabilities underscore the urgency. The React2Shell vulnerability (CVE-2025-55182) was exploited within hours of disclosure (AWS Security), while the Oracle EBS zero-day (CVE-2025-61882) was used by ransomware groups months before a patch became available (CrowdStrike, Rapid7, Strobes Security). These examples highlight a growing trend: attackers increasingly rely on publicly disclosed vulnerabilities as their primary entry point, knowing that many SMBs struggle to react quickly enough.
Modern attack campaigns follow a predictable pattern: exploit a known weakness, escalate access, deploy malware or ransomware, and extract data. SMBs are often the easiest targets. Limited IT bandwidth, outdated systems, and inconsistent security maintenance create ideal conditions for threat actors who move faster than most small teams can respond.
“CVE exploitation has become the modern battleground for cyber defense,” added Rinehart. “Skill Dive turns this challenge into a learning opportunity, giving SMBs the same caliber of practical training used by security professionals worldwide.”
Hands-On Defense Against Real Vulnerabilities
Unlike traditional training that stops at theory, Skill Dive’s Vulnerabilities Lab Collection immerses teams in live, simulated exploit scenarios based on real CVEs to help SMB technical teams build the confidence and capability to recognize threats earlier, remediate faster, and maintain business continuity in the face of a rapidly evolving cyber landscape.
Learners actively:
- Practice identifying vulnerabilities so they can get to them before attackers do
- Explore how threats like RCE, SSRF, SQL injection, and misconfigurations unfold
- Walk through end-to-end remediation exercises
- Strengthen patch management and secure-configuration skills
- Build confidence responding to incidents in fast-moving environments
With attackers often exploiting newly disclosed vulnerabilities in days, or in some cases, hours, speed and hands-on familiarity are now essential. Skill Dive helps teams shorten the time between discovery → decision → remediation, reducing the likelihood of a breach.
A Proactive Path to Cyber Resilience
With real-time exercises modeled on high-impact vulnerabilities, the Vulnerabilities Lab Collection prepares organizations to recognize patterns, reinforce secure practices, and stop attacks before damage occurs. By combining hands-on training, CVE-driven practice, and certification pathways, INE’s Skill Dive empowers businesses to shift from reactive firefighting to proactive cyber resilience, ensuring they can secure their systems, protect their customers, and maintain business continuity.
The Skill Dive Vulnerabilities Lab Collection is available now. To learn more about Skill Dive or INE Enterprise for Teams, please visit learn.ine.com/schedule-a-demo.
- INE Reinforces Skill Dive’s Role in SMB Cyber Defense