Abstract: Systems and methods providing adaptive vulnerability detection and management are described. Certain embodiments include monitoring system parameters of a cloud-based system, invoking a security ontology knowledge base configured to relate the monitored system parameters to unknown and known vulnerabilities, identifying, based on the monitored system parameters and the invoked security ontology knowledge base, one or more vulnerabilities of the system, and further, implementing a risk management technique for each of the identified one or more vulnerabilities of the system.