  To tie together the concepts of linkage blindness and the inability to link
vulnerabilities together in a Vulnerability Management Program (VMP), the
researcher postulated new terminology. The terminology of vulnerability
chaining blindness is proposed to understand the underlying issues behind
vulnerability management and vulnerabilities that can be used in combination.
The general problem is that IT and cybersecurity professionals have a difficult
time identifying chained vulnerabilities due to the complexity of vulnerability
prioritization and remediation (Abomhara & K{\o}ien, 2015; Felmetsger et al.,
2010). The specific problem is the inability to link and view multiple
vulnerabilities in combination based on limited expertise and awareness of
vulnerability chaining (Tang et al., 2017). The population of this study was
limited to one focus group, within the IT and Security fields, within the
United States. The sample size consisted of one focus group comprised of 8-10
IT and cybersecurity professionals. The research questions focused on if
participants were aware of linkage blindness or vulnerability chaining, as well
as if vulnerability chaining blindness would be applicable to describe the
phenomenon. Several themes emerged through top-level, eclectic, and
second-level coding data analysis. These themes included complexity in
cybersecurity programs, new concepts in vulnerability management, as well as
fear of the unknown and where security meets technology.
  Keywords: linkage blindness, vulnerability chaining, vulnerability chaining
blindness, vulnerability management
