We’d love for this to be true... most images fill up with CVEs so fast in dependencies, we’re providing minimal images (much less surface area) and have the automation to rebuild the entire dependency graph at least daily, if not multiple times per day.

Hopefully everyone will run a "proper security program" someday!

It can be true for you if your correct your thinking on the problem.

CVEs are basically just bugs that are not triggered by normal operation. If you race to "fix" them all, you are going to drown (as you are discovering).

Focus on your solution for tracking actively exploited vulnerabilities and a prioritization system and you'll greatly simplify the problem while better serving your customers.