The key to protecting your organization is to identify and fix vulnerabilities before they become a problem. It is easier said than done, though. Often, it is one of the most challenging tasks your IT staff will face.
However, with the expansion of the cyber threat landscape and associated risks, there is a growing need for organizations to define, establish, and mitigate such risks by implementing vulnerability management processes.
The primary objective of being proactive against cyber risks is to cushion the entire organization way before vulnerabilities become full-fledged cyberattacks. And, this is what vulnerability management programs are all about.
Here is a quick guide to creating an effective vulnerability management program.
Understanding the Vulnerability Management Program
A vulnerability management program is defined as a holistic, continuous process that focuses on scanning, identifying, remediating, and mitigating risks for increased enterprise security.
The idea is to keep the organization safe from known or unknown cyber exploitations by staying ahead of potential cyber threat schemes.
Steps to Creating a Vulnerability Management Program
Vulnerability Prioritization and Scanning
Vulnerability management begins with identifying the assets that require protection. These include databases, networks, storage devices, servers, and IT systems. Vulnerability prioritization is determining these assets and grouping them in the order of protection priority.
The greater the inherent risks posed against an asset, the higher it should be ranked in its priority to be safeguarded.
The next step is to scan all organizational systems and assets to establish all existing or potential risks and vulnerabilities. Security experts recommend regular scanning for easy tracking of recent remediation, exploring new risks, and reprioritizing vulnerability management where necessary.
Exposures and Vulnerability Detection
The most critical element of vulnerability management is the ability to expose the risks that may exist in the organization’s IT ecosystem. In this case, the organization must have the effective tools necessary to assess weaknesses, determine risks, and deploy security mechanisms.
With such tools as a vulnerability scanner, it is easy to detect exposures in systems and networks, including printers, firewalls, databases, desktops, and laptops.
Essentially, detection of vulnerabilities allows you to push vulnerability signatures that are specific to specific networks and systems. This way, you can gather detailed information about any existing vulnerability for the development of strategic risk management tactics.
Vulnerability Assessment
Once exposures and vulnerabilities are identified, an evaluation process is initiated to determine the weight of the risks involved.
Usually, the rates and rankings of vulnerability prioritization are applied to develop vulnerability management solutions. However, these rankings are brought about by the vulnerability scanner, which sometimes can produce falsified exposures.
As a result, other considerations, such as how different asset owners use and maintain their systems, must be accounted for in determining the overall remediation strategy.
Corrective Actions
The purpose of a vulnerability management program is to discover risks and deploy solutions. After identifying vulnerabilities and understanding their impact on the organization, taking corrective actions is the ultimate goal of risk management.
There are 3 types of corrective actions prompted by a vulnerability management program. They include;
- Vulnerability Remediation
This is the process of fixing or neutralizing security weaknesses detected in your organization’s systems, assets, and networks. Vulnerability remediation is the most preferred option to take control of all existing loopholes before any active exploitation by hackers. - Vulnerability Mitigation
While remediation eliminates the problem, mitigation reduces the impact of a risk to your systems. This option is usually explored where remediation has failed. However, for most organizations, mitigation is a temporary corrective action undertaken before successful remediation. - Vulnerability Retention or Acceptance
Where an organization identifies a security weakness and renders it acceptable, the enterprise is said to have taken an optional process known as vulnerability retention. This form of vulnerability management is only ideal where an organization considers a weakness too minimal to require a financial investment.
Vulnerability Disclosure
Vulnerability disclosure is a system developed for responsible reporting of new vulnerabilities. The vulnerability management program identifies, evaluates, and remediates risks, which are then reported to the various departments and users. The reporting of this information is known as vulnerability disclosure.
This explains what weaknesses were identified, corrective actions taken, and how vulnerabilities should be reported. Such disclosures must be accurate and objective to enhance responsible reporting.
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