Roughly 93% of corporate networks are estimated to be susceptible to cyberattacks. Many organizations suffer breaches because of poor vulnerability management.
For example, 61% of security vulnerabilities in corporate networks are over five years old. In this situation, an organization has had five years to resolve a vulnerability but either chose not to address it or was never aware of it in the first place.
Whenever you see the term "exploit" when reading about a data breach, that's an exploit of a vulnerability in an IT system, IT practices, or software code. Hackers write malicious code to take advantage of these "loopholes." That code allows them to run system commands, steal data, or perform other dangerous network intrusions.
Cyberattacks result in poor productivity, lost profits, and damaged reputations. Damages can range from an inconvenience to bankruptcy.
Putting together an effective vulnerability management process can reduce IT risk.
For over 25 years, WEBIT Services has guided clients toward their IT objectives and fortified their systems with various cybersecurity tools and practices.
By reading this article, you will learn the definition of vulnerability management and the six steps to creating a vulnerability management process.
How to Create a Vulnerability Management Process
IT vulnerability management is consistently checking your system for vulnerabilities, identifying and reporting them, and then addressing them. Vulnerabilities and risks are discovered through regular risk assessments.
1. Identify Your Assets
First, you must identify all the devices and software within your IT system. All of these devices will need to be evaluated for risks and vulnerabilities, including:
- Computers
- Smartphones
- Tablets
- IoT devices
- Servers
- Cloud services
Vulnerabilities can appear in many places, such as the code for an operating system, a cloud platform, software, or firmware.
Any device, no matter how small or infrequently used, can be a door for cybercriminals. As such, you'll want a complete inventory of all systems and endpoints in your network.
2. Perform a Vulnerability Assessment
Next will be performing a vulnerability assessment. This is usually done by an IT professional using assessment software.
During the assessment, the professional scans your systems for any known vulnerabilities. The assessment tool matches found software versions against vulnerability databases.
For example, a database may note that a version of Microsoft Exchange has a vulnerability. If it detects that you have a server running that exact version, it will report it as a found weakness in your security.
3. Prioritize Vulnerabilities by Threat Level
The assessment results provide a roadmap for mitigating network vulnerabilities. There will usually be several, and not all are as severe as others. You will next need to rank which ones to address first.
At the top of the list should be those experts consider severe. Many vulnerability assessment tools use the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) created by security frameworks. This categorizes vulnerabilities with a rating score from low to critical severity.
The IT provider or expert performing your vulnerability or risk assessments must follow an approved security framework like CIS or NIST. If not, they are likely missing vital vulnerabilities and risks within your system.
You'll also want to rank vulnerabilities by your own business needs. If software is only used occasionally on one device, you may consider it a lower priority to address. On the other hand, a vulnerability in software used on all employee devices may rank as a high priority.
4. Remediate Vulnerabilities
Once your risks are ranked, remediate them according to the prioritized list. Remediation often means applying an issued update or security patch, but it may also mean upgrading hardware or software that may be too old for you to update.
Another form of remediation may be ringfencing. Ringfencing occurs when you "wall off" an application or device from others in the network.
For example, a company may do this if a scan turns up a vulnerability for which a patch does not yet exist. Cybercriminals can access your entire network if the app or device with the vulnerability is linked to your network. To prevent this, the company will ringfence the device so it cannot infect the network.
Increasing advanced threat protection settings in your network can also help. Once you've remediated the weaknesses, you should confirm the fixes.
5. Document Activities
Documenting the vulnerability assessment and management process for cybersecurity needs and compliance is essential.
You'll want to document when you performed the last vulnerability assessment. Then, record all the steps taken to remediate each vulnerability.
Keeping these logs will be vital in the case of a future breach.
6. Schedule Your Next Vulnerability Assessment Scan
You're not finished once you go through a vulnerability assessment and mitigation round. Vulnerability management is an ongoing process.
In 2022, there were over 22,500 new vulnerabilities documented. Developers continue to update their software continuously. Each of those updates can introduce new vulnerabilities into your network.
It's a best practice to have a schedule for regular vulnerability assessments. The assessment, prioritization, mitigation, and documentation cycle should be ongoing. This fortifies your network against cyberattacks and removes one of the main enablers of hackers.
Next Steps for Enacting Vulnerability Management
Vulnerability management seeks to proactively protect your IT system by regularly identifying and addressing IT security vulnerabilities. It involves six steps:
- Identify Your Assets
- Perform a Vulnerability Assessment
- Prioritize Vulnerabilities by Threat Level
- Remediate Vulnerabilities
- Document Activities
- Schedule Your Next Vulnerability Assessment Scan
Vulnerability management allows organizations to develop IT and security strategies to protect their data, systems, productivity, profit, and reputation.
Talk to your IT provider or internal IT team about your most recent vulnerability scan or risk assessment. They should be able to explain your results and the actions taken. If they cannot explain the results, this is a service red flag.
In addition, your IT provider or team should follow a cybersecurity framework like CIS or NIST. If they are not, your system is experiencing unnecessary and preventable risks, which may indicate that your IT partnership is not working as well as it should.
WEBIT Services believes knowledge is power, so it is passionate about cybersecurity education and IT strategy.
If you're ready to discuss security frameworks and risk assessments for your business, schedule a free 30-minute consultation with WEBIT.
If you're not ready to talk to our team of experts, we recommend the following articles on cybersecurity:
- 3 Ways Users Navigate IT Risks and Solutions
- Cybersecurity Risk Levels: Where do you draw the line?
- Defending Your Business: IT Disaster Recovery Explained
