Best practices for implementing a holistic VMP

Identifying and scanning vulnerabilities is a critical component of vulnerability management, but it is only one piece of the jigsaw.

Fremont, CA: According to research, cybercriminals are not slowing down, attacking 30,000 sites each day. Stop-gap solutions or old methods, such as quarterly or biannual vulnerability scans, do not provide the appropriate degree of defense in the face of these and other increasing security threats. While most businesses run some sort of vulnerability check, the sheer amount of possible threats revealed by those scans may leave organizations feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to continue.

Identifying and scanning vulnerabilities is a critical component of vulnerability management, but it is only one piece of the jigsaw. Unfortunately, organizations that fail to view the entire vulnerability picture tend to struggle until they adopt a holistic approach to vulnerability management (VMP).

Vulnerability management systems assist companies in making strategic security decisions by giving a complete picture of all technological vulnerabilities across existing attack surfaces such as active directory, operational technology, and the cloud.

Identifying, analyzing, controlling, and reporting a wide range of possible risks and vulnerabilities is part of the process. Custom or pre-built reports may be helpful for businesses to analyze and prioritize which vulnerabilities to fix first.

By removing gaps and overlaps, a holistic strategy provides a far larger range of protection against potential attacks, threats, and asset weaknesses. Even when attacks get more sophisticated and opportunistic, they might seek hidden defects that are difficult to detect.

Best practices for implementing a holistic VMP

Any asset associated with a company's overall business continuity, architecture, or almost anything with an IP address is vulnerable to assault. And vulnerability management is crucial for more than simply risk management. Companies should establish a program with executive leadership buy-in and clearly defined goals, objectives, and scope for the best way to executing a successful, comprehensive VMP.

• Identify assets such as customer support, accounting/billing, customer data, proprietary databanks, and other mission-critical systems, as well as compliance needs.
• Choose the proper, scalable technology to sustain and develop as the demands of the company change.
• Determine the business and technical owners and establish a regular, clear communication route for discussing assets and providing updates/recommendations on associated risks.
• Train workers on the VMP and choose a democratized, compartmentalized strategy that allows more employees to buy into, comprehend, and apply for the program.
• Define scanning frequencies and develop SOPs to generate and disseminate reports to the appropriate individuals promptly.
• Develop remediation processes and actions beyond patching, such as hardening default configurations, limiting privileged access, and network re-architecting.
• Create long and repeatable practices that ensure the VMP's efficacy.