Vulnerability management, part of IT risk management, is the process of continuously and proactively identifying, evaluating, mitigating, and remediating vulnerabilities in your organization’s IT environment.
The goal of vulnerability management is to reduce an organization’s overall exposure to possible cyberattacks by threat actors. This also means keeping up with new and emerging threats and current vulnerabilities.
🛑 Patch management is part of any robust vulnerability management framework.
Difference between threat, vulnerability, and risk
Threat, vulnerability, and risk are commonly mixed-up terms in cybersecurity, but they each refer to different components of cyberattacks.
A threat is anything in the IT space that can damage or destroy an asset or disrupt digital life. A vulnerability is a weakness or gap found within a program, system, or process that can be exploited by a threat actor. Risk is the probability or potential for loss, damage, or harm if a threat successfully exploits an existing vulnerability.
Risk occurs when threats and vulnerabilities intersect.
The vulnerability management framework
A good vulnerability management framework includes several core components of the vulnerability management process, each playing a critical role in different stages of the vulnerability management lifecycle. Creating an effective vulnerability management plan can significantly boost any cybersecurity strategy.
A typical round of the lifecycle has five stages:
0. Vulnerability planning
During this stage, you and your IT team discuss the details of your vulnerability management process, including which stakeholders will be involved, the resources you would need for your vulnerability management system, how you will prioritize and respond to vulnerabilities, and any metrics for success.
We’ve labeled this as the “0” step because this stage does not need to be repeated before every round of the cycle. That said, regularly revisiting vulnerability planning is still a good idea to ensure your vulnerability management framework remains effective.
1. Vulnerability assessment
The “formal” vulnerability management lifecycle begins with a vulnerability assessment, including an asset inventory of all hardware and software in your IT network. After identifying your assets, you can assess each for its vulnerabilities using vulnerability scanners, pen tests, and external threat intelligence.
Asset discovery and inventory
All types of IT assets bring a security risk to a business. Tracking all these assets within your organization gives you increased knowledge about the level of protection your organization might need and greater visibility into various security issues that might exist.
Vulnerability scanners
Vulnerability scanners conduct tests against systems and networks, looking for common weaknesses or flaws. They may also include a vulnerability assessment tool to assess and analyze any vulnerability easily exploited by a malicious actor.
Configuration management
Security configuration management (SCM) software ensures that endpoints are properly and carefully configured to be as secure as possible. SCM tools also include vulnerability scanners and other features that track remediation actions and generate reports for compliance with various security policies, such as the GDPR and HIPAA. It’s wise to look for vendors like NinjaOne that offer robust patch management that includes SCM features and functionalities.
Penetration testing
Penetration testing, also known as a pen test, helps IT professionals find and exploit vulnerabilities in computer systems. Generally, penetration testing software provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that makes it easier for an IT pro or a certified ethical hacker to launch attacks and see the results.
Threat protection and intelligence
Threat protection software helps organizations track, monitor, analyze, and prioritize potential threats by gathering data from various sources, including exploit databases and security advisories. These solutions help your organization identify trends that may lead to a potential security breach. Data gathered from these tools can be used in any vulnerability prioritization strategy.
2. Vulnerability prioritization
Your security team will then prioritize any assessed vulnerability from the previous stage. Prioritization ensures that your team remediates the most critical vulnerability first. To measure high criticality, consider its patch common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE), its potential impact, the likelihood of exploitation, and weeding out any false positives.
3. Vulnerability resolution
Working through the list of prioritized vulnerabilities, you have three options to address vulnerabilities:
Remediation
This is usually what comes to mind when you search for “What is vulnerability management?” IT professionals want to know how to manage and remediate detected vulnerabilities. In any vulnerability management system, it’s important that you utilize tools that not only detect vulnerabilities but can properly address them as needed.
This is typically where patch management comes in.
Patch management
Patch management is arguably one of the most essential components of any vulnerability management framework. It involves creating, testing, and deploying software updates to various endpoints, reducing the risk of security vulnerabilities. While there are generally ten essential metrics for success in patch management, IT personnel are encouraged to create a system that best aligns with their needs and current IT budget.
Secure your remote and hybrid endpoints with the #1 patch management tool, according to G2.
Mitigation
This reduces the risk of a vulnerability, making it more difficult to exploit or lessening its impact if exploited. It is wise to craft an incident response plan for identified vulnerabilities.
Acceptance
When searching for “What is vulnerability management?” you should also consider that not all detected vulnerabilities must be managed. Some may be low-impact or too resource-intensive to fix. In these cases, an organization may choose to accept the vulnerability.
4. Verification and monitoring
Your security team must rescan and retest the assets they’ve just worked on. This verifies that your resolution efforts have worked as intended and ensures that it did not inadvertently introduce new problems. This stage also includes regular monitoring to look for new vulnerabilities, old resolution actions that may have grown obsolete, and any other actions that may require changes.
5. Reporting and improving
At the end of each vulnerability management lifecycle, your security team must document its results, including any identified vulnerabilities, resolutions taken, and their outcomes. These reports must be shared with relevant stakeholders (remember stage “0”!).
Why is vulnerability management important?
Threat actors continuously attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in IT environments. Though managing these IT vulnerabilities may take a lot of time and effort, it is essential for your organization’s security. Creating an effective vulnerability management plan will set a solid and secure foundation for your organization’s cybersecurity.
Having a vulnerability management system should be among the highest priorities of organizations, especially within their IT environments. Skybox Security reports, “Vulnerabilities have more than tripled over the past ten years.” With this exponential increase, they also report that cybercrime has continuously evolved and become a more complex threat. Vulnerability management aims to assert a level of control over this ever-present issue in the IT space.
The benefits of vulnerability management
A vulnerability management system helps businesses of all sizes across all industries identify and address potential security issues before they have any significant organizational impact. By preventing data breaches and other security vulnerabilities, a vulnerability system can prevent damage to a company, both financially and reputationally. Some other benefits include:
- Improved security and control: Creating an effective vulnerability management plan can improve your overall security posture.
- Visibility and reporting: Vulnerability management provides centralized, up-to-date reporting on the status of your current security posture.
- Operational efficiencies: Businesses can strengthen their operational efficiency by decreasing the amount of time required to recover from an incident if they do occur.
How NinjaOne fits into your vulnerability management process
NinjaOne, an endpoint management company trusted by 20,000+ clients worldwide, offers its #1 patch management system, which allows you to automate multi-OS patching in a single pane of glass. Its robust system can reduce vulnerabilities by up to 75% with its ad-hoc scans and granular control supported by the native inclusion of CVE/CVSS.
If you’re ready, request a free quote, sign up for a 14-day free trial, or watch a demo.
