Innovation often leads to technology vulnerabilities, which hackers exploit when software companies release new updates with weaknesses in the code.
Unfortunately, many organisations fail to prioritize vulnerability management, and as a result, about 93% of corporate networks are vulnerable to hacker penetration.
Additionally, 61% of security vulnerabilities in corporate networks are over 5 years old, leaving many systems susceptible to attacks like ransomware and account takeover.
To reduce the risk of breaches, it’s essential to establish an effective vulnerability management process.
Step 1 – Identify all the devices and software connected to the network, including computers, smartphones, tablets, IoT devices, servers, and cloud services.
Step 2 – Perform a vulnerability assessment, prioritising the vulnerabilities based on the threat level, and remediating them by applying security patches or upgrading hardware.
Step 3 – Document all activities.
After the vulnerability assessment is completed, you will receive a list of vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. Since there are usually several vulnerabilities, you will need to prioritise which ones to fix first.
To prioritise the vulnerabilities, you should start with those that experts consider severe. Many vulnerability assessment tools use the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), which rates vulnerabilities on a scale of low to critical severity.
Additionally, you should consider your business needs when prioritising vulnerabilities. For instance, if a software is only used occasionally on a single device, you may rank it as a lower priority to address. Conversely, if a vulnerability in software is used on all employee devices, you may rank it as a high priority.
Step 4 – Address vulnerabilities in accordance with the ranked list. Remedying vulnerabilities typically involves implementing a security patch or issued update, but may also necessitate the replacement of outdated hardware.
Additionally, ringfencing may be employed as a form of remediation, isolating a device or application from other network components if a vulnerability is discovered that does not yet have a patch available.
Step 5 -Enhancing advanced threat protection settings within your network can also be beneficial. After mitigating the vulnerabilities, it is important to verify that the corrections have been effective. Documenting the vulnerability assessment and management process is crucial for cybersecurity and compliance purposes.
It is recommended to document the date of the last vulnerability assessment and all the steps taken to remediate each vulnerability. These logs can be useful in case of a future breach and can also provide valuable information for the next vulnerability assessment.
Step 6 – Since developers continuously update software, maintaining an ongoing assessment cycle, prioritization, mitigation, and documentation is essential to protect the network against cyberattacks.
If you’re interested in fortifying your network against potential attacks, get in touch.