Are you aware of your cybersecurity vulnerabilities?
When was the last time you conducted a vulnerability assessment?
If it’s been a while—or if you’ve never done an assessment—then you may have vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. Unfortunately, this is not a one-and-done endeavor. New vulnerabilities can arise as technology continues to evolve.
The solution to this problem is regular vulnerability assessments and management. Here’s everything you need to know about this important process.
1. What is vulnerability management?
Vulnerability management is the process of regularly auditing endpoints (network connected devices), systems, and workloads to detect cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The process also involves patching any vulnerabilities discovered.
While the core principles of vulnerability management are the same across all scenarios, the right approach will look different at different organizations. Factors like specific regulatory compliance, operational challenges, risk tolerance, and unique cybersecurity vulnerabilities should all dictate the approach that an organization takes.
Consequently, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to vulnerability management. You need dedicated experts who can apply best practices to your scenario and manage vulnerabilities regularly.
2. What is a vulnerability assessment?
A vulnerability assessment is a systematic audit of cybersecurity vulnerabilities in a network or system. The process uncovers known vulnerabilities and prioritizes them according to their severity level.
A comprehensive assessment should also provide next steps for remediating any vulnerabilities that were uncovered. This ensures that you don’t only uncover problems—you also understand how to fix them.
A vulnerability assessment is typically conducted by an MSSP (managed cybersecurity services provider), who offers an unbiased, outside perspective and a process that follows industry best practices.
Here at Corsica Technologies, we offer comprehensive vulnerability assessments. Contact us today to get started.
3. What’s the difference between a vulnerability, a threat, and a risk?
These terms sound similar, but they refer to different things.
- A cybersecurity vulnerability is a weakness or flaw within a system that a malicious actor could exploit to launch an attack.
- A cybersecurity threat is a situation or event, real or potential, in which a malicious actor exploits a vulnerability to launch an attack.
- A cybersecurity risk is the potential damage a business would sustain, whether financial, operational, physical, legal, or reputational, due to a successful cyberattack.
4. What are the most common cybersecurity vulnerabilities in mid-sized businesses?
Here at Corsica Technologies, we’ve helped 1,000+ clients with IT and cybersecurity issues. Here are the most common vulnerabilities that we find when a company comes to us.
- Java vulnerabilities
- Broken authorization
- Unpatched systems
- Weak default security settings (including cloud systems)
- User accounts with excessive permissions
- Weak passwords
- Reused passwords
- Lack of MFA (multi-factor authentication)
- End-of-life applications
- Systems that are not scanned by MDR (managed detection and response)
- Unsecured APIs
5. How can I find out what vulnerabilities exist in my environment?
Here’s what it takes to manage cybersecurity vulnerabilities in-house.
- A vulnerability scanning tool that’s suited to your environment and budget.
- A dedicated process and schedule for running scans and dealing with the results.
- Cybersecurity professionals on staff with the necessary expertise to run scans, interpret the results, and implement fixes on a regular basis.
Many organizations struggle to hire and retain staff resources to manage vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity professionals command high salaries and frequently change jobs.
This is why many companies choose an MSSP (managed cybersecurity service provider) to manage vulnerabilities on a regular basis.
6. Are there tools that scan for vulnerabilities in our network or cloud systems?
If you have cybersecurity experts on staff, there are many tools that they can use to scan your network and cloud systems for vulnerabilities. However, note that some tools are good at finding vulnerabilities, some are good at patching them, and some are good at both. At the end of the day, some vulnerabilities will always require manual intervention to fix.
The challenge here is finding the bandwidth and expertise on your team to manage vulnerabilities. This is why many organizations choose Corsica Technologies to assist. When you bundle vulnerability management with other cybersecurity services, you can cover all your needs for roughly the cost of one staff hire. Learn more here: Corsica Secure Service Bundle.
7. What should I do if a vulnerability is discovered in one of our systems?
Vulnerabilities occur regularly in complex and interconnected systems. If you discover one, rest assured—it’s a common occurrence.
However, that doesn’t mean your vulnerability is insignificant. Weaknesses should be addressed as soon as possible, even if they’ve been around for a while.
Here’s what you should do if you discover a vulnerability:
- Understand the scope of the weakness. What systems are affected? What functions within those systems are contributing to the vulnerability?
- Determine if your vulnerability management software can execute a fix. If it’s a known vulnerability in a supported system, the software may be able to address it. If not, you will need to apply a manual fix.
- If a manual fix is required, understand the scope of the fix and what it will take to implement it.
- Implement the fix.
- Scan the system again and see if the vulnerability has been addressed.
As you can see, this is a lot of work for an IT staff member who has other responsibilities. This is one of the primary reasons that most companies outsource their vulnerability management to an MSSP (managed cybersecurity service provider) like Corsica Technologies.
8. Who should be responsible for patching vulnerabilities—internal IT or a vendor?
The answer depends on the system in question, whether it’s governed by a vendor contract, and whether the vendor has promised to address vulnerabilities.
If you have general IT staff who assist with day-to-day operations, they may not be the right resources to patch critical issues. Managing these vulnerabilities requires bandwidth and expertise—two things that general IT staff may not have when it comes to highly specific systems and patches.
If you work with an MSSP (managed cybersecurity service provider), they should handle everything related to vulnerability management—from scans and assessments to applying patches and retesting.
9. How fast do we need to act on a new zero-day vulnerability?
The right answer depends on several factors.
- Are hackers actively exploiting the vulnerability and attacking your system?
- What’s the potential operational impact of launching a patch quickly, without adequate testing?
- What’s the potential security impact of delaying the patch for full testing?
- How much do you value security over operational disruption?
With these factors in mind, we generally recommend starting the appropriate process (whether patching with full testing or without, as determined by your priorities) within hours or days of discovering the vulnerability.
10. Should we use a managed service provider (MSP or MSSP) to handle vulnerability management?
Vulnerability management is a complex discipline that requires specialized expertise and regular attention. Every assessment needs human execution, interpretation, and implementation of fixes.
Most organizations will get the best value by outsourcing vulnerability management to a trusted partner. In addition to vulnerability management, the right MSSP should offer access to an entire team of cybersecurity professionals for roughly the cost of one staff hire. That’s what we provide here at Corsica Technologies.
The takeaway: Don’t wait to address vulnerabilities
You don’t know what you don’t know. If it’s been a while since your last vulnerability assessment, it’s time to see where you stand. Get in touch with us today, and we’ll review your environment, explain any vulnerabilities discovered, and build a plan for addressing them. We can also assist with regular vulnerability management so your team can focus on their core responsibilities. Contact us to get started.
Ready to manage your vulnerabilities?
Reach out to schedule a consultation with our cybersecurity specialists.
