Vulnerability Management

Build and maintain a robust vulnerability management program to protect your organization from security threats

What is Vulnerability Management?

Vulnerability Management is a continuous, proactive, and often automated process that keeps your organization aware of security weaknesses and helps reduce the risk of exploitation.

It's not just about finding vulnerabilities - it's about creating a systematic approach to discover, assess, prioritize, remediate, and verify security weaknesses before attackers can exploit them.

A mature vulnerability management program is continuous, not a one-time activity. It is an ongoing cycle of improvement that adapts to your changing environment and the evolving threat landscape.

The Vulnerability Management Lifecycle

1

Discovery & Inventory

Identify all assets in your environment and maintain an accurate, up-to-date inventory.

  • Network scanning to find all connected devices
  • Asset management database with hardware/software inventory
  • Cloud resource discovery and tracking
  • Track software versions, configurations, and ownership
2

Vulnerability Assessment

Scan your assets to identify vulnerabilities and security weaknesses.

  • Automated vulnerability scanning (authenticated and unauthenticated)
  • Regular security assessments and penetration testing
  • Configuration audits and compliance checks
  • Web application security testing
3

Risk Assessment & Prioritization

Evaluate vulnerabilities and prioritize based on risk to your organization.

  • Analyze CVSS scores and severity ratings
  • Check for active exploitation in the wild
  • Consider asset criticality and business impact
  • Evaluate exposure (internet-facing, network position)
4

Remediation

Fix vulnerabilities through patching, configuration changes, or compensating controls.

  • Apply security patches and updates
  • Implement configuration hardening
  • Deploy compensating controls when patches unavailable
  • Track remediation progress and SLAs
5

Verification & Reporting

Confirm fixes are effective and communicate results to stakeholders.

  • Re-scan to verify vulnerabilities are resolved
  • Generate metrics and KPIs for program effectiveness
  • Create executive and technical reports
  • Track trends and demonstrate risk reduction

Prioritization Framework

Not all vulnerabilities are equal. Use this framework to prioritize remediation efforts:

Pro Tip: Use our Bulk Analysis Tool to quickly check a list of CVEs against these priority factors, particularly looking for CISA KEV status and high EPSS scores.

🔴 Critical Priority

Remediate immediately (24-48 hours)

  • • CVSS 9.0-10.0 (Critical)
  • • Actively exploited in the wild
  • • Internet-facing systems
  • • Business-critical assets
  • • Known weaponized exploits

🟠 High Priority

Remediate within 7 days

  • • CVSS 7.0-8.9 (High)
  • • Exploit code available
  • • Internal network exposure
  • • Important systems/data
  • • Proof-of-concept exists

🟡 Medium Priority

Remediate within 30 days

  • • CVSS 4.0-6.9 (Medium)
  • • Limited network exposure
  • • Standard business systems
  • • Complex exploit requirements
  • • Compensating controls in place

🟢 Low Priority

Remediate within 90 days

  • • CVSS 0.1-3.9 (Low)
  • • No known exploits
  • • Isolated systems
  • • Non-critical assets
  • • Requires user interaction + privileges

Remember: CVSS score is just one factor. Always consider context - a "Medium" vulnerability in a critical payment system may need immediate attention, while a "Critical" vulnerability in an isolated test environment may be lower priority.

Key Success Factors

✓ Executive Support

Secure leadership buy-in and adequate resources for the program

✓ Automation

Leverage tools to scale scanning, tracking, and reporting

✓ Clear Ownership

Assign responsibility for asset management and remediation

✓ Risk-Based Approach

Focus on vulnerabilities that pose real risk to your environment

✓ Cross-Team Collaboration

Work with IT, DevOps, and business units for effective remediation

✓ Continuous Improvement

Regularly review and refine processes based on lessons learned

✓ Metrics & KPIs

Track mean time to remediate, vulnerability trends, and coverage

✓ Threat Intelligence

Stay informed about emerging threats and exploitation trends

Essential VM Tools & Technologies

Vulnerability Scanners

Nessus, Qualys, Rapid7, OpenVAS, Nuclei

Asset Management

ServiceNow, Lansweeper, Asset Panda

Patch Management

WSUS, SCCM, Jamf, Ansible, Puppet

Threat Intelligence

CISA KEV, AlienVault OTX, MITRE ATT&CK

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