How to Build a Strong Vulnerability Management Program?

All businesses are going through #digital & #cloud transformation. Systems are talking to each other more and more and IT asset are spreading across multiple location. All IT asset by default have vulnerabilities which makes then easy target for cyber-attack & which leads to data & reputation loss. The aim of vulnerability management program is to reduce the risk by protective identifying weakness in the IT systems.

Vulnerability assessments are conducted by almost every firm; however, they are not able to be integrated into programs. Any company that wants to establish a robust cyber security governance program and have appropriate visibility must have a well-developed vulnerability assessment program. The creation of short-, medium-, and long-term security investment plans can be accomplished through vulnerability assessment. The development of the countermeasure can also benefit from the vulnerability program's discovery.

The key ingredients of good vulnerability program must include.

1.???? Policy

2.???? Cover all IT assets.

3.???? Define a scan frequency.

4.???? Strong patch management

5.???? Review mechanism

6.???? Skill set

7.???? Technology platform

Scanning all IT assets on a regular basis or following any significant changes to the infrastructure or software version, is crucial.? Scans and patches are required for systems that are going into live production.?

An outdated strategy for handling vulnerability has flaws and is no longer effective. One of the biggest mistakes made by the security team is to let a third party carry a system and perform partial scanning that leaves gaps in visibility. A decent vulnerability software ought to be centralized, able to maintain raw data while scanning every IT system. ?This approach helps the #CXO to have full visibility and efficiency of the program as they can see the progress or identify the area of improvements.

Key things to include in building a strong vulnerability management program.

• There are two main approaches for scanning an IT asset: intrusive and non-intrusive. Use the invasive scan; it produces better results and has a higher percentage of true positives.
• Agent-based or agent-less scanning should be used for improved visibility and real-time views, particularly if the scan data needs to be integrated with SOC.
• Specify your scan cycle in accordance with the policy & compliance.
• Locate and compare your prior scans using analytics.