A recent blog post by Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), states that new cybersecurity vulnerabilities are a continuing issue for enterprises of all kinds. If a business wants to be protected from possible threats, it needs to have a vulnerability management system.
With this system, the business can decide what areas to focus on most and in what order. Smaller businesses, however, may need more resources to get started with this.
In this blog, we will discuss Cyber vulnerability management and the three steps announced by CISA for its effectiveness. Numerous new initiatives under the CSA’s SG Cyber Safe program for businesses during Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW) 2022.
What do you mean by Vulnerability Management in Cyber Security?
Discovering and managing vulnerabilities is essential to keeping systems safe. A vulnerability is a weakness that a threat can exploit. Vulnerability management is the process of identifying(face recognition), patching or remediating vulnerabilities. A cybersecurity management team often uses vulnerability management technology. This helps to find vulnerabilities and applies various patching or remediation procedures to close them. Therefore it is necessary to learn the top trends of cyber security in 2023. The definition of cyber-vulnerability is a weakness that cybercriminals can exploit to access a computer system without authorization.
Why do enterprises need to implement Vulnerability Management?
A Cyber vulnerability management program offers your company several security benefits, including:
- Protection against known network exploits: By regularly scanning your digital network for software vulnerabilities and patching them as needed, you can dramatically reduce the chances of a successful attack.
- Improved compliance with industry regulations: Many industries have strict requirements for safeguarding customer data and protecting against cyber threats. A vulnerability management program can help ensure that your network meets all relevant regulatory standards.
- Reduced financial risks: A data breach can be extremely costly in repairing damage caused by attacks.
How does the term Vulnerability Management differ from Vulnerability Assessment?
A Cyber vulnerability assessment is a snapshot evaluation of a system or network for known vulnerabilities.
Cyber Vulnerability management includes:
- Proactive identifying, classifying, and ranking vulnerabilities.
- Patching or mitigations for the most critical vulnerabilities.
- Monitoring for new security issues.
It can inform decisions about which vulnerabilities should be addressed first and how best to do that.
What are the steps of Cyber Vulnerability Management?
Step 1: Assess: The first stage of the vulnerability management cycle is to assess the risks and vulnerabilities in your system. This can be done through various means, such as penetration testing, code review, and security audits. Once you have identified the risks and vulnerabilities, you need to prioritize them based on their potential impact.
Step 2: Prioritize: After assessing the risks and vulnerabilities present in your system, you need to prioritize them based on their potential impact. The most severe threats should be addressed first, followed by those less serious ones.
Step 4. Reassess: Reassess the effectiveness of mitigation efforts
Step 5. Improve: It tells us to improve the process
Cyber security in the healthcare industry
Cybersecurity experts are increasingly concerned about cyberattacks in the healthcare industry. They believe the number will only increase if healthcare providers do not take action. Internet of Things (IoT) devices rely heavily on secure networks to keep patients healthy, and the threat of cyberattacks is also increasing.
Cyberattacks occur when malware infects a device and takes control of it, and are becoming more common. This is a significant concern because, with the increasing use of IoT devices, more hospitals rely on them to monitor their patients. Internet of Things (IoT) devices relies heavily on secure networks to maintain patient health, in addition to the increasing threat of cyberattacks.
Any hospital using these devices could be at risk of cyberattacks, which are caused by malware infecting their devices and gaining control of them. Lack of cybersecurity training leaves employees vulnerable to phishing attacks. Many healthcare professionals have been concerned about these issues for some time, and the epidemic has only now brought them to light. Healthcare organizations must keep the following points in mind as they recover from the pandemic and other cyberattacks.
3 Step CISA Guidelines: Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity
Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity, has clearly stated the three golden rules for vulnerability assessment.
According to him, we need to make security more automated, identify which products have vulnerabilities, and help companies prioritize their resources to protect themselves better. The government wants to make it easier for companies to deal with computer vulnerabilities. They want to do this by creating a system where companies can exchange information about risks and by creating a system to help companies prioritize which risks to focus on. These are described in three steps:
- To automate vulnerability management further, for example, by using the Common Security Advisory Framework (CSAF).
- Encourage the broad use of Vulnerability Exploitability exchange to make it simpler for enterprises to determine whether a particular product is affected by a vulnerability (VEX)
- Using Stakeholder Specific Vulnerability Categorization (SSVC). This includes prioritizing vulnerabilities on CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) database. Assisting companies in prioritizing vulnerability management resources more efficiently.
1. Common Security Advisory Framework to achieve automation:
It give security professionals and end-users more time to react. Many vendors now publish machine-readable security advisories that contain all information necessary for automatic processing by security software. The Common Security Advisory Framework (CSAF) defines a standard template for such advisories, thus facilitating their exchange and further processing.
Software companies are always trying to figure out if there are any new ways for their products to be vulnerable. Our community needs a standardized way for vendors to quickly and automatically disclose security vulnerabilities to people who use their products so that we can stay ahead of any deadlines.
2. Utilize the Vulnerability Exploitability Exchange (VEX) to confirm that a product is vulnerable and to prioritize vulnerability responses
A VEX notice can also state that a product is not affected by a vulnerability, allowing a manufacturer to claim that specific vulnerabilities affect a particular product. Not all vulnerabilities can be exploited to harm a company. Some companies may not be able to exploit the vulnerability, but it is essential to take steps to mitigate the threat. Vendors can post notices at VEX that indicate in the machine-readable, automated form whether or not a product is affected by a particular vulnerability so consumers can spend less time searching for vulnerabilities. One of Commandant’s most popular use cases, VEX, is implemented as a profile and is consistent with ongoing work to provide machine-readable advisories.
About VEX:
VEX is a project by the Vulnerability Exposures and exposure (VEX) Coalition. The ultimate aim of VEX is greater automation across the vulnerability ecosystem, including disclosure, vulnerability tracking, and repair. VEX data can help software bill of materials (SBOM) data be used more effectively. A machine-readable, thorough inventory of software components and dependencies is known as an SBOM. This is a necessary component of any enterprise-wide software development process since it ensures that the company has all the necessary information to decide what software they need and where to get it.
Machine-readable VEX documents can link to SBOMs and specific SBOM components. Based on exploitation status, a VEX document can determine whether an organization is really affected by known vulnerabilities. An SBOM document informs them of where they may be at risk.
3. Use vulnerability management frameworks like Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization (SSVC)
This new regulation, which CISA recently released, urges companies to include the KEV catalog in their vulnerability management framework and commands all federal civilian agencies to repair KEVs. On November 3, 2021, the first revelation of KEV vulnerabilities resulting from SSVC use by CISA took place.
Conclusion
Best practices are critical to an effective cybersecurity plan, and the Stakeholder Specific Vulnerability Categorization (SSVC) is an excellent framework for prioritizing vulnerabilities. This framework ranks vulnerabilities based on their potential for exploitation and can be used to prioritize resources in a cybersecurity plan. While vulnerability management in cyber security may vary across the healthcare industry, all key stakeholders must address issues promptly and establish effective vulnerability management procedures.
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