Numerous organizations boast robust vulnerability management systems like Nessus, Rapid7, and Qualys, which excel in scanning systems for vulnerabilities and providing comprehensive dashboards and reports. However, this is merely one facet of the challenge; the other crucial half revolves around effectively patching vulnerabilities found by these scanning systems.
In most cases, organizations manage this patching process in a semi-manual manner. Vulnerability managers typically reach out to system owners, either directly or by initiating a ticketing process, to flag critical vulnerabilities and prompt the system owners to address them.
At this juncture, several common scenarios unfold. Firstly, the system owner may fail to respond, leading to persistent reminders and follow-ups. This not only consumes valuable time for the cybersecurity team but also creates an unpleasant experience for all parties involved.
Another typical scenario unfolds when the system owner recognizes the necessity of a patch but schedules it for a future date, often after completing other ongoing projects, testing, and related activities.
While the vulnerability manager might receive a rough estimate from the system owner regarding when the patch will be applied, there's often no concrete confirmation. As a result, the vulnerability manager frequently observes the same vulnerability reappearing in subsequent scans, indicating that it remains unaddressed, prompting further reminders.
In another typical patching scenario, the system owner asserts that they have resolved the issue, leading the vulnerability manager to verify if the vulnerability has been successfully eliminated from the system. Yet, upon conducting a follow-up scan, it becomes evident that the vulnerability is still present. In certain cases, specific patches may prove ineffective in addressing vulnerabilities, or it could be a situation where the system owner inadvertently applied an incorrect patch.
Ultimately, the system should undergo enough patch/evaluation cycles until the vulnerabilities in question are successfully remedied.
Imagine repeating this process continuously for thousands of vulnerabilities. This illustrates why vulnerability management can become a nightmare!
Security Automations
This workflow is an ideal candidate for automation. By incorporating security orchestration into your vulnerability management process, the orchestration system can proactively notify the relevant system owner about vulnerabilities through the preferred communication channel, such as ticketing and/or email, etc.
You can set up date triggers and patch confirmations to enable the orchestration system to automatically escalate notifications for systems that remain unpatched, and initiate rescans for those systems that have been reported as patched, ensuring they indeed have the appropriate patch to address the vulnerability.
Automation is crucial in vulnerability management to streamline and accelerate the tracking and remediation of vulnerabilities, reducing time, human error and enhancing the overall process for all involved.
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