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The risk of cyber threats is a daily reality for every business, but especially when the age of remote work has your associates grounded at home and reliant on cloud technology to complete tasks. Because your employees may have unique devices and at-home network security that isn’t up to par, there are many vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can take advantage of. This is the primary reason why vulnerability management is an essential service for your organization.
So, what is vulnerability management? Essentially, this is an IT practice that allows your organization to identify proactively, evaluate, treat, and report security vulnerabilities in the network, systems, and software that your organization uses. In other words, this type of management is an ongoing process that aims to shrink the vulnerabilities in your operations that cybercriminals can take advantage of.
In general, vulnerability management seeks to identify potential problems or weak points between your software, devices, and primary network connections. By identifying these vulnerabilities, you can close up holes that might cause a security breach. The comprehensive approach of this IT practice gives organizations better overall protection and puts them ahead of any potential cyber risks. This is the best strategy to minimize your chance of cyber attack.
Why Is This Practice Important?
Security gaps in your network are apparent areas that cybercriminals can exploit. Data breaches, damage to the assets of your networks, and stealing sensitive or private information from your servers are all generally caused by open holes in your security setup. With this IT practice, you can continually examine your security settings to fill any gaps, patch up old gaps, and reinforce your network’s security.
Vulnerabilities
Cyber vulnerabilities are weaknesses in your network security architecture that enables cyber attacks. You can think of vulnerabilities as being chinks in the armor of your organization. With these vulnerabilities, it’s much easier for cybercriminals to gain a foothold to hold an attack on your server.
Threats
A cybersecurity threat is a method or tool that is used during a cyber attack. Threats are small tests in your system’s vulnerabilities that inform cybercriminals about how to take advantage of those weaknesses to get into your network. Threats are the most common vehicle for cyberattacks, but these threats are constantly evolving, so staying up-to-date on your network security is the best way to guard against them.
Exploits
A cyber exploit is when a threat becomes a full attack on your network that allows malicious activity, such as stealing private data. Exploits are the end game of any cyber threat. Patching up gaps in your security can help you avoid any exploits from cyber attacks.
How Do You Build a Management Program?
It’s not enough to simply check on any current gaps in your network and patch them up. While this is a good first step, a proper management program evolves with new cyber threats and changes to your network or system. In the age of remote work, because so much of your system may be exploited through weak cloud security or unsecured devices, it’s essential to have a management program that continues to grow and respond to the needs of your business.
Inventory and Patch
The first step of a management program will be to inventory your security protocols and the overall accessibility of your network. It would help if you tried to identify any apparent gaps in security, such as being able to access the cloud without system verification. Taking a thorough inventory of your IT setup and the accessibility of your network will give you a better idea of the patches that need to be applied to your system.
Security patches are somewhat like bandaids that are quickly applied to fix an issue. When you apply a patch, you could temporarily fix the potential for the breach or shut down the system entirely to correct the security gap before taking your system and data online again. It’s common for major patches and upgrades to require a complete system shut down, but taking the time to apply better patches will only benefit your organization.
Scanning Solutions
Your IT employees can’t possibly scan all the small bits of data necessary to identify every gap in security, mainly because gaps show up as your network is continually accessed. It’s a good idea to use a scanning solution or scanning software to identify any potential areas of concern regularly.
Both internal and external network assets should be checked, including your vendors’ networks, employee networks used to access the organization’s network, cloud applications, and even external servers.
Risk Assessment
Finally, your IT team will need to conduct regular risk assessments. After completing an inventory of potential security risks, the level of threat from these risks must be assessed. In general, it’s a good idea to tackle the risks that have the most potential for damage, such as vulnerabilities in the network itself. From there, you can prioritize which risks need to be patched up first and then work your way down.
How Can You Have a Successful Management Program?
The key to this type of management program is to be proactive about your solutions. The framework for your program should allow you to manage risks efficiently, from identifying vulnerabilities to applying solutions. However, to get the most out of your management, you should
- Continually assess your risks
- Have a faster process for scanning and evaluating risks
- Address any vulnerabilities related to people who have access to your network.
In the era of remote work, the possibility of an unknown security gap is more significant than ever. For the sake of your organization, it’s in your best interest to institute a management program that will allow you to identify, assess, and patch potential risks. By closing up these security gaps, your organization will be in a better position to evolve and adapt seamlessly. For more information about turnkey solutions for your organization, contact Edafio in Little Rock, AR, today.
