Vulnerability management: Definition, process, and benefits

Vulnerability management is a vital part of any organization's cybersecurity strategy, especially as cyber threats continue to grow in both number and sophistication. In this article, we’ll explain what vulnerability management is, break down its processes, and explore the benefits it offers in strengthening your organization’s security.

What is vulnerability management?

Vulnerability management is a continuous process in which organizations actively identify, assess, prioritize, and address security weaknesses in their systems. By continuously managing vulnerabilities, businesses aim to reduce the risk of cyberattacks and minimize potential damage if one does occur.

Why is vulnerability management important? This process not only helps prevent breaches but also strengthens the security framework, which makes it more resilient to future threats. By monitoring systems and staying up to date with emerging vulnerabilities, businesses can reduce the likelihood of successful cyberattacks, protect sensitive data, and maintain compliance with security regulations.

The vulnerability management process

The vulnerability management process, sometimes referred to as the vulnerability management lifecycle, usually involves four main steps:

Step 1: Asset discovery

Asset discovery is the first step in identifying or assessing what you need to protect, which is why some sources refer to this stage as the identification or assessment phase. This step involves scanning networks, devices, software, and hardware to create a comprehensive inventory of all assets within an organization.

At the heart of this process is the use of vulnerability scanners. These tools, often automated and continuous, are designed to detect vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and potential threats across systems and networks. By regularly scanning for weaknesses, organizations can gain a clear understanding of their environment and can identify which assets are most at risk.

If you don’t know what you have, you can’t protect it. Asset discovery ensures that no part of your system is overlooked. With an up-to-date map of assets, businesses can quickly pinpoint weaknesses and prioritize which systems need the most protection.

Step 2: Prioritization

Once vulnerabilities are identified, the next step in cybersecurity vulnerability management is prioritization. Not all vulnerabilities are equal, so prioritization ensures you're tackling the most dangerous risks first.

This step involves evaluating which vulnerabilities pose the highest risk to your organization, helping focus efforts on the most critical issues. A key tool in this process is the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), which assigns a score to each vulnerability based on factors like severity, exploitability, and impact. These risk ratings provide a clear understanding of which vulnerabilities require immediate attention.

Think of the CVSS as a thermometer for vulnerabilities — the "hotter" the issue, the more urgent it is to address. The system assigns a numerical score from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating more severe vulnerabilities. For example, a CVSS score of 9.0–10.0 represents critical vulnerabilities that demand urgent action, while a score closer to 0.0 suggests minimal risk.

Step 3: Resolution

The third step in the vulnerability management process is resolution. Other sources may also refer to it as the acting stage. This step involves fixing the issues identified in the previous step. The three vulnerability management tools include:

• Remediation. Remediation is the ideal solution, in which you fix the vulnerability by applying patches, updates, or changes to the system. It eliminates the risk entirely.
• Mitigation. Mitigation is the next best option when full remediation isn't possible. Mitigation involves taking steps to reduce the impact or likelihood of the vulnerability being exploited, such as isolating affected systems or adding extra layers of protection.
• Acceptance. In some cases, an organization might choose to accept the risk, usually after evaluating that the cost of remediation is too high compared to the risk posed. This is a calculated decision. Effectively addressing vulnerabilities reduces the window of opportunity for cyberattacks. While remediation should always be the goal, mitigation and acceptance are valuable vulnerability management tools when full remediation isn’t possible.

Step 4: Reporting

Reporting is the last stage in vulnerability management programs. This stage involves documenting the vulnerabilities found, actions taken, and their resolution status. This step is crucial to track progress, maintain transparency, and ensure accountability. Regular reports also help demonstrate compliance with security regulations and internal policies.

Timely and accurate reporting allows organizations to stay on top of their vulnerability management efforts, ensure that no vulnerabilities are overlooked, and keep stakeholders and regulators informed. In addition, reports should offer actionable insights, highlight trends in vulnerabilities, and suggest improvements to prevent future weaknesses.

What are the benefits of vulnerability management?

Security vulnerability management may benefit your organization in multiple ways:

• Reduced costs. By identifying and addressing new vulnerabilities early, you can prevent costly data breaches, system downtime, and damage control. Fixing issues before they escalate may save your organization a lot of money in the long run.
• Improved organization’s security. By proactively managing vulnerabilities, you can strengthen your organization’s security posture and make it harder for attackers to exploit weaknesses.
• Reduced time to recover from cyberattacks. A clear vulnerability management system can help your security team respond faster and more effectively to cyberattacks. By knowing which systems are vulnerable, your team can target the most critical areas.
• Compliance with regulations. Enterprise vulnerability management can help your organization meet strict security standards, avoid penalties, and maintain customer trust by keeping systems secure and compliant.
• Improved visibility and reporting of potential threats. Vulnerability management can provide clearer insights into your security landscape. Regular scans and detailed reports can help you track risks, identify vulnerability trends, and address emerging threats before they escalate.

Best practices in vulnerability management

A strong vulnerability management program is essential to detect, address, and mitigate risks in your organization. To build an effective defense against cyber threats, your program should combine the best practices in vulnerability management into a cohesive strategy. Key tools and approaches to include are:

Vulnerability scanner

A vulnerability scanner can help you identify weaknesses in your systems, networks (through network vulnerability management), and applications (via application vulnerability management). These automated tools continuously scan your IT environment for potential vulnerabilities and security gaps. By regularly using a scanner, you can detect and address vulnerabilities before attackers have a chance to exploit them.

Security incident and event management (SIEM)

Security information and event management (SIEM) tools collect and analyze data from across your network to detect security incidents in real time. SIEM tools aggregate logs, monitor for suspicious activity, correlate events, and generate alerts to help you respond quickly to potential threats. By integrating SIEM into your vulnerability management program, you can monitor vulnerabilities as they emerge and take action immediately.

Threat intelligence

Threat intelligence, also known as threat intel, is the information that helps businesses stay ahead of cyber threats. It involves gathering, analyzing, and understanding data about potential cyberattacks, hackers, and other security risks. With this insight, companies can take proactive measures to protect their systems, data, and customers before threats can cause harm.

Employee training

Employee training is crucial in preventing human error, which is a common cause of security breaches. By regularly educating your team on the latest cybersecurity threats, safe online practices, and how to spot phishing attempts, you strengthen your organization's security and minimize the risk of vulnerabilities being exploited through social engineering.

Patch management

Keeping your systems up-to-date is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce vulnerabilities. Patch management ensures you regularly update all software, applications, and operating systems with security patches. By promptly applying patches, you eliminate known vulnerabilities and prevent attackers from exploiting them.

Asset inventory

You can't protect what you don't know about. By creating and maintaining an accurate inventory of all your assets — hardware, software, and networks — you gain a clear understanding of your environment and can prioritize which systems need the most protection.

Vulnerability management solutions

The market offers a wide range of vulnerability management solutions, each claiming to be the best. However, not all tools are created equal. While vulnerability management is more than just running a scan, having the right tools for assessment, scanning, and remediation can significantly improve your ability to identify, prioritize, and address vulnerabilities efficiently.

When evaluating a vulnerability management solution, keep these key aspects in mind to ensure it aligns with your organization's needs:

• Performance impact. Choose a solution with a lightweight agent that won't slow down endpoints or hinder productivity.
• Real-time visibility. Select a tool that offers instant, comprehensive visibility into vulnerabilities for rapid response. Threat exposure management platform NordStellar provides full context and visibility, giving you detailed insights into each identified threat.
• External vulnerabilities. Focus on solutions that also address external threats. For example, NordStellar specializes in detecting vulnerabilities that originate outside your network, which helps protect against external risks before they can infiltrate your systems.
• Scalability. Make sure the solution can grow with your organization and handle an expanding network and increasing assets.

NordStellar’s External vulnerability scan is a feature of the Threat exposure management platform. From mapping your company’s digital footprint to identifying vulnerabilities, NordStellar’s scanner allows you to proactively detect and address weaknesses in your public-facing assets, such as unpatched software or open ports, from an external attacker’s perspective.

Want to see NordStellar in action? Contact us today to learn how it can strengthen your company’s data security and prevent threats before they escalate.

What’s the difference between vulnerability management and vulnerability assessment?

Vulnerability management is a continuous process of identifying, prioritizing, and addressing vulnerabilities to reduce risk over time. Vulnerability assessment, on the other hand, is a one-time or periodic evaluation to identify and analyze vulnerabilities at a specific point.

What is the future of vulnerability management?

The future of vulnerability management is increasingly shaped by advanced technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). As cyber threats evolve in complexity, AI-powered tools are already improving the speed and accuracy of identifying vulnerabilities.

Looking ahead, vulnerability management will become more automated. This automatization will improve response times and provide security teams with more accurate data.

By predicting emerging vulnerabilities based on past data and patterns, AI will also allow organizations to proactively address potential threats before malicious actors may exploit them. As a result, vulnerability management will become faster, more efficient, and less dependent on manual processes, helping organizations stay one step ahead of evolving cyber threats.

FAQ

What is the difference between vulnerability, risk, and a threat?

Vulnerability refers to a weakness in a system, network, or application that could be exploited by a threat, which is anything with the potential to exploit that vulnerability, such as a hacker or malware. Risk, on the other hand, is the likelihood that a threat will exploit a vulnerability, causing harm or damage. It combines both the potential impact of an attack and the probability of it happening.

What is the difference between SIEM and vulnerability management?

SIEM (security information and event management) monitors and analyzes security events in real time to detect and respond to threats. Vulnerability management, on the other hand, identifies and addresses system weaknesses through scans, assessments, and remediation to prevent future breaches. SIEM focuses on active threats, while vulnerability management reduces risks by fixing vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.

How can vulnerabilities be managed?

Key steps in managing vulnerabilities include:

1. Tracking all assets
2. Vulnerability scanning
3. Prioritizing based on risk
4. Applying patches or fixes
5. Monitoring for threats
6. Restricting access to critical systems
7. Addressing third-party risks
8. Continuously improving practices