Any good cybersecurity strategy will include a system to detect and remove vulnerabilities. These are an unfortunate part of life in a technology environment and continually crop up as software is updated throughout devices and cloud infrastructure.
In Q1 of 2022 alone, over 8,000 vulnerabilities were published. That’s a 25% jump from the prior year. Keeping up with these threats is a constant need of any IT security team. As soon as you get one batch of vulnerabilities handled, multiple new ones are cropping up.
The sheer volume of system vulnerabilities necessitates using an automated vulnerability management system to stay on top of detection and mitigation. Using a vulnerability lifecycle is one of the best ways to keep this continuous process on track so the organization doesn’t suffer an unnecessary breach.
Approximately 60% of data breaches are caused by unpatched system vulnerabilities.
To get a better understanding of how to create an effective vulnerability strategy – one that doesn’t leave threats lurking in the network – let’s take a look at the typical circle of life of a system vulnerability.
The Vulnerability Is Created
The vulnerability doesn’t appear on its own, it has to be written into some type of programming code. It is “born” when a developer leaves some type of loophole in the language of code being written to run an operating system, firmware, or software application.
A system vulnerability is defined as some type of flaw that reduces the overall security of a device or system. It’s a flaw that usually allows someone else, like a hacker, to exploit that flaw and use it to breach the system in some way.
For example, a vulnerability that can affect critical infrastructure in Netgear routers allows hackers to avoid normal security authentication and gain the access needed to execute code remotely.
Installation on User Devices
The coding mistake isn’t detected by the developer or software company issuing the new code. So, the next step is that it is introduced to user devices through some type of update or new software.
Software providers are continually updating their products. Users are constantly receiving update notices for everything from Windows OS to their iPhone apps to cloud tools.
Vulnerabilities are often introduced to user devices when they download one of those updates. The vulnerability now can live on thousands or millions of devices around the world as users download that update or purchase that software.
An Exploit Is Created to Take Advantage of the Vulnerability
Hackers are always on the lookout for new vulnerabilities. In fact, they have their own lifecycle that includes looking for any potential flaws in software updates or new digital products.
Once they identify the vulnerability, they create the code needed to exploit it to breach the system. Those bits of code they create are called “exploits.” Once one hacker uses one, you can bet other hackers hop on board quite quickly. There may be several exploits created to breach one found vulnerability.
The Vulnerability Is Detected
As hackers begin using the exploits and breaching systems, the organizations that are victims notice. Software manufacturers notice as well. It’s at this point that the vulnerability is detected by those other than cyber criminals writing exploits.
One of the most impactful exploits in recent years was the Log4J vulnerability. This is a code used in a wide swath of digital tools and systems. Thus, the attacks generated to exploit it impacted government, economic, and many other sectors. Millions of devices were put at risk by this single vulnerability.
The Software Provider Cures the Vulnerability with a Patch
It’s at this point that the provider of the software containing the vulnerability works to fix it. The code is corrected, addressing the mistake, and sealing up that vulnerability. This code is designed to repel the exploits that have been created to conduct attacks.
The software provider then issues this corrected code in either a stand-alone security patch (higher severity vulnerabilities) or with the next planned software update (lower severity vulnerabilities).
Users Install the Patch to Remove the Vulnerability (Hopefully!)
Just because the software provider issues the fix, doesn’t mean all impacted networks and devices are now safe. The patch or update needs to be installed on the appropriate systems.
This is where organizations often trip up because they aren’t using an effective vulnerability scanning and management tool. Vulnerabilities that were first detected years ago are still being used to breach systems today because the fixed code was never installed.
Unpatched vulnerabilities are one of the major causes of data breaches and they represent an unforced error.
One company that knows this all too well is Equifax. In 2017, the company suffered a very public data breach that exposed hundreds of millions of sensitive customer records. The breach happened because of an exploit to a vulnerability that had a patch issued for it months earlier. But the Equifax IT team never installed that patch.
How Effective Is Your Vulnerability Management System?
Is your network suffering from undetected or unpatched vulnerabilities? CyberWizPro is an easy-to-use application that helps ensure you don’t miss a beat when detecting and removing system vulnerabilities.