SecureFirst | CIS18 Controls SafeGuard 7.1

How to

Establish and Maintain a Vulnerability Management Process

- SafeGuard 7.1

Here's a step-by-step guide to establishing and maintaining a documented vulnerability management process for enterprise assets, as per the requirements in CIS Control 7 - Continuous Vulnerability Management, Implementation Group 1 (IG1):

Step 1: Inventory of Assets:

Create a comprehensive inventory of all enterprise assets, including servers, workstations, network devices, applications, databases, and any other systems.

Step 2: Continuous Vulnerability Assessment:

Implement a continuous vulnerability assessment process to identify vulnerabilities in your assets. This could involve using vulnerability scanning tools, penetration testing, and security assessments.

Step 3: Vulnerability Classification and Prioritization:

Classify vulnerabilities based on severity, potential impact, and exploitability. Prioritize them according to their risk level to the organization.

Step 4: Develop a Remediation Plan:

Create a plan for addressing identified vulnerabilities. Determine the sequence of actions, responsible personnel, timelines, and resources needed for remediation.

Step 5: Document the Vulnerability Management Process:

Document a step-by-step vulnerability management process that outlines how vulnerabilities will be identified, assessed, prioritized, and remediated.

Step 6: Define Responsibility and Accountability:

Assign responsibility for each phase of the vulnerability management process to specific individuals or teams within your organization.

Step 7: Remediation Actions:

Execute remediation actions, such as patching, configuration changes, updates, and other measures to address vulnerabilities.

This process enhances your organization's security posture and incident response capabilities.

Step 8: Verification and Testing:

Verify that remediation actions have been implemented successfully. Test systems to confirm that vulnerabilities have been properly addressed.

Step 9: Communication and Reporting:

Develop a communication plan for reporting vulnerabilities, their status, and remediation progress to relevant stakeholders, including management and IT teams.

Step 10: Review and Update Annually:

Review and update your vulnerability management process documentation annually to account for changes in technology, assets, and regulatory requirements.

Step 11: Changes in Enterprise:

Revisit the documentation when significant changes occur within your organization, such as technological changes, structural changes, or shifts in assets.

Step 12: Training and Awareness:

Train personnel involved in the vulnerability management process on the procedures, their roles, and the importance of timely and effective remediation.

Step 13: Continuous Improvement:

Continuously assess and improve your vulnerability management process based on lessons learned, feedback, and changes in the threat landscape.

Step 14: Integration with Incident Response:

Integrate your vulnerability management process with your incident response plan, ensuring that vulnerabilities are addressed as part of your overall security strategy.

By following these steps, you'll establish a comprehensive vulnerability management process that helps identify and address vulnerabilities in your enterprise assets, in alignment with the requirements of CIS Control 7. This process enhances your organization's security posture and incident response capabilities.