10 steps to perform vulnerability analysis

Fundamental for any manager, vulnerability analysis is a key point for any business today.

Cybersecurity needs to be treated as a priority, and vulnerability analysis is a tool that helps protect information and, consequently, contain damage.

Keep in mind that this analysis is carried out through a set of processes that allow for mapping problems that affect the infrastructure and IT systems.

Keep reading this article to understand the importance of adopting this process in your company's security routine!

What is vulnerability analysis?

It is a preventive process that aims to find weak points and reduce them to the point of trying to eliminate the chances of their being exploited.

Vulnerability analysis is the process of identifying flaws that could expose your system and data to various threats. It provides a broad security assessment, pointing out weaknesses to eliminate or reduce them.

These security gaps can arise in various ways, whether due to human errors, programming flaws, or system misconfigurations.

Given that common mistakes, especially by employees without proper training, and considering the dynamic nature of the technological environment, it is essential to conduct vulnerability analyses regularly, especially with the rise in cyberattacks.

Why is this analysis so important?

Having the knowledge and resources to correct these gaps leads to better performance and security. Therefore, the objectives of vulnerability analysis give a clear idea of its importance to the company. They are intertwined with the very benefits that this analysis brings to the environment.

In other words, vulnerability analysis is important because it ensures the continuous improvement of the company's infrastructure. This improvement occurs in several ways, as the analysis includes some important practices such as:

• Continuously monitoring systems with regular inspections to track and identify potential issues;
• Reducing the occurrence of problems such as ransomware, inactive accounts, outdated systems, and weak passwords;
• Protecting business assets from cyberattacks, avoiding financial and reputational damage to the organization;
• Increasing compliance with the well-known LGPD (General Data Protection Law), as full compliance demonstrates that the company practices good vulnerability management.

Additionally, the importance of vulnerability analysis is reflected in each of its implementation stages, which we will detail below.

10 steps to apply this process in your company

Vulnerability analysis, when applied, can be divided into several stages.

Initially, it is necessary to identify all IT assets and conduct a vulnerability scan. Next, you need to evaluate the results, identify false positives, real vulnerabilities, and risks, and address them.

1. Identification of IT assets

At the start of this analysis process, it is necessary to identify the company's IT assets to understand the entire infrastructure, including hardware, software, and peopleware.

All of them must be mapped and recorded for the subsequent stages.

Through this crucial step, you can identify critical activities to address later.

2. Perform a vulnerability scan

Vulnerability scanning is one of the key steps in the analysis.

For this task, it is essential to use specific scanning tools that can more easily identify and categorize system weaknesses by scanning external IPs and internal network assets.

These external scans are crucial for identifying immediate threats and performing necessary software and firmware updates, as well as updating ports, firewalls, protocols, and other systems.

Internal scanning, on the other hand, enhances the networks within the environment.

3. Don’t forget to assess vulnerabilities

Another important step is vulnerability assessment. In this stage, threats are listed and classified based on the risks they pose to the infrastructure, in addition to identifying false positives.

This assessment serves as a guide for applying corrections and solutions to each vulnerability found in the system.

Here, the team should create a model of the main threats to their assets, and methods like Microsoft's STRIDE are often used. Here’s how this risk catalog works:

• Spoofing of identity (identity theft or data falsification);
• Tampering with data (data tampering);
• Repudiation of transaction (improper transaction repudiation);
• Information disclosure (unauthorized disclosure of information);
• Denial of service (denial of service attacks);
• Elevation of privilege (privilege escalation).

4. Risk assessment is important

This assessment is an essential part of implementing vulnerability analysis, and to do it effectively, you need to understand how your systems operate.

At this stage, it's important to involve multiple team members to understand all processes and critical infrastructures for the company, and then proceed with the assessment based on concrete, real information.

During the risk assessment, the organization's assets are located and classified. This process involves listing servers, workstations, devices, and any assets that may be targeted by attacks.

Next, you need to classify each asset based on the type of information they hold, often using a scale of 1 to 5, which represents:

1. Public information about the organization;
2. Internal but non-confidential data;
3. Sensitive information, such as business plans;
4. Data that should not be visible even to all employees, such as salary sheets;
5. All confidential information.

5. Risk mitigation

With the risk assessment results in hand, the professional can determine the percentage of systems at risk, in varying degrees.

Thus, systems that are most vulnerable to attacks should be prioritized, balancing this with the importance of each system. Vulnerabilities in existing controls, for example, must be addressed quickly.

During the mitigation phase, always keep in mind that the business is exposed to risks that can be avoided. This is the best way to find the most effective tools for correction and avoid future problems.

6. Perform penetration tests

Penetration testing helps assess the level of vulnerability the company's system is susceptible to.

With this task, teams gain insight into the degree of threat the business is vulnerable to. Additionally, it becomes easier to identify flaws and discover other vulnerabilities that were not previously detected.

Thus, penetration testing involves a set of procedures and tools used to identify security issues in corporate systems and networks.

7. Make vulnerability analysis a continuous process

It's crucial to understand that security activities are not one-time processes that can be forgotten after implementation. Vulnerability analysis is an ongoing task to ensure information security at all times.

Ideally, this task should be incorporated into the organization's routine, with regular intervals for its execution.

It's also important to use specific systems to conduct these analyses automatically.

8. Implement security policies

Conducting vulnerability analysis without adopting good IT management practices that minimize risks will not be effective.

Create security policies and establish sector practices involving equipment maintenance, system monitoring, problem identification, among others.

The key is to maximize security performance and avoid working only to correct errors, but rather to get ahead of vulnerabilities found in the environment.

9. List the main vulnerabilities found

Vulnerability assessment involves listing and classifying threats according to their severity and the risk they pose to the IT infrastructure.

This list is very useful, as it serves as a guide for applying solutions to each vulnerability found and defining the type of risk, allowing for the implementation of necessary measures to resolve all these issues.

10. Conduct training and educate employees

Even though most of the vulnerability analysis is automated, employees need to understand its importance and be engaged in the process, as they are often the source of many existing vulnerabilities.

Promote best practices, educate employees about security, and work to reduce risks at this stage of the process.

As mentioned, human errors create opportunities for attacks and vulnerabilities, so it's essential to address this issue.

Provide training, teach processes, and work with standardized security routines.

Key benefits of vulnerability analysis

Conducting vulnerability analysis offers a series of advantages for companies. It is both a preventive and corrective tool, as it not only identifies security gaps but also flags system alterations and provides resources for risk mitigation.

For example:

• Enhanced security;
• Faster identification of vulnerabilities;
• Increased data integrity and confidentiality;
• Time and cost savings;
• Greater competitiveness in the market.

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