What is Vulnerability Management?
Vulnerability Management Definition
Vulnerability management is the ongoing process of identifying, evaluating, reporting, and addressing security weaknesses across your systems, endpoints, and networks.
Goal of Vulnerability Management
Vulnerability management aims to reduce your organization’s overall risk by identifying and addressing as many security weaknesses as possible. This can be challenging due to the constant discovery of new vulnerabilities and the limited time and resources most IT teams face. That’s why vulnerability management must be a continuous and proactive process, focused on defending against both emerging threats and long-standing risks.
What is the Difference Between a Risk, Threat, and Vulnerability
A Risk is the likelihood of occurrence.
According to NIST, a Threat is a “potential to adversely impact organizational operations.“
According to NIST, a vulnerability is a “Weakness in an information system, system security procedures, internal controls, or implementation that could be exploited or triggered by a threat source.“
How are Vulnerabilities Rated
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is a published standard for assessing the severity of vulnerabilities. Below is a table with the different ratings of each vulnerability
| CVSS Score Range | Severity Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | None | No impact or negligible risk. |
| 0.1 – 3.9 | Low | Minimal risk, unlikely to be exploited, limited impact. |
| 4.0 – 6.9 | Medium | Moderate risk that may require attention depending on exposure and impact. |
| 7.0 – 8.9 | High | Serious risk, often requires timely remediation to prevent exploitation. |
| 9.0 – 10.0 | Critical | Severe risk with significant impact, likely to be exploited. Immediate action is required. |
What are the 5 Steps of the Vulnerabiltiy Management Cycle
Assess
Start by identifying all devices connected to your network, including user endpoints, cloud servers, and IoT devices.
Prioritize
Focuses on the most critical vulnerabilities first.
Act
Take steps to remediate or mitigate the vulnerabilities, such as applying patches, updating configurations, or disabling risky or unnecessary services.
Reassess
Run another scan to ensure the issues have been resolved and no new risks have appeared.
Improve
Applying what was learned to reduce future vulnerabilities.
Why Your Business Needs Vulnerability Management
Most successful cyberattacks exploit known vulnerabilities, many of which had patches available before the breach. Without a structured vulnerability management process, your business relies on luck rather than a proactive defense strategy. The longer a vulnerability goes unaddressed, the greater the risk of exploitation.
This is where vulnerability management becomes a cornerstone of any strong cybersecurity program. By routinely identifying weaknesses and taking action, you reduce the attack surface and strengthen your overall security posture
How We Help
At NoVA Cyber Solutions, we take the complexity out of vulnerability management. Our managed security services are designed to:
Assess your environment, including endpoints, cloud infrastructure, and IoT devices.
Prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk, potential impact, and exposure.
Act quickly by deploying remediations and security patches.
Reassess regularly to ensure vulnerabilities are resolved and new risks are addressed.
Improve your program over time through automation, reporting, and strategy alignment.
Threat actors won’t wait. Neither should you. Let’s talk about how we can better protect your business today.
