First and foremost, let’s begin with what exactly is a vulnerability assessment? If you don’t already know it, it is the process of analyzing, classifying, and then, prioritizing the vulnerabilities in your network. Evidently, one needs to find out the vulnerabilities before they can be mitigated. The vulnerability assessment step is as important as your company running smoothly. Why so? Let’s try
A vulnerability in your network, as described by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S.) is “a weakness in an information system, system security procedures, internal controls, or implementation that could be exploited by a threat source.”
Why is Vulnerability Assessment crucially important for your organization?
Neglecting the cybersecurity of an organization can bring immeasurable consequences, costing them years of efficiency and growth. It’s not just the annual revenue they lose out on, but their reputation in the industry as well as their loyal clientele. Regular employment of vulnerability assessment tools can save organizations not only their funds but their invaluable data and credibility. Once the vulnerability is analyzed, the changes can be implemented to minimize the threat and ensure the complete security of the network. These changes can vary from installing tools to opening new ports, or sometimes even moving the whole network to the cloud.
How do Cyber-Smart companies safeguard their system?
Above all, the first thing that cyber-smart companies recognize is how cybercriminals all around the world see their network loopholes as desserts they can devour. They constantly scrutinize the internet for weaknesses that can also turn out to be a weak spot in your network. Cyber-smart companies understand the value of assessing these vulnerable points before they fall victim to cybercrime. Certainly, there are numerous viruses and vulnerabilities out there that are fully capable of threatening a business’ growth.
As per Gartner “30% of critical infrastructure organizations will experience a security breach by 2025”.
Let’s cut to the chase and see how cyber-smart companies proactively detect their vulnerabilities and take major decisions to remediate their risks.
Choosing Vulnerability Assessment Along with Penetration Test
There is a significant difference between vulnerability assessment and penetration test. Let us explain to you what makes these two processes differ from each other, and why are they both equally important to keep the hackers at bay.
As the name suggests, Vulnerability Assessment is a test for the assessment of vulnerabilities in the network. But what’s the catch? It is a completely automated test that generates a report at the end of its implementation. Whereas, Penetration Testing is a manual process that depends on the knowledge and expertise of the penetration tester. An expert Penetration Tester can identify the vulnerabilities in an organization’s system that an automated Vulnerability Assessment might miss.
When companies combine these two processes, they get the benefit of both automated and manual analysis of their network, helping them elevate their system’s protection to the tee.
Manage Security Threats As Per The Effect They Can Have On Your Organization
Yes, priority is the key here.
We all know that not every organization has the funds to invest in cybersecurity, and one cannot expect small businesses to monitor their IT systems around the clock. Nonetheless, no organization can afford to turn a blind eye to the substantially increasing cyber-threats. Dodging the bullet of serious cyber damage is necessary and protecting some of your assets a little more than others can go a long way.
Let’s determine which assets need remediation to their vulnerability ASAP:
1. Database containing sensitive information about your company.
2. All the internet-facing servers and systems.
3. Your employees’ laptops, especially for Phishing attacks.
4. Applications that directly face your customers.
Prioritizing and remedying can be a bit tricky, but the good part is — you do not have to do everything yourself. You can easily outsource quality service from industry experts. One such expert cybersecurity service provider is Cyberware AI. It is the U.S. military-registered Cybersecurity vendor that offers various services like Vulnerability Assessment, Vulnerability Management, Penetration Test, Phishing Test, and more. Cyberware AI also provides Security Gap Assessment and Security Awareness training for your team. Be it a small business or a large enterprise, their AI-powered technologies offer accurate precautions for organizations of all sizes.