Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (RBVM)

Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (RBVM) is a strategic approach to cybersecurity that prioritizes identifying and remedying security vulnerabilities based on the potential risk they pose to an organization. Unlike traditional vulnerability management, which often treats all vulnerabilities equally, RBVM focuses on understanding the context of each vulnerability, including its potential impact on critical assets, the likelihood of exploitation, and the possible consequences of a successful attack.

Critical aspects of RBVM in the context of security and cybersecurity include:

• Risk Assessment: RBVM begins with thoroughly assessing an organization's IT environment to identify potential vulnerabilities and the assets they affect. This involves vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and asset inventory.

• Risk Prioritization: Once vulnerabilities are identified, they are prioritized based on their risk level. This involves considering factors such as:

• Asset Criticality: How important is the affected asset to the organization?

• Vulnerability Severity: How easily can the vulnerability be exploited, and how damaging would a successful attack be?

• Threat Landscape: Are there known exploits for the vulnerability, and are attackers actively targeting it?

• Remediation Planning: A remediation plan is developed based on risk assessment and prioritization. This plan outlines the steps needed to address the highest-priority vulnerabilities first, such as patching, configuration changes, or compensating controls.

• Continuous Monitoring: RBVM is an ongoing process. The IT environment is continuously monitored for new vulnerabilities, and the risk assessment and prioritization are regularly updated to ensure that the remediation plan remains adequate.   

Benefits of RBVM:

• Optimized Resource Allocation: Organizations can allocate their limited resources more effectively by focusing on the most critical vulnerabilities.

• Reduced Attack Surface: Prioritizing high-risk vulnerabilities helps reduce the overall attack surface and minimizes the likelihood of a successful breach. 

• Improved Security Posture: By proactively addressing vulnerabilities, organizations can strengthen their security posture and better protect their critical assets.

• Compliance: RBVM helps organizations comply with regulatory requirements for effective vulnerability management.   

Risk-based vulnerability management is a proactive and strategic approach to cybersecurity that enables organizations to effectively manage risk and protect their valuable assets in an ever-evolving threat landscape.

ThreatNG, with its comprehensive capabilities, would significantly enhance Risk-Based Vulnerability Management (RBVM) by providing a continuous, in-depth view of an organization's external attack surface and associated risks. Let's break down how ThreatNG complements RBVM and integrates with other solutions:

How ThreatNG Enhances RBVM

• Comprehensive Discovery: ThreatNG's superior discovery capabilities identify a wider range of assets and potential vulnerabilities beyond the traditional scope of vulnerability scanners. This includes uncovering hidden subdomains, exposed APIs, sensitive code repositories, and unsanctioned cloud services.

• Risk Prioritization: ThreatNG enables a more accurate risk prioritization process by assessing the susceptibility of discovered assets to various threats (BEC, phishing, ransomware, etc.). This lets security teams focus their remediation efforts on the most critical vulnerabilities.

• Continuous Monitoring: The constant monitoring aspect of ThreatNG ensures that new vulnerabilities and threats are identified as soon as they emerge. This real-time visibility is crucial for RBVM, as the threat landscape constantly evolves.

• Contextual Intelligence: ThreatNG's intelligence repositories provide valuable context for identified vulnerabilities. For example, a company's credentials on the dark web might increase the priority of a password-related vulnerability.   

Integration with Complementary Solutions

ThreatNG can integrate with various other security solutions to create a robust ecosystem for RBVM:

• Vulnerability Scanners: ThreatNG can feed its discovery data into vulnerability scanners, ensuring that all discovered assets are included in vulnerability assessments.

• Patch Management Systems: ThreatNG's risk prioritization data can guide patch management systems, ensuring that the most critical patches are applied first.

• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): ThreatNG's threat intelligence can be ingested into SIEM systems to provide context for security events and aid in incident response.

• Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR): ThreatNG can trigger SOAR playbooks for automated incident response based on identified threats.

Workflow Examples

Here are a few examples of how ThreatNG's features would be used in an RBVM workflow:

• Domain Intelligence: ThreatNG discovers a new subdomain that was not previously known. It then assesses the subdomain's susceptibility to takeover and finds it vulnerable. This information is used to prioritize remediation efforts and prevent a potential attack.

• Sensitive Code Exposure: ThreatNG identifies a public code repository containing sensitive API keys belonging to the organization. This vulnerability is immediately flagged for remediation, which could lead to a severe data breach.

• Dark Web Presence: ThreatNG discovers that employee credentials have been leaked on the dark web. This increases the priority of password-related vulnerabilities and prompts security teams to enforce password resets and implement stricter access controls.

• Sentiment and Financials: ThreatNG detects negative sentiment towards the organization on social media following a data breach. This information is used to assess the reputational damage caused by the violation and inform communication strategies.

Key Investigation Modules and Capabilities

ThreatNG's various investigation modules provide a wealth of information for RBVM:

• Domain Intelligence: Uncover vulnerabilities related to DNS, subdomains, certificates, and exposed APIs.

• Social Media: Monitor for potential brand damage and sensitive information leaks.

• Sensitive Code Exposure: Identify exposed secrets in public code repositories and mobile apps.

• Search Engine Exploitation: Assess susceptibility to information exposure via search engines.

• Cloud and SaaS Exposure: Discover shadow IT and assess cloud and SaaS usage risks.

• Online Sharing Exposure: Identify sensitive information shared on code-sharing platforms.

• Sentiment and Financials: Assess reputational damage and financial risks.

• Archived Web Pages: Uncover historical vulnerabilities and sensitive information.

• Dark Web Presence: Identify compromised credentials and ransomware threats.

By leveraging ThreatNG's comprehensive capabilities, organizations can significantly enhance their RBVM programs, proactively identify and prioritize vulnerabilities, and ultimately strengthen their overall security posture.