What is a Vulnerability?

Being cybersafe is all about not being vulnerable to attack. You're always either supposed to patch vulnerabilities on time, or prevent them from happening in the first place. Vulnerabilities are a huge part of the cyber space and cyber security. 

In this blog post, we're going to be looking at what vulnerabilities are, and what causes them. And while it's impossible to eliminate all vulnerabilities, there are steps you can take to help identify and mitigate them. Keep reading for more tips on how to stay safe online.

What are Vulnerabilities and What Causes Them?

According to NIST, a vulnerability is any "weakness in an information system, system security procedures, internal controls, or implementation that could be exploited or triggered by a threat source."  They can occur as a result of bugs, functionalities, or user error, and attackers will try to exploit any of them to break into a system. 

There are a variety of things that can cause vulnerabilities. One of the most natural causes of a vulnerability is the aging of software. Just like everything else, software also has a shelf life. When you're using a software for a long time, it's natural for it to stop functioning as well as it did earlier and cause system failures. Old and unpatched systems can leave your business open to attack.

A bug or a flaw is an unintentional function that's a result of bad design or an oversight. Often, such flaws go unnoticed for years and are only discovered after being exploited. For instance, a flaw in Apple's FaceTime app allowed an attacker to listen in on people's calls without them knowing. 

A functionality or a feature is a deliberate design or implementation that's  built to improve a user's experience. However, these can also be misused by hackers to gain access to a system. 

Finally, a user error is a mistake that an individual makes which compromises the security of a computer or system. For example, if you make a mistake when you're installing software or clicking a shady link in an email, you could be installing malware onto your computer. 

Hackers can also use zero-day flaws in software to gain access to a computer system. A zero-day flaw is a vulnerability in a software program that is unknown to the vendor. Zero-day flaws never have a patch, and are therefore impossible to anticipate or avoid. 

Usually whenever a flaw is discovered, developers rush to release a patch for it. This patch then becomes available to users as a security update for their software. But developers need time to work on a patch and release it. This time lag can be a problem because hackers can use it to their advantage. 80% of public exploits are released before CVEs are made public. That means that hackers are often ahead of the rest of us. Once the patch is released, users would ideally install the update immediately before hackers can exploit it. However, delays in applying patches are common, leaving plenty of time for hackers to exploit it.

What is a CVE?

A CVE is a type of vulnerability that has been assigned a unique identifier by the US National Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA). The CVE identifier includes a brief description of the vulnerability and a link to any relevant security advisories or patches.

A CVE is usually caused by a flaw in software or hardware that can be exploited by an attacker to gain access to a system or data. To be assigned a CVE, the flaw must be publicly disclosed and have a known attack vector.

CVEs are used by security researchers, vendors, and developers to track and share information about vulnerabilities. By using CVEs, everyone can refer to the same identifier when discussing a specific vulnerability. This helps to avoid confusion and increase communication efficiency.

If you’re a security researcher, you can use CVEs to identify and track new vulnerabilities. If you’re a vendor, you can use CVEs to quickly resolve security issues in your products. And if you’re a developer, you can use CVEs to stay up-to-date on the latest security vulnerabilities.

Types of Vulnerabilities

There are primarily four types of vulnerabilities: Hardware Vulnerabilities, Software Vulnerabilities, Network Vulnerabilities, and Procedural Vulnerabilities. 

A hardware vulnerability is a flaw that can be exploited to attack a system's hardware components, physically or remotely. Examples include legacy versions of systems or devices, improperly secured storage, or devices that are not encrypted. 

Software vulnerabilities are flaws that occur  as a result of development or configuration errors. For example, the improper use of APIs, missing input validation, cross-site scripting, etc. 

Network vulnerabilities can be found in software or hardware. Examples include unsecured communication in the network, misconfigured firewalls, social engineering attacks, and malware. 

Any weakness in operational  methods used in an organization is referred to as a procedural vulnerability. Examples include improper handling of credentials, the mishandling of sensitive information, and human error.

How to Identify and Manage Vulnerabilities

Identifying and managing vulnerabilities is key to keeping your data, and your business, safe. But how do you do that?

The first step is to identify and understand what vulnerabilities exist in your environment. Identifying and categorizing these vulnerabilities will help you understand the risks and impacts of each of them and prioritize the ones that are most likely to be exploited. 

You can use either vulnerability scanning or penetration testing to assess your network for vulnerabilities. A vulnerability scan is an automated process that checks your network for open ports and other known vulnerabilities. It is usually performed as part of a vulnerability assessment. A pen test is an assessment that is performed by a security professional who uses a combination of manual skills and automated tools to break into your network and systems. It offers a more detailed view of the weaknesses in your network and systems. Find out which approach is best for your organization here. Other methods include continuous security validation and attack surface management - processes that help you constantly check and monitor your environment for potential security threats. 

Once you've identified your vulnerabilities, it's time to prioritize them based on the likelihood of their exploitation.

The final step is to either mitigate or remediate them. Mitigating security vulnerabilities involves coming up with countermeasures to prevent the exploitation of the vulnerability. Remediating security vulnerabilities involves installing a patch or a software update that fixes the vulnerability, or implementing security measures or changing existing procedures. In many cases, it may not be possible to patch every single vulnerability. In this case, it's important to focus on the most exploitable ones. 

The best way to protect your business is to be proactive about identifying and managing vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

Vulnerabilities are the core of all successful hacking attempts. In order to have an effective defense, you need to be aware of your weak points and have a plan in place to manage them. 

At Threat Intelligence, we help enterprises to take charge of their security posture.  Continuously validate your cybersecurity posture with our automated penetration testing solution. A combination of cutting-edge technology and decades of experience, EvolvePT gives you an in-depth view of your cybersecurity posture. 

Get much more coverage than a traditional vulnerability scan, and don't just get a report, get actionable insights to remediate your risks. What's more, EvolvePT tests new vulnerabilities as they are released so you can stay up-to-date with the current threat landscape and identify risks faster than ever before.

Contact us for a free demo today!