Organizations and business enterprises are bound by many regulations and industry standards to always monitor their networks and systems. All potential threats and risks that may come from malicious activities are managed effectively. In order to do this, all business operations must be streamlined. Companies utilize many products to achieve this integration. However, this makes monitoring for vulnerabilities difficult because of the complexity of various tools.
The best way organizations can protect their software, operations and processes is to create metrics and baselines and apply them across the company to evaluate the level of their security. Since technology keeps progressing, the threats that come with it also change. This means the techniques that organizations use to keep their software, networks and data safe also needs to evolve.
Nowadays, enterprises do not depend on a single framework. Most use a wide range of products to streamline their business operations. The only way monitoring for new security vulnerabilities across a wide range of tools can offer security protection is if they create effective metrics and baselines that will help them measure security. Based on this, Common Vulnerability and Exposures (CVE) is one method enterprises can use to track security issues across multiple networks, software and systems to gain a holistic view of their cybersecurity risks.
How do Companies Check their Security Vulnerabilities Exposure?
The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) list is known as the dictionary for all system, software and network vulnerabilities. It’s a standardized naming convention created for organizations to share and view information about new risks. It also has information that will assist them to create baselines for their current processes, which helps to evaluate cybersecurity services and tools. It will also help in knowing how effective they are.
A Common Vulnerabilities Exposure is a single identifier that has been applied to a single exposure with a standardized description. It’s considered a reliable way to improve the security of companies. CVE creates a common language that’s used for different tools and databases. It also supports operations and creates a basis to assess different databases and services. It’s certified and available for free to all companies.
An Example of Security Vulnerabilities Exposure
In a company, employees may get the option to select between operating systems such as Windows or Mac for their computers. If the organization does not make use of the CVE List, the IT department will have to reconcile every vulnerability that comes with Microsoft and Apple. This means the members of the team will have to monitor for new vulnerabilities for individual operating systems, and then reconcile them and update the software.
With the CVE list, there is no reconciliation. This way, the security patching process gets streamlined. Once the names of vulnerabilities have been standardized, it will be easier to prioritize the security patches and focus on the ones that have the same CVE, regardless if it’s Microsoft or Apple products.
The Objective of CVE
The main reason CVE was created is to make sharing information and knowledge about all known vulnerabilities easier for companies. This offers organizations access to professional knowledge and ways they can protect their networks and processes from vulnerabilities. Each exposure has a unique identifier, which is a standard all over the world.
These identifiers help various security experts get comprehensive information about individual cyber threats. Protecting a company's information systems gets easier when they make use of the CVE list.
Advantages of Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures
With CVE, organizations get the opportunity to create a baseline that assists them to evaluate their security tools. The common identifiers of vulnerabilities, threats and exposures in the CVE list assist organizations to know what each information security tool protects and how it will work with their company.
Professionals who are in charge of cybersecurity and information security can make use of the CVE list information to check for threats and any attack signatures to identify exposures in their processes. Tools with Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures compatibility help to reduce the company’s risk of information and data breach.
CVE Process
The initial step of getting any vulnerability added to the CVE list is by finding the vulnerability. A researcher could find a flaw in software that may act as a potential vulnerability to security. The researcher then needs to prove how it can be a vulnerability or can be used for exploitation.
The researcher’s information is given an identifier or a CVE ID by a CVE Numbering Authority (CNA). If the claim is strong enough, then the CNA will write the vulnerability description and add references. This list is posted on the official CVE website.
Conclusion
Organizations must train their employees in deploying software that’s compatible with the Common Vulnerability Exposures list so that they are familiar with exposures of their products and services. With ideal implementation, the chances of safeguarding the company’s data will increase and all valuable data will be protected. There are many IT security companies that can train your employees how to protect the company’s data from cyber attackers and help them achieve their business goals. Vicarius is one of the popular IT Security companies that can help implement CVE methodologies.
Do you need help managing your security vulnerabilities exposure and protecting your company from cybercriminals? If yes, reach out to the team of security experts at Vicarius today. Vicarius offers a vulnerability management software that targets cybersecurity officers and operators, as well as IT managers and operators. You can utilize our product TOPIA for accurate cybersecurity and ensure your digital environments are well protected. You can check our product page to learn more about TOPIA, our vulnerability assessment and management system.
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