When we talk about the ISO 27001 standard, vulnerability management is the process that leads to identifying and addressing weaknesses related to information security in order to address any weaknesses at the organizational level.
Vulnerability management consists of five key phases:
1. Identify resources where vulnerabilities may be present. A resource is any data, device, or other component of an organization that has value because it contains sensitive information or because it is used to conduct business activities that are essential. Creating such a list is essential for resource management and, by extension, for mitigating information security risks. Resources are typically defined as anything of value to an organization, including storage devices and sensitive information, as well as property and equipment. For the purposes of vulnerability management, only a list of resources that may be affected by technical flaws is needed;
2. Assess the risk. In this second phase, the vulnerabilities present in the resources previously identified must be identified;
3. Document the work done, prioritizing the most significant risks and recommending the most suitable corrective strategies (software updates, device reconfiguration, implementation of new policies to reduce risks, etc.);
4. Implement the corrective strategies developed in point 3;
5. Verify that the applied strategies have worked and that the vulnerabilities have been addressed adequately.
Obviously, the vulnerability management process cannot be carried out only once but must be cyclical because, as new vulnerabilities always emerge, it is necessary to continuously monitor the risks and repeat the five steps described above. As this is a complex process, it is good to establish roles and responsibilities, delegating the activities to the appropriate people. Therefore, the activities to be carried out must be identified, the responsibilities associated with each activity documented, and the necessary people assigned.
Obviously, the timelines will also have to be defined because the weak points of the system will have to be addressed as quickly as possible.
ISO 27001 is centered on a risk assessment designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information important to an organization. Vulnerabilities are one of the components of risk, so it is natural that their management falls within the overall approach of this standard relating to risk management. The standard describes "risk" as the combination of a resource, a threat, and a vulnerability. Specifically, there is a real risk to information security when there is a resource that may be in danger, a threat that can exploit this situation, and a precise way in which this threat can actually be put into practice.
Specifically, ISO 27001 requires organizations to promptly identify information relevant to any vulnerabilities present in the IT management of information. A crucial part of a process like this is balancing resilient security practices without disrupting business activities because any remedy can potentially cause problems at the operational level, so it must be tested to ensure that it works effectively. Similarly, it is necessary to verify that technical changes do not compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.
If you have implemented a management system based on ISO 27001 and want to certify it, call us at 02.58320936 or write to us at this email address: