Overview of the Vulnerability Management Policy
The Vulnerability Management Policy exists to provide a structured approach to managing risks associated with IT vulnerabilities. It outlines the processes and responsibilities for reviewing, evaluating, applying, and verifying system updates to mitigate these vulnerabilities. The policy is crucial for maintaining the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of an organization's information systems.
Key Points of the Vulnerability Management Policy
Technical Program Establish a program to monitor, assess, rank, and remediate vulnerabilities.
Quarterly Evaluation Evaluate the vulnerability management program at least quarterly.
Technical Vulnerabilities Identify and correct technical vulnerabilities based on risk assessment.
Information Resources Track resources used to identify vulnerabilities and update them as necessary.
Vulnerability Scanning Implement procedures to identify the scope of vulnerability scanning.
Integrity Requirements Develop and review system and information integrity requirements annually.
Application Development Procedures Review and update application development procedures annually.
Secure Coding Guidelines Define and implement secure coding guidelines for internal applications.
Application Vulnerability Testing Conduct automated testing on critical systems annually.
Internal and External Vulnerability Assessments Perform assessments quarterly by qualified individuals.
Penetration Testing Conduct annual penetration testing by an independent agent or team.
Automatic Application Scanning Scan critical systems and applications monthly for flaw remediation.
Automated Network Scans Perform weekly network scans to detect unauthorized components.
Vulnerability Documentation Document critical system vulnerabilities every 30 days or when new ones are identified.
Audit Logs Review audit logs to check for exploitation of high vulnerability scan findings.
Critical System Updates Update critical systems quickly using vulnerability scanning tools.
Input Validity Check the validity of inputs for critical systems and document error checking.
Enterprise Security Posture Perform an annual review of the enterprise security posture.
Patch Prioritization Implement a process to prioritize patches for critical systems.
Patch Testing Test patches before installing them in the production environment.
Patches in Disaster Recovery Environment Timely install patches in both production and disaster recovery environments.
Hardened Configuration Standards Implement hardened configuration standards for critical systems.
System Hardening Ensure critical systems are hardened with necessary and secure configurations.
Asset Management within Vulnerability Management
Detailed Enterprise Asset Inventory Maintain and annually review an inventory of assets and services.
Software Inventory Manage a detailed inventory of all software on the network and update bi-annually.
Unnecessary Duplication Avoid unnecessary duplication in asset inventories and align their content.
Use, Transfer, Exchange, and Disposal Manage these aspects of IT-related assets as part of the information lifecycle.
IT Asset Lifecycle Program Define, document, and annually review the IT Asset Lifecycle Program.
Inventory of Assets with Sensitive Data Provide an annual inventory update of assets containing sensitive data.
Asset Inventory Updates Update IT asset inventories during system changes and perform full physical inventories.
Deleting Data Document the process for deleting data from hard drives before asset transfer or disposal.
Third Party Access and Wireless Security
Assets for Contractors Include procedures for asset assignment and monitoring in contracts with contractors.
Inventory of Wireless Access Points Inventory all wireless access points and document business justifications.
System Documentation
Protection Protect system documentation according to the risk management strategy.
Access List Maintain a minimal and authorized access list for system documentation.
Access Attempts Document attempts to access critical system documentation that is unavailable or non-existent.
The Vulnerability Management Policy is a comprehensive framework that addresses various aspects of vulnerability management, asset management, third-party access, wireless security, and system documentation. It is designed to ensure that an organization can respond effectively to vulnerabilities and maintain a robust security posture.
For organizations looking to implement or update their Vulnerability Management Policy, we offer a template that can be purchased to streamline the process. This template provides a solid foundation for developing a policy tailored to your organization's specific needs and regulatory requirements.
