Too many companies invest in cybersecurity solutions, follow the recommendations, achieve compliance, and still get breached. A survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute found that unpatched vulnerabilities caused nearly 60% of cybersecurity breaches in companies1.
Cybercriminals are simply relentless in their search for vulnerabilities in an organization’s software, endpoints, and other systems before companies have a chance to patch them—which the FBI estimates will cost a $1.86 billion loss by the end of 20212.
Even if you already have a cybersecurity solution, the bottom line is that you need to get to your exposures before the bad guys do, using best fit solutions for cornerstone elements such as vulnerability scanning and management.
But just like every relationship, there are red flags to look out for. Here are five signs that indicate it could be time to change your Vulnerability Management (VM) solution.
The function of a vulnerability management system is relatively straightforward—to seek out weaknesses. VM solutions were initially launched in the 1990s only to identify unpatched software; misconfiguration and compliance were later added on as customer needs changed.
But today’s enterprise attack surface is far more complex and dynamic than it was 30 years ago.
Today, a modern vulnerability management tool needs to meet three important criteria to stay ahead; it needs to leverage on the latest technology to detect critical weaknesses at machine speed, be easily accessible to your cybersecurity team, and provides your organization with insights into its overall vulnerability.
If it doesn’t fulfill any of these criteria, your VM solution isn’t working for you.
2. Doesn’t Communicate Well
Security providers who communicate too little, too late (or sometimes not at all) are downright frustrating. Poor communication leads to frustration, extended resolution times, and increased threat exposure as your company remains vulnerable until the issue is resolved.
And when your incident response is phone-for-help driven instead of reacting at machine speed, you’re at high risk for an attack. Look for a provider that gets there first with your incident response already underway even before you call to ask for it. A good vendor prioritizes client advocacy by sending alerts with vital context and automating response efforts.
3. Confusing Reports
Though a lengthy report provides a lot of data, it’s often missing actionable context. According to ESG Research, 34% of cyber security professionals reported their biggest vulnerability management challenge is knowing which vulnerabilities to prioritize and remediate3.
What you need isn’t a data dump; instead, you need an in-depth analysis that informs you which vulnerabilities are most critical, so you can triage and remediate the most urgent ones first. A good solution provider will help you prioritize vulnerabilities with advanced risk scoring, so you’re not wasting time on false positives.
4. Compatibility Issues
A comprehensive cybersecurity system will have a collection of tools and solutions to be effective. But having a comprehensive list of features is pointless if it doesn’t work within your existing environment; you need a VM solution that lets you adapt to changing needs and evolving threats without having to rip and replace.
The right VM solution will work with current apps on-premise, cloud, or hybrid network-based implementations to integrate all your data for a more effective response to threats.
5. Compliance Concerns
When it comes to compliance, you want to ensure you can trust your vendors to help simplify the process. But most importantly, your Vulnerability Management solution should prevent a failed audit, fines, and security incidents.
One compliance red flag is the lack of a comprehensive evaluation of your security standing for the past 12 to 18 months. Make sure your VM solution offers compliance-related scans such as PCI and best-practice scans such as CIS Benchmarks.
Unfortunately, in today’s rapidly evolving threat environment, compliance itself is no guarantee of adequate protection. You need a VM solution that takes a proactive, more holistic approach to cybersecurity to get there first—before the bad guys do.
1Costs and Consequences of Gaps in Vulnerability Response; ServiceNow
22020 Internet Crime Report; IC3
3Vulnerability Management Woes Continue, but There is Hope; CSO
Get There First with Digital Hands' Vulnerability Management Solution.
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Information Technology security is a moving target. To avoid crippling ransomware and data breaches, you must effectively identify, prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities on network equipment, operating systems, applications, and often appliances connected to your environment.
About Digital Hands
As a new kind of MSSP, Digital Hands is how organizations are getting ahead of the bad guys in a world where compliance alone is no guarantee of protection. Too many companies invest in cybersecurity solutions, follow the recommendations, achieve compliance … and then still get breached. You’ve got to get to your exposures before the bad guys do.
To Get There First, you need a way to:
See more – because you’re working with an innovative partner who’s seen it all before and can see what’s coming next.
Flex more – because you have a composable security model that lets you adapt to changing needs and evolving threats without having to rip and replace.
Do more – because you have the technology and services that not only tell you what’s happening now, but what to do about it, and how to prevent it from happening again.
Only Digital Hands gives you this “See more, Flex more, Do more’’ approach. That’s why organizations with some of the most sensitive data of all – such as hospitals, financial institutions, law firms, and government agencies – continue to give Digital Hands an industry-leading CSAT of 98% year after year after year.
