With artificial intelligence (AI) on the rise, the risk of cyber attacks also increases. According to a report from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC1), AI being used more frequently will mean an increase in the volume and impact of cyber attacks. Taking preventative and protective measures for your organisation is more important than ever.
In this guide, we will define what vulnerability intelligence is and why it’s important, identify what is classed as a vulnerability and the common types, and explain the vulnerability analysis process. We’ll also cover how we can help you mitigate vulnerabilities effectively with our threat intelligence solutions.
What is Vulnerability Intelligence?
Vulnerability intelligence is a type of threat intelligence that specifically identifies and reports the latest vulnerabilities and tactics by cyber attackers whose aim is to steal data from companies’ websites.
Vulnerability threat intelligence aims to identify potential risks early so they can be dealt with before cyber criminals get the opportunity to carry out their attacks and steal your sensitive data.
An effective vulnerability intelligence system is crucial for robust cyber security and for mitigating the risk of vulnerabilities. The data provided by vulnerability intelligence also eliminates the subsequent damage and data leaks that cyber attacks will cause.
Vulnerability intelligence measures that prevent the risk of cyber attacks may include deactivating a vulnerable application, regular scanning for threats, and installing a patch.
What is a Vulnerability?
A vulnerability is defined as a weakness or flaw in a system’s software that can be exploited to either tamper with an application or to illegally access and steal sensitive data.
Vulnerabilities may occur in several ways:
- Flaws – for example, an unintended application flaw that may occur through poor design
- Features – an intended specific feature of a system that may be used by a hacker to breach security
- User error – for example, leaving passwords unattended or an inexperienced team member making a mistake
Vulnerability threat intelligence solutions like CWSI provide detailed information on all of these vulnerability types.
Why is Vulnerability Intelligence Important?
Vulnerability intelligence is a proactive solution that identifies and reports security weaknesses before they can be exploited by cyber criminals.
Data breaches can mean significant financial losses for organisations, as well as the burden of having to manage and resolve a security breach and rebuild afterward.
Effective vulnerability intelligence solutions prevent unauthorised access from cyber attackers and give you peace of mind that your cyber security is managed proactively.
Common Types of Vulnerability
There are several common types of vulnerability that cyber criminals may use to gain unauthorised access to your software.
Security Bugs
Security bugs are errors within an application’s source code. Security bug vulnerabilities enable cyber attackers to gain unauthorised access or privileges to a computer system.
Cyber security processes such as user permissions, user authentication, or confidential user data may be compromised to create vulnerabilities.
When security bugs are identified within third-party applications, the application creator will usually develop a patch that fixes the bug and therefore eliminates the vulnerability. Until the application creator fixes the bug, one solution may be to temporarily uninstall the application from your system.
Vulnerability intelligence software will help to identify security bugs that could cause a potential vulnerability in your systems.
Unpatched or Outdated Software
Keeping on top of software updates is vital for your cyber security.
If vulnerabilities are known and patches to fix the vulnerabilities exist, the patches will only be effective if they are applied.
Until patches are applied to outdated software, the exploitation of system data can still occur.
Vulnerabilities in Dependencies
Modern software applications typically include third-party or open-source code and external dependencies.
While using third-party resources can speed up development, this also brings security vulnerabilities from external resources into your application.
Vulnerability threat intelligence can reduce the manual process of updating thousands of applications when new versions become available.
Vulnerability intelligence solutions give greater awareness to security teams about the weaknesses of third-party dependencies.
Zero-Day Vulnerabilities
A zero-day vulnerability in cyber security is a software weakness that is unknown to the software vendor or developers. This means that it can be exploited by cyber attackers before the software vendor has even detected or patched the flaw.
Although difficult to predict, vulnerability intelligence software can provide valuable information to security teams on the zero-day vulnerability methods used by cyber criminals. This enables security teams to make informed decisions and disrupt these attacks before the damage is done.
What is the Vulnerability Intelligence Process?
The vulnerability intelligence process comprises three steps:
- Vulnerability discovery
- Vulnerability research
- Vulnerability analysis
The data you receive is comprehensive due to the discovery, research, and analysis phases of vulnerability intelligence.
What is the Vulnerability Analysis Process?
Vulnerability analysis is the last step of the vulnerability intelligence process. This is essentially gauging how bad the potential damage of a vulnerability could be if it is exploited.
The information required to accurately predict the potential risk is metadata, severity information, and impact data.
Metadata
Metadata is data that provides information about other data.
In terms of vulnerabilities, the metadata may include:
- The type of attack
- The cyber attacker’s location
- The status of an exploit
- If a solution is available
- Overall impact
- Details of disclosure
- Types of technology used
- Authentication requirements
- Any additional information
Severity
The severity information measures the size of the risk or how serious the vulnerability may be.
High-severity risks are prioritised by vulnerability intelligence and are often patched urgently. Whereas, severity issues considered low-risk usually do not need to be dealt with immediately, as they are not considered to pose much risk to an organisation’s data.
Impact
Exploited vulnerabilities cause an impact on systems that can go unnoticed by its users or administrators. A serious impact can be the breach (fully or partially) of confidential data.
As the impact can encompass many different things, vulnerability analysis usually provides simple metadata, along with detailed explanations of what happens if the vulnerability is exploited.
Mitigate Vulnerabilities Effectively with CWSI
CWSI are leading European cyber security specialists with over a decade of experience working with some of Europe’s most security conscious organisations. Whether you need professional or managed services, we have solutions available to suit any business.
Find out more about our secure cloud and secure productivity services, take our cyber security assessment, or contact our team today for tailored advice on how to better protect your online space.
Vulnerability Intelligence Frequently Asked Questions
Is vulnerability intelligence the same as threat intelligence?
Vulnerability intelligence and threat intelligence are not the same.
Threat intelligence collects information about potential or actual cyber threats. Threats may include threat actors, along with their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and indicators of compromise (IOCs). Threat intelligence aims to understand and anticipate malicious activities to better defend against attacks.
Vulnerability intelligence is a subdivision of threat intelligence, dealing specifically with identifying and managing vulnerabilities in software and systems. The data provided by vulnerability intelligence increases security teams’ awareness of vulnerabilities and enables teams to address them before they are exploited.
What are the 4 main types of security vulnerability?
There are 4 main types of cyber security vulnerability:
- Network Vulnerabilities – These are weaknesses in network hardware, software, or protocols that can be exploited to gain unauthorised access or disrupt services. Examples of network vulnerabilities include insecure network configurations, unpatched routers, and weaknesses in network protocols.
- Operating System Vulnerabilities: These are flaws or weaknesses in an operating system that can be exploited by attackers. Common examples include unpatched software, misconfigurations, and vulnerabilities in system services and drivers.
- Application Vulnerabilities: These are weaknesses in software applications that can be exploited to gain unauthorised access, steal data, or disrupt services. Examples of application vulnerabilities include SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflow vulnerabilities.
- Human Vulnerabilities: These refer to the potential for human error or manipulation that can lead to security breaches. This includes phishing attacks, social engineering, weak passwords, and inadequate security training for employees.
