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Vulnerability Management

Vulnerability management is a systematic process for identifying, classifying, remediating, and tracking security vulnerabilities in our applications and infrastructure. This document outlines the vulnerability management requirements and processes that must be followed as part of the Definition of Done.

Purpose

The purpose of vulnerability management is to:

  • Systematically discover and address security vulnerabilities
  • Reduce the window of exposure to known security issues
  • Prioritize remediation efforts based on risk
  • Track and report on vulnerability status
  • Continuously improve security posture

Vulnerability Management Lifecycle

1. Vulnerability Identification

  • Multiple sources must be used to identify vulnerabilities:

    • Automated security testing (SAST, DAST, SCA)
    • Penetration testing
    • Bug bounty programs
    • Security research
    • Threat intelligence feeds
    • Vendor security announcements
    • Internal security reviews

  • Identification methods must include:

    • Regular automated scanning
    • Periodic manual testing
    • Continuous monitoring
    • Dependency tracking
    • Code reviews

2. Vulnerability Assessment and Classification

Severity Classification

Vulnerabilities must be classified based on their severity:

  • Critical:

    • Direct impact to sensitive data or system compromise
    • Easily exploitable with public exploits
    • No effective mitigations in place
    • Example: Remote code execution in a production system

  • High:

    • Significant impact to security or functionality
    • Limited mitigations available
    • Exploitable with moderate effort
    • Example: SQL injection in an authenticated area

  • Medium:

    • Moderate impact to security
    • Partial mitigations may exist
    • Requires specific conditions to exploit
    • Example: Cross-site scripting in a non-critical feature

  • Low:

    • Minor impact to security
    • Difficult to exploit or limited in scope
    • Effective mitigations may exist
    • Example: Information disclosure of non-sensitive data

  • Informational:

    • No direct security impact
    • Best practice recommendation
    • Example: Outdated but not vulnerable library version

Risk Assessment

Risk must be calculated considering:

  • Vulnerability severity
  • Business impact
  • Exploitability
  • Asset value
  • Existing mitigations
  • Threat landscape

3. Vulnerability Remediation

Remediation Timeframes

Vulnerabilities must be remediated within these maximum timeframes:

  • Critical: 24-72 hours
  • High: 1-2 weeks
  • Medium: 1-3 months
  • Low: Next release cycle or within 6 months
  • Informational: At team's discretion

Remediation Process

  • Each vulnerability must have an assigned owner
  • Remediation plans must be documented
  • Temporary mitigations must be applied when immediate fixes aren't possible
  • Changes must follow the standard change management process
  • Remediation must be verified through testing

Exceptions Management

  • Exceptions to remediation timeframes must be formally requested
  • Exception requests must include:
    • Vulnerability details
    • Business justification
    • Risk assessment
    • Compensating controls
    • Planned resolution date
  • Exceptions must be approved by security leadership
  • Exceptions must be regularly reviewed and have an expiration date

4. Verification and Closure

  • All remediation activities must be verified
  • Verification must be performed by someone other than the implementer
  • Verification methods must be appropriate to the vulnerability type
  • Evidence of remediation must be documented
  • Vulnerabilities must only be closed after successful verification

5. Metrics and Reporting

  • Vulnerability metrics must be collected and analyzed:
    • Total vulnerabilities by severity
    • Mean time to remediate
    • Vulnerability age
    • Recurring vulnerabilities
    • Exception rate
  • Regular vulnerability status reports must be provided to stakeholders
  • Trends must be analyzed to identify systemic issues
  • Metrics must be used to improve the vulnerability management process

Vulnerability Management Tools

Our organization supports the following vulnerability management tools:

  • Vulnerability tracking system (e.g., JIRA Security, DefectDojo)
  • Vulnerability scanners (e.g., Nessus, Qualys, Nexpose)
  • Security testing tools (e.g., SonarQube, OWASP ZAP)
  • Threat intelligence platforms
  • Risk assessment tools

Roles and Responsibilities

Development Teams

  • Remediate identified vulnerabilities
  • Implement security fixes
  • Perform verification testing
  • Update vulnerable dependencies
  • Participate in root cause analysis

Security Team

  • Operate vulnerability management program
  • Review and validate vulnerabilities
  • Perform security testing
  • Provide remediation guidance
  • Track vulnerability metrics

Operations Team

  • Apply security patches
  • Implement infrastructure-level mitigations
  • Assist with verification
  • Maintain secure configurations
  • Monitor systems for exploitation attempts

Management

  • Allocate resources for vulnerability remediation
  • Review vulnerability metrics and reports
  • Approve risk exceptions when appropriate
  • Support security priorities
  • Ensure compliance with remediation timeframes

Vulnerability Disclosure

Internal Disclosure

  • Vulnerabilities must be reported to the security team
  • A secure communication channel must be available
  • Sensitive vulnerability details must be protected
  • Clear escalation paths must be defined
  • Responsible disclosure must be practiced

External Disclosure

  • A vulnerability disclosure policy must be published
  • Security contact information must be available
  • A process for external researchers to report vulnerabilities must exist
  • Reported vulnerabilities must be acknowledged within 48 hours
  • Coordination with external parties must follow responsible disclosure principles

Vulnerability Prevention

  • Root cause analysis must be performed for significant vulnerabilities
  • Common vulnerability patterns must be documented
  • Security standards must be updated based on lessons learned
  • Security training must address common vulnerability types
  • Secure design reviews must be conducted to prevent vulnerabilities

Definition of Done Criteria

For vulnerability management to meet the Definition of Done, the following criteria must be satisfied:

  • All identified vulnerabilities have been assessed and classified
  • Critical and high severity vulnerabilities have been remediated
  • Medium and low severity vulnerabilities have been remediated or have approved exceptions
  • Verification testing has confirmed successful remediation
  • Vulnerability metrics have been updated
  • Lessons learned have been documented and shared

References

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