What does vulnerability management involve?

Vulnerability management is a comprehensive approach focused on identifying, evaluating, addressing, and reporting security vulnerabilities within an organization's systems. The core objective is to reduce the likelihood of exploitable vulnerabilities that can lead to security breaches. This involves several critical steps:

1. Identification – This step entails regularly scanning systems and applications to discover known vulnerabilities, often through tools that reference databases of vulnerabilities such as the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE).

2. Evaluation – Once vulnerabilities are identified, they need to be evaluated based on their severity, exploitability, and potential impact on the organization. This helps prioritize which vulnerabilities need immediate attention.

3. Treatment – After evaluation, organizations must determine how to treat the vulnerabilities. This could involve applying patches, implementing workarounds, or taking other risk-reduction strategies based on the organization's risk tolerance.

4. Reporting – Continuous monitoring and reporting are essential to track the status of vulnerabilities and the effectiveness of remediation efforts. This often involves providing stakeholders with reports that detail findings, mitigations, and the status of vulnerabilities over time.

Understanding the components of vulnerability management is vital for organizations seeking to protect their information systems and mitigate risk effectively, making this option the only one that accurately