What is vulnerability management software?

Vulnerability management software safeguards networks proactively by detecting weaknesses in an organizational system and applying security solutions to mitigate attacks before they can occur. These tools can protect systems from security breaches by taking a system’s current infrastructure into account and using impactful cybersecurity methods. Attackers are always looking for ways to exploit organizational security vulnerabilities. An external attacker can penetrate an organization’s network in 93% of cases, according to findings from Positive Technologies. But, by maintaining a thorough cybersecurity system using vulnerability management solutions, organizations can take steps ahead of time to address their weaknesses and reduce their risks. Vulnerability management software provides ongoing solutions to address vulnerabilities. By acknowledging weaknesses in an organization’s IT infrastructure, endpoints, devices, and software systems, the software also provides visibility to security teams and authorized users as well as other features to improve operational efficiency.

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How do vulnerability management tools work?

Vulnerability management tools identify vulnerabilities by scanning organizations’ components for possible security weaknesses. The scanned components could include network equipment, operating systems, cloud systems, servers, endpoints, and other elements within the organization’s IT stack. A vulnerability management tool conducts continuous scans for vulnerabilities, which are weak areas where there is a greater likelihood of a cyber attack taking place. When vulnerabilities are detected, the management tools will often define them and assess the level of risk they could pose for the organization. The vulnerabilities will be defined and evaluated based on the vulnerability definitions and risk assessments unique to their vendors. For example, risk scoring could be conducted based on factors like the amount of damage the vulnerability could have on an organization’s network security and other factors that could help users to prioritize their vulnerabilities. Vulnerability management tools often use information about known vulnerabilities to determine vulnerability prioritization standards through vulnerability databases. The information from these databases can also help the software systems to remediate the network’s vulnerabilities and security issues. Vulnerability patching and remediation features can be used in automated workflows to manage an organization’s security issues appropriately. Once the management tools have treated the vulnerability, the software will often come with features for reporting on the network’s vulnerability management processes and sharing organizational security information with authorized recipients.