Why Mapping Vulnerability is Key to Robust Cybersecurity 

Incidents of cyberattacks show no sign of slowing down and mapping vulnerability should be part of every organization’s security strategy

Mapping vulnerability, also known as vulnerability assessment or vulnerability scanning, is an important component of cybersecurity risk management. Mapping vulnerability refers to the process of identifying and cataloging vulnerabilities within a system, network, or application to determine potential security weaknesses that malicious actors could exploit. This process is essential for organizations to understand their security posture, prioritize remediation or anomalous behavior, and protect against potential cyber threats. 

In this post we’ll talk about the advantages any organization can gain by implementing a process for mapping vulnerability in their systems and networks. We’ll also take a closer look at how microsegmentation makes mapping vulnerability much easier and enables organization to get the most value from the process. 

Eight Reasons to Add Mapping Vulnerability to a Robust Cybersecurity Program 

1. Detect threats early
   Mapping vulnerability enables organizations to identify potential security weaknesses before cybercriminals do. Engaging in this process at regular intervals increases the chance that you’ll catch threats before they become incidents. Once identified, security teams can take quick action to neutralize the risks, reducing the likelihood of a successful cyberattack.
2. Prioritize remediation action
   Mapping provides real insight into the relative severity and potential impact of the vulnerabilities your team discovers. This intelligence is indispensable for organizations trying to prioritize threat remediation efforts, ensuring they allocate sufficient resources to address the highest-risk vulnerabilities first.
3. Enhance security posture
   Using mapping vulnerability to continuously monitor potential trouble spots enables an organization to maintain heightened security posture. Proactively managing vulnerabilities dramatically reduces the attack surface and strengthens the overall security of systems and networks.
4. Continuous regulation compliance
   For industries that must follow industry-specific cybersecurity regulations and compliance standards, mapping helps identify and address vulnerabilities that could lead to compliance violations.
5. Reduce the risks of data exploitation
   Mapping enables organizations to fix vulnerabilities fast, significantly reducing the chances of successful data breaches and unauthorized access to sensitive and personally identifiable information.
6. Maintain customer confidence
   Mapping vulnerability as an integral process in a robust cybersecurity program demonstrates an organization’s commitment to protecting customer data. This fosters trust among customers and partners, enhancing the organization’s reputation.
7. Save time, resources, and money
   Early threat identification through mapping vulnerability helps prevent breaches that lead to dire legal and financial consequences. Vulnerability remediation is generally much less resource intensive than managing the damage caused by a successful cyberattack.
8. Help ongoing cybersecurity improvements
   When organizations carefully analyze the results of mapping vulnerability, they gain a greater understanding of their security weaknesses overall. This enables organizations to align security efforts with overall business objectives and make informed decisions regarding security improvements, such as adopting better security practices, investing in new technologies, or updating existing policies. 

How Microsegmentation Helps With Mapping Vulnerability 

Microsegmentation is a security strategy through which an organization divides its network into isolated segments to limit communication and access between different parts of the network. These microsegments contain specific assets or services, each with a unique security policy. This isolation process makes mapping vulnerability much easier. Here’s how: 

1. Isolates critical assets
   Mapping vulnerability in a network helps identify critical assets and their interdependencies. Microsegmentation allows these critical assets to be isolated in their own secure segments and contain the impact of compromised segments. This protects secure segments from unauthorized access, gives the security team more time to respond to compromised segments and reduces exploitation risk.
2. Minimizes the attack surface
   In traditional flat, unsegmented networks, once an attacker gains access to a single system, they can potentially move laterally throughout the entire network. Microsegmentation limits lateral movement by restricting communication between segments based on mapping vulnerability, containing the potential impact of a breach.
   
3. Enhances visibility
   Microsegmentation enables organizations to define security policies at the segment level, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of environmental topography and potential weak points. This insight allows organizations to gain more control over network traffic.
4. Helps implement a zero trust security model
   Microsegmentation ensures that no user or device be automatically trusted, the essence of the zero trust security model. Each communication request is carefully evaluated based on predefined policies driven by the vulnerability mapping process before allowing or denying access, regardless of the source.
5. Simplifies compliance
   Isolating and mapping vulnerabilities in sensitive data and critical systems with segmentation makes auditing, reporting and compliance demonstration easier.
6. Adapts to dynamic environments
   As assets are added and removed from a network, microsegmentation ensures they are accounted and facilitates ongoing vulnerability mapping. Organizations can adjust security policies dynamically for each segment to maintain a robust security posture. 

Here at TrueFort, we see how microsegmentation is an indispensable security strategy for our customers that truly complements the mapping vulnerability process.

Contact us to discover more about how microsegmentation can dramatically enhance an organization’s overall network security posture and strengthen its resilience against cyber threats.