1. Purpose
The purpose of this Vulnerability Management Policy is to establish requirements for the identification, assessment, prioritization, remediation, verification, and ongoing management of vulnerabilities that may affect the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of organizational information assets.
Effective vulnerability management reduces the likelihood of successful cyberattacks by ensuring that security weaknesses are identified and addressed in a timely and consistent manner. This policy provides a framework for managing vulnerabilities across the organization’s technology environment and supports compliance with applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, and industry requirements.
2. Scope
This policy applies to:
- All employees
- Contractors
- Consultants
- Temporary personnel
- Interns
- Third-party personnel responsible for managing organizational systems
This policy applies to:
- Servers
- Workstations
- Laptops
- Mobile devices
- Applications
- Databases
- Network devices
- Cloud services
- Virtual environments
- Containers
- Security appliances
- Internet-facing systems
- Internal systems connected to organizational networks
The policy applies to all systems owned, operated, managed, or otherwise controlled by the organization.
3. Policy Statement
The organization shall maintain a formal Vulnerability Management Program designed to identify, assess, prioritize, remediate, and monitor vulnerabilities affecting organizational systems and information assets.
Vulnerabilities shall be addressed according to their risk level, potential impact, exploitability, and business significance.
Security weaknesses shall be managed through a risk-based approach and remediated within established timeframes whenever feasible.
4. Objectives
The objectives of this policy are to:
- Identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
- Reduce the organization’s attack surface.
- Improve the security posture of information systems.
- Prioritize remediation activities based on risk.
- Support regulatory and compliance requirements.
- Establish accountability for vulnerability remediation.
- Improve resilience against cyber threats.
- Promote continuous security improvement.
5. Definitions
Vulnerability
A weakness in software, hardware, configuration, process, or control that could be exploited by a threat.
Vulnerability Assessment
The process of identifying and evaluating vulnerabilities within systems, applications, or environments.
Vulnerability Scan
An automated process used to identify known vulnerabilities and security weaknesses.
Remediation
Actions taken to eliminate or reduce a vulnerability.
Risk Rating
A classification assigned to a vulnerability based on its likelihood and potential impact.
False Positive
A reported vulnerability that is determined not to represent an actual security weakness.
Compensating Control
An alternative safeguard implemented to reduce risk when full remediation is not immediately feasible.
6. Roles and Responsibilities
Executive Management
Responsible for:
- Supporting the Vulnerability Management Program.
- Providing necessary resources.
- Reviewing significant risks and remediation efforts.
Information Security Team
Responsible for:
- Managing the Vulnerability Management Program.
- Conducting vulnerability assessments.
- Coordinating vulnerability scanning activities.
- Monitoring remediation efforts.
- Reporting vulnerability metrics and trends.
- Maintaining vulnerability management procedures.
System Owners
Responsible for:
- Reviewing identified vulnerabilities.
- Supporting remediation activities.
- Prioritizing corrective actions.
- Verifying remediation completion.
Information Technology Personnel
Responsible for:
- Implementing remediation activities.
- Applying patches and updates.
- Correcting configuration weaknesses.
- Supporting vulnerability assessments.
Employees
Responsible for:
- Reporting suspected security weaknesses.
- Following approved security practices.
- Supporting remediation efforts when required.
7. Vulnerability Management Program
The organization shall maintain a documented Vulnerability Management Program that includes:
- Asset identification
- Vulnerability discovery
- Vulnerability assessment
- Risk prioritization
- Remediation management
- Verification testing
- Reporting
- Continuous improvement
The program shall be reviewed periodically to ensure effectiveness.
8. Asset Identification
Vulnerability management activities shall be based on an accurate inventory of information assets.
Asset inventories shall include, where applicable:
- Servers
- Workstations
- Network devices
- Applications
- Databases
- Cloud resources
- Security appliances
- Internet-facing systems
Assets shall be categorized according to their business criticality.
9. Vulnerability Identification
The organization shall identify vulnerabilities using one or more of the following methods:
- Automated vulnerability scanning
- Penetration testing
- Security assessments
- Threat intelligence
- Vendor notifications
- Security advisories
- Internal reviews
- External audits
- Bug bounty or responsible disclosure reports where applicable
Vulnerability identification activities shall be conducted on an ongoing basis.
10. Vulnerability Scanning
Automated vulnerability scans shall be conducted on a periodic basis.
Scanning activities may include:
- Internal network scanning
- External network scanning
- Application scanning
- Cloud security assessments
- Configuration reviews
- Container security scanning
Internet-facing systems shall receive enhanced monitoring and review.
Authenticated scanning shall be utilized whenever practical to improve accuracy.
11. Vulnerability Assessment
Identified vulnerabilities shall be evaluated to determine:
- Severity
- Exploitability
- Exposure
- Asset criticality
- Potential business impact
- Existing security controls
Assessment results shall be documented and retained.
12. Vulnerability Prioritization
Vulnerabilities shall be prioritized using a risk-based methodology.
Factors considered may include:
- Vulnerability severity
- Known exploit availability
- Threat intelligence
- Asset criticality
- Data sensitivity
- Regulatory requirements
- Exposure to external networks
Risk ratings may include:
- Critical
- High
- Medium
- Low
Prioritization criteria shall be documented and consistently applied.
13. Remediation Requirements
Identified vulnerabilities shall be remediated whenever feasible.
Remediation methods may include:
- Security patching
- Software updates
- Configuration changes
- Service removal
- System replacement
- Access control enhancements
- Compensating controls
Remediation activities shall be documented.
14. Vulnerability Remediation Timeframes
Unless otherwise approved through a documented risk acceptance process, vulnerabilities should be remediated according to the following targets:
Critical Vulnerabilities
- Remediate within 15 calendar days
High Vulnerabilities
- Remediate within 30 calendar days
Medium Vulnerabilities
- Remediate within 90 calendar days
Low Vulnerabilities
- Remediate within 180 calendar days
Where active exploitation is identified, accelerated remediation may be required.
15. Patch Management Integration
The Vulnerability Management Program shall be integrated with the organization’s Patch Management Program.
Patching activities shall:
- Follow change management procedures
- Be tested where appropriate
- Be documented
- Be tracked through completion
Emergency patching may be authorized when significant risks are identified.
16. Configuration Weaknesses
Misconfigurations identified during vulnerability assessments shall be addressed through:
- Secure configuration standards
- Baseline hardening requirements
- Configuration reviews
- Corrective actions
Configuration weaknesses shall be treated as vulnerabilities where appropriate.
17. Verification of Remediation
Remediation activities shall be verified to ensure vulnerabilities have been successfully addressed.
Verification methods may include:
- Rescanning
- Configuration validation
- Manual testing
- Security reviews
- Penetration testing
Verification results shall be documented.
18. Risk Acceptance
Where remediation is not feasible within required timeframes, a formal risk acceptance process shall be followed.
Risk acceptance documentation shall include:
- Description of the vulnerability
- Business justification
- Risk analysis
- Compensating controls
- Approval by authorized management
- Review and expiration dates
Accepted risks shall be monitored regularly.
19. Third-Party Vulnerabilities
Vulnerabilities affecting third-party services, vendors, or service providers shall be evaluated for organizational impact.
The organization may require vendors to:
- Remediate identified vulnerabilities
- Provide remediation status updates
- Demonstrate security controls
- Notify the organization of significant vulnerabilities
Third-party risks shall be incorporated into vendor management activities.
20. Penetration Testing
Periodic penetration testing may be conducted to identify vulnerabilities not detected through automated scanning.
Penetration testing activities may include:
- External testing
- Internal testing
- Application testing
- Cloud environment testing
- Social engineering assessments where approved
Findings shall be tracked through remediation.
21. Threat Intelligence
Threat intelligence sources may be utilized to:
- Identify emerging vulnerabilities
- Monitor active exploitation trends
- Improve vulnerability prioritization
- Support remediation decisions
Threat intelligence shall be reviewed periodically.
22. Vulnerability Reporting
The organization shall maintain reporting mechanisms that communicate vulnerability status to appropriate stakeholders.
Reports may include:
- Open vulnerabilities
- Remediation progress
- Vulnerability trends
- Aging vulnerabilities
- Risk acceptance status
- Compliance metrics
Reporting frequency shall be determined by organizational requirements.
23. Metrics and Performance Measurement
The organization shall monitor metrics related to vulnerability management effectiveness.
Metrics may include:
- Number of open vulnerabilities
- Remediation timeframes
- Percentage of overdue vulnerabilities
- Vulnerability severity trends
- Scan coverage
- Risk acceptance volume
- Patch compliance rates
Metrics shall support management oversight and continuous improvement.
24. Exceptions
Exceptions to this policy must:
- Be documented
- Include business justification
- Include risk assessment
- Include compensating controls where appropriate
- Be approved by management
- Be reviewed periodically
Temporary exceptions shall include expiration dates.
25. Compliance and Auditing
Compliance with this policy shall be verified through:
- Internal audits
- External audits
- Security assessments
- Compliance reviews
- Vulnerability management reviews
Findings shall be documented and addressed through corrective action processes.
26. Enforcement
Violations of this policy may result in:
- Removal of system access
- Disciplinary action
- Contract termination
- Legal action where applicable
27. Review and Maintenance
This policy shall be reviewed:
- At least annually
- Following significant technology changes
- Following major security incidents
- Following regulatory changes
- Following material updates to the Vulnerability Management Program
Updates shall be approved by executive management.
28. Related Policies
- Information Security Policy
- Security Risk Management Policy
- Patch Management Policy
- Secure Configuration Policy
- Change Management Policy
- Incident Response Policy
- Vendor Management Policy
- Security Control Framework Policy
29. Policy Approval
Policy Owner: Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or Information Security Manager
Approved By: Executive Management
Effective Date: __________________
Review Date: __________________
Version: 1.0