Remediate Risks Rapidly

Current Risk Landscape

Cyber threats are evolving faster than ever. Every 39 seconds, a cyberattack occurs somewhere in the world. With the average cost of a data breach costing up to $ 4.45 million in 2023, it’s clear that businesses can’t afford to be reactive. The rise in sophisticated attacks such as ransomware, forces us to have a proactive approach.

Cyber-villains are getting smarter, and their tactics are becoming more complex. Ransomware attacks have evolved into highly sophisticated operations. These attacks are no longer just about locking up data, they’re about causing maximum disruption and extracting the highest possible ransom. Also, it’s not just the big companies that are at risk, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly targeted.

The numbers don’t lie

If the frequency of attacks isn’t alarming enough, the number of vulnerabilities being discovered each year should be a wake-up call. In 2023 alone, 31,279 vulnerabilities were discovered, that’s roughly 85 new security flaws exposed every single day. This is a significant increase from previous years, indicating that the attack surface is expanding at an unprecedented rate.

To visualize this, consider that back in 2010, the total number of vulnerabilities discovered was significantly lower. The year-on-year increase is a worrying trend.

What is the risk?

Cyber-attackers find various methods to attack an organization, and they can go to any extent to do so. Here are some types of risks:

• Ransomware: Imagine a thief locking up your computer files and asking you to pay money to get them back. That’s ransomware. Cybercriminals use this type of attack to encrypt your data, making it impossible for you to access until you pay a ransom. Even if you pay, there's no guarantee you’ll get your files back!
• Phishing: Phishing is like a fake email pretending to be from someone you trust, such as your bank or a co-worker. The goal is to trick you into clicking a bad link, sharing personal information, or even downloading harmful software. Once you fall for it, the attackers can steal your information or cause other problems.
• Zero-day: A zero-day attack happens when hackers exploit a vulnerability in software that the developers didn’t even know existed. Since there’s no fix for the problem yet, it’s a race against time for the company to patch the hole before too much damage is done. These attacks are tricky because they target unknown flaws that are still out in the wild.

Remediate Risks Rapidly Using a Prevent First Approach

Cyberattack prevention begins with Vulnerability Management.

Enabling a “Prevent First” mindset in cybersecurity is like putting up strong walls around your house before thieves even try to break in. The idea is simple, it’s always easier and less costly to prevent a cyberattack than to fix the damage afterward. This is where “Vulnerability Management” comes into play.

Vulnerability Management is like regularly checking your house for weak spots, maybe a window that doesn’t lock properly or a door that needs stronger hinges. In the digital world, these weak spots are software vulnerabilities, outdated systems, or misconfigurations that hackers can exploit.

The “Prevent First” method is proactive, not reactive. It’s about constantly being on the lookout for potential vulnerabilities and misconfigurations and addressing them early. Just as regular health check-ups can prevent serious illness, regular vulnerability assessments and timely patching can prevent costly breaches.

Dealing with vulnerabilities with this mindset not only strengthens your cybersecurity but also builds a culture of security awareness. Everyone in the organizations becomes more vigilant, understanding that preventing an attack is far easier and more effective than dealing with the aftermath.

Actions For Rapid Risk Reduction through Automation

When it comes to reducing risks quickly, it’s all about staying ahead of the game, being consistent, and using automation to your advantage.

1. Proactive Monitoring: The first and most important step is to always keep an eye out for potential vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. Imagine you have a security guard who never sleeps, always watching over your systems. This guard doesn’t just wait for something to go wrong, they’re actively looking for signs of trouble before it happens. In the cybersecurity world, this means continuously scanning for vulnerabilities, weak spots in your defenses that cyber-villains might try to exploit.
2. Continuous detection: Cyber threats never take a day off, and neither should your defenses. That’s why continuous assessment is key. Regularly check your systems for any weaknesses, but don’t stop there. It’s important to stay on the lookout for new risks that might be on the horizon. Think of it like performing regular system diagnostics, you don’t just address vulnerabilities after a breach, you run proactive scans to detect and mitigate potential issues before they become threats.
3. Automated Patching: When dealing with vulnerabilities, speed is critical, and automation can be a lifesaver. Manual processes are slow and can be prone to mistakes, which is risky when you’re facing a fast-moving vulnerability. Automation helps by taking over repetitive tasks like patching vulnerabilities each day, ensuring they’re done quickly and accurately. For example, if a vulnerability is detected, an automated system can immediately start working to fix it, sometimes even before a human has noticed the problem. This not only saves time but also reduces the chance of human error, helping you stay one step ahead of cyber-villains.
4. System Hardening: Unhardened systems are easy targets for attackers, as they often have default configurations or excess services that can be exploited. Automating system hardening reduces the risk of misconfigurations and improves your security baseline. Automated tools can enforce security policies, disable unnecessary services, and apply consistent configurations across all systems. These automated processes ensure that every endpoint and server is hardened according to best practices, reducing the attack surface and making your infrastructure more resilient.

By Rapid Risk Reduction, how do you attain compliance?

Achieving compliance isn’t just about checking boxes, it’s about de-risking your entire business. Rapid risk reduction plays a vital role in ensuring that your operations run smoothly and securely, meeting industry regulations without slowing down your business.

When you reduce risks quickly, you automatically lower the chances of a breach, which helps you stay compliant with various standards like HIPAA, PCI, ISO, NIST CSF & STIG.

De-risking your business through automation and proactive security measures ensures that compliance is not an afterthought but an integrated part of your operations. Automated compliance scans and continuous monitoring help issues early, so you can fix them before they become bigger problems. This not only protects your business but also builds trust with customers and stakeholders.

The Rapid Risk Reduction Process

The Rapid Risk Reduction Process is a streamlined approach to safeguarding your infrastructure by addressing risks quickly and efficiently. This process helps organizations rapidly reduce risks and maintain a secure infrastructure.

Here’s how it works in cybersecurity:

CISA KEV’s – The MUST kills

Vulnerabilities are potential entry points for exploits. There is a category of vulnerabilities that amplifies the risk further, known as Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEVs) developed by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). These vulnerabilities are already present in every system and exploits are publicly available. It is crucial to remediate these vulnerabilities before they are used as entry points for attacks.

Here is how Saner Platform modules work its might against CISA KEVs.

The ROI of Remediating Risks Rapidly!

Investing in prevention will definitely have clear return of investment. The cost of a data breach, as mentioned earlier, can be devastating. But the costs go beyond financial loss. A breach can damage your reputation, disrupt customer trust, and lead to regulatory fines.

On the other hand, by investing in preventive measures, you’re not just avoiding these costs, you’re also building a stronger, more resilient organization. Prevention leads to fewer breaches, which means less downtime, fewer disruptions, and more time spent focusing on what your business does best.

The costs organizations need to spend varies based on their size, industry and specific measures taken. Here’s a simplified breakdown.

Speed at which Saner Platform Remediates

Speed is critical in remediation of vulnerabilities. If not speed, then the whole process of remediation becomes a hassle, and you just get bombarded with more and more vulnerabilities.

Here is a comparison of how speed can change your remediation cycle after implementing Saner Platform.

The VM + PM Showdown: Why Integration Matters?

55% of enterprises don’t have an integrated vulnerability and patch management solution in place.

Following are the benefits of an integrated vulnerability and patch management solution:

1. 50% reduction in time spent on vulnerability assessment due to automated prioritization
2. 40% faster remediation of high-risk vulnerabilities
3. 30% improvement in patch management efficiency by prioritizing critical vulnerabilities first
4. 30-50% decrease in vulnerabilities with integrated vulnerability and patch management tool
5. 40-70% increase in patching speed through automation
6. 50-80% enhancement in vulnerability efficiency

How Saner Platform Helps!

Conclusion

Prevent Attacks Before They Start

Waiting for cyberattacks to happen before taking action just doesn’t work anymore. The risks are too high, and the costs can be even higher. That’s why having a “Prevent First” mindset is so crucial. It’s far easier and less expensive to prevent attacks before they cause trouble.

Saner Platform is the solution for this approach. With Continuous Vulnerability and Exposure Management, Saner Platform helps you find and fix vulnerabilities and misconfigurations before they’re exploited. By automating tasks and keeping a constant watch, Saner Platform keeps you ahead of potential threats.

The key to handling cyber threats is to prevent them from happening in the first place. With Saner Platform, you’re not just managing risks, you’re making sure they never become real problems.

So, as you tackle today’s cybersecurity challenges, choose to be proactive.