Risk-based vulnerability management software is used to identify and prioritize vulnerabilities based on customizable risk factors. These tools are more advanced than traditional vulnerability management solutions, as they assist in the prioritization of issues and execution of remedies based on the results of machine learning algorithms.
Companies use risk-based vulnerability management solutions to analyze entire organizations’ IT systems, cloud services, and/or applications and identify priorities. Instead of manually identifying vulnerabilities and remediating them in order of discovery, an organization can automate that process to remediate vulnerabilities impacting critical business components first. From there, they can address issues as the system has ordered by impact and remediation time. Companies can customize these priorities as they see fit by weighing risk factors differently.
Risk-based vulnerability management solutions are primarily used by IT professionals and security staff. These teams will integrate system and application information, outline priorities, and analyze assets. Automation within these tools saves significant time; furthermore, addressing critical vulnerabilities first can significantly reduce the likelihood of security incidents, failover, and data loss.
There is some overlap between risk-based vulnerability management solutions and security risk analysis software, but there are a few key differences. Security risk analysis tools provide similar capabilities in identifying vulnerabilities and other security risks. But security risk analysis tools, aside from a few outlier products, will not utilize machine learning and automation to assist in the prioritization and execution of vulnerability remediation.
To qualify for inclusion in the Risk-Based Vulnerability Management category, a product must:
- Integrate threat intelligence and contextual data for analysis
- Analyze applications, networks, and cloud services for vulnerabilities
- Utilize risk factors and machine learning to prioritize vulnerabilities
