In this section of the course,
we're going to be exploring
the world of vulnerability management.
Now, vulnerability management is a systematic
and ongoing process of identifying, evaluating,
prioritizing, and mitigating vulnerabilities
in computer systems, in networks and software applications
to maintain a secure and resilient cybersecurity posture.
This process includes vulnerability scanning,
assessment, remediation,
and monitoring to minimize the potential
for security breaches
and ensure the effective management of risk.
So in this section of the course,
we're going to be focused solely on Domain Four
with looking at Objective 4.3.
Now, Objective 4.3 states,
that you must be able to explain various activities
associated with vulnerability management.
First, we're going to be determining
how to best identify vulnerabilities.
This process involves recognizing potential weaknesses
in your systems, applications, and networks,
and then identifying vulnerabilities
is going to be the first critical step
in building out a robust security posture.
Next, we're going to be looking at threat intelligence feeds.
Now, threat intelligence feeds provide essential information
on emerging threats and can help our organizations
to stay more proactive in identifying
and mitigating vulnerabilities
that might be exploited by threat actors out there
in the real world.
Then we're going to cover responsible disclosure programs.
Now, these programs play a vital role
in the cybersecurity ecosystem
by providing a framework for ethical hackers
and security researchers
to report vulnerabilities that they discover.
Your understanding of how these programs work
is going to be essential for fostering collaboration
between security researchers and organizations.
After that, we're going to analyze vulnerabilities.
Now, the analysis step involves evaluating the severity
and potential impact of an identified vulnerability
to allow organizations to prioritize the remediation efforts
more effectively.
Next, we're going to conduct vulnerability scans.
Here you're going to learn how organizations
can employ simple scanning tools and methodologies
to systematically search for vulnerabilities
in their systems and networks.
Then we'll be assessing the results
of those vulnerability scans.
Now, vulnerability assessment
involves comprehensively analyzing the data being gathered
from those scans to determine which vulnerabilities
require immediate attention,
and which ones can be addressed
in a more structured manner later on.
After that, we're going to look at responding and remediating
the vulnerabilities that you've discovered
during your scans.
Now, an effective response strategy
is essential for properly addressing vulnerabilities
and reducing the organization's exposure
to potential threats.
Next, we're going to validate the remediation
of our vulnerabilities.
And this validation ensures
that the remediation actions we've taken
have effectively mitigated the identified vulnerabilities
and that our systems are now secure.
And then we'll conduct vulnerability reporting.
Now, communicating vulnerable findings
and remediation progress is going to be critical
for maintaining transparency
and facilitating decision-making across your organization.
Finally, we'll take a short quiz
to see what you learned during this section of the course,
and review each of those quiz questions fully
to ensure you can explain why each answer was right.
So when you're ready,
let's get started with our coverage
of vulnerability management in this section of the course.