Information Security / Security OfferingsVulnerability Management
Northwestern uses Tenable Nessus to provide vulnerability assessments for a variety of devices. These include devices such as laptops, desktops, servers, and printers. Tenable looks at operating systems' vulnerabilities, as well as known issues relating to software configuration and outdated software versions.
McCormick IT runs daily discovery scans to “map” assets in our network as seen from the Internet and intranet. A map tries to use exactly the same discovery and information gathering techniques that will be used by an attacker. After discovering live devices, we are able to analyze them for vulnerabilities and begin remediation.
Tenable uses a CVE-compliant database to assign a severity level to each known vulnerability, which is determined by the security risk associated with its exploitation. The service also takes into consideration factors like complexity of the exploit and likelihood of the exploit to work under normal conditions. Network location and privileges needed by an attacker to execute a successful attack are considered. Prevalence of the affected software and existence of known attacks, worms or malware also play a role.
McCormick IT prioritizes the remediation of critical and high severity level instances to prevent intruders from gaining control of the asset.