What is Vulnerability Management?
Vulnerability management is a continuous process of identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and remediating security flaws in systems, applications, or networks. It protects against exploits that could compromise sensitive data or system integrity.
How It Works (quick)
- Discovery: Regular scans for known vulnerabilities (CVEs).
- Assessment: Rate risk by severity and impact.
- Prioritization: Focus on exploitable, high-impact issues first.
- Remediation: Apply patches, configs, or compensating controls.
- Monitoring: Repeat scans and track KPIs over time.
Why It Matters in E-commerce
- Data protection: Safeguards customer details and payment info.
- Trust: Demonstrates compliance with standards (PCI DSS, GDPR).
- Business continuity: Reduces downtime and breach costs.
- SEO benefit: Secure sites (HTTPS, no exploits) rank better and avoid penalties.
Best Practices
- Automate scanning with up-to-date feeds (NVD, vendor advisories).
- Maintain a patching SLA (e.g., critical fixes within 48h).
- Integrate with DevSecOps pipelines.
- Educate staff on social engineering and phishing.
- Document and test remediation workflows.
Summary
Vulnerability management keeps systems safe by detecting and fixing weaknesses. For e-commerce, it protects shopper trust and business continuity.
