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How Waiting for NVD Puts Your Organization at Risk

Pallavi Vishwakarma
July 14, 2023

In today's rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape, organizations face a constant battle against vulnerabilities and the potential risks they pose. Many rely on the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) as a primary source of vulnerability information. However, waiting solely for NVD updates can leave your organization exposed to risks. In this blog post, we will explore the risks associated with waiting for NVD and highlights how a SecOps solution can bolster your vulnerability management efforts.

What is NVD?

The National Vulnerability Database (NVD) is a comprehensive repository of information and data related to publicly known vulnerabilities. It is maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a federal agency within the United States Department of Commerce. NVD serves as a primary source of vulnerability information for organizations, security researchers, and software developers worldwide.

Understanding the Limitations of NVD:

The National Vulnerability Database serves as a valuable resource, providing vulnerability information, severity ratings, and remediation details. However, it has certain limitations that can impact the effectiveness of your organization's vulnerability management strategy.

1. The Delayed Vulnerability Disclosure Challenge:

Waiting for NVD to disclose vulnerabilities introduces a significant delay in obtaining critical information. Hackers are quick to exploit vulnerabilities, and any delay in patching or mitigating them can lead to devastating consequences for your organization.

2. Limited Coverage and Incomplete Data:

NVD might not provide comprehensive coverage of all vulnerabilities or may have incomplete data. This can result in overlooking critical vulnerabilities that are not yet reported or updated in the database. Organizations that solely rely on NVD might miss crucial vulnerability information, putting their systems and data at risk.

3. Lack of Real-time Threat Intelligence:

NVD updates typically occur after vulnerabilities have been publicly disclosed. This lag in information leaves organizations vulnerable during the crucial time when threat actors are actively exploiting vulnerabilities. Real-time threat intelligence is essential to proactively identify and address vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.

4. Exclusion of Certain Vulnerability Types:

NVD focuses primarily on software vulnerabilities but may not cover other important areas, such as misconfigurations, network vulnerabilities, or emerging threat vectors. By relying solely on NVD, organizations may miss crucial vulnerability information outside the scope of the database.

The Importance of Real-Time Threat Intelligence:

Real-time threat intelligence is crucial for organizations to stay ahead of rapidly evolving cyber threats. By incorporating real-time feeds from multiple sources, including specialized vulnerability databases, threat intelligence platforms, and security research communities, organizations can bridge the gap created by relying solely on NVD.

1. Expanding the Horizon: Supplementing NVD with Multiple Sources:

Organizations can leverage specialized threat intelligence platforms and security research communities to gather real-time vulnerability information that complements the data provided by NVD. This multi-source approach helps broaden the coverage and reduces the risk of missing critical vulnerabilities.

2. Customized Feeds and Notifications:

With real-time threat intelligence platforms, organizations can customize feeds and receive notifications tailored to their specific environment and technology stack. This ensures timely alerts about vulnerabilities relevant to their systems, allowing them to take immediate action.

3. Tracking Zero-Day Vulnerabilities:

Zero-day vulnerabilities, which are unknown to the public and vendors, pose a significant risk. By monitoring underground forums, exploit marketplaces, and vulnerability research communities, organizations can gain early insights into emerging threats and zero-day vulnerabilities before they are publicly disclosed.

How SecOps Solutions Can Help:

Here's how SecOps solutions can address the risks of waiting for NVD:

1. Comprehensive and Timely Vulnerability Coverage:

SecOps solutions leverage multiple vulnerability intelligence sources, including NVD, but also incorporate real-time feeds from other reliable sources. This ensures comprehensive coverage of vulnerabilities, reducing the chances of missing critical information.

2. Continuous Monitoring and Rapid Response:

SecOps solutions provide continuous monitoring of vulnerabilities, leveraging automation and machine learning capabilities. They identify and prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk, severity, and potential impact, enabling organizations to take immediate action.

3. Risk-based Approach:

SecOps solutions focus on a risk-based approach, allowing organizations to prioritize remediation efforts based on the potential impact on critical assets. This approach ensures that limited resources are allocated effectively to address the most significant risks first.

4. Streamlined Collaboration and Reporting:

SecOps solutions facilitate collaboration between security teams and IT operations, streamlining the vulnerability management process. They provide clear visibility into vulnerabilities, remediation progress, and compliance status, enabling effective communication and reporting.

Conclusion:

Waiting solely for NVD updates puts organizations at risk in today's fast-paced cybersecurity landscape. By embracing Solutions like SecOps and complementing NVD with real-time threat intelligence, organizations can enhance their vulnerability management practices, proactively address risks, and strengthen their overall cybersecurity posture. Taking a proactive approach to vulnerability management is essential in safeguarding sensitive data, systems, and reputation in the face of evolving cyber threats.


SecOps Solution is an award-winning agent-less Full-stack Vulnerability and Patch Management Platform that helps organizations identify, prioritize and remediate security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in seconds.

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