Note: This is a guest article by Vivek Gopalan, VP of Product Management at Indusface.

Businesses that handle sensitive customer data are required to comply with regulations such as PCI, SOC2, and HIPAA. An essential requirement within these regulations is that their application audit reports should show zero vulnerabilities.

However, this can be challenging due to inherited weaknesses from third-party software or new zero-day vulnerabilities. Despite these challenges, companies need to pass security audits.

With the help of autonomous virtual patching, organizations can meet regulatory compliance standards and generate zero-vulnerability reports in a short time.

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The Role of Virtual Patching

The recent high-profile security breaches at Uber, Cash App, and Twitter highlight the critical need for prompt and effective patching.

Known vulnerabilities can be exploited within seven days, and 0-day vulnerabilities are immediately targeted upon disclosure. Yet, 1/3^rdof critical vulnerabilities remains unresolved for more than 180 days (about 6 months).

By deploying virtual patches at the WAF level, organizations can proactively fix known vulnerabilities, mitigating the risk of exploitation while awaiting official patches.

This approach enables organizations to maintain compliance with regulatory mandates by reducing the window of exposure to potential threats.

The Path to Zero Vulnerability Report for Rapid Compliance

Deploying virtual patches is only the beginning; ensuring their successful execution is the next crucial step.

Blind Spot Identification

Identifying blind spots within your organization’s security infrastructure is a critical aspect of vulnerability management. One of the key components in this process is asset and API discovery.

The discovery process involves identifying all applications and APIs within the organization’s network. This includes known and unknown assets and their associated vulnerabilities.

By comprehensively mapping out all assets, you can uncover potential blind spots in your security posture. This allows you to prioritize vulnerability assessments and patching efforts, ensuring that critical assets are adequately protected.

Scan for Vulnerabilities

Proactive vulnerability scanning is essential for staying ahead of potential threats. Implement robust scanning tools to continuously monitor endpoints and applications for vulnerabilities.

Augment this approach with manual pen testing for comprehensive security validation. By detecting vulnerabilities early, you can take proactive steps to mitigate risk and protect your systems.

Patch Deployment

Following vulnerability identification, now it is time to deploy virtual patches promptly. Customizable patching policies are key to tailoring patch management to fit your organization’s specific needs. Standard core rules may not always address all vulnerabilities or align with specific operational needs.

In such cases, the ability to create custom rules tailored to the application’s unique requirements is invaluable. These customizations ensure that patches are applied in a way that minimizes disruptions to operations while effectively mitigating risks.

Revalidation

Post-patching, conducting a thorough rescan of the application is essential to validate the effectiveness of the patch.

It is essential to monitor that all patches applied for the assets and their vulnerabilities are deployed effectively and are blocking attacks in real-time without any false positives.

False positive testing through a combination of AI-based real-time monitoring validated by security experts ensures zero false positives across all autonomous security policies, enhancing the accuracy of vulnerability detection and mitigation.

Reporting

Upon completion of patching, a detailed report confirms all vulnerabilities are patched. By consistently achieving zero vulnerability reports, organizations can ensure every application is updated and compliant, providing evidence of thorough adherence to regulatory requirements.

A centralized dashboard can serve as a single point of reference for monitoring overall protection status, providing stakeholders with a holistic view of open vulnerabilities.

With tools like AppTrana’s SwyftComply, organizations can generate zero-vulnerability reports within 72 hours, simplifying effective security audits and compliance checks.

Related Articles:

A Path to Security Compliance within 72 Hours through Autonomous Patching

The Role of Virtual Patching