Vulnerability management involves an ongoing cycle of identifying, prioritizing and mitigating vulnerabilities within software applications, networks and computer systems. This proactive strategy is essential for safeguarding an organization’s digital assets and maintaining its security and integrity.

To make the process simpler and easier, we need to involve artificial intelligence (AI). Let’s examine how AI is effective for vulnerability management and how it can be implemented.

Artificial intelligence in vulnerability management

Using AI will take vulnerability management to the next level. AI not only reduces analysis time but also effectively identifies threats.

Once we have decided to use AI for vulnerability management, we need to gather information on how we would like AI to respond and what kind of data needs to be analyzed to identify the right algorithms. AI algorithms and machine learning techniques excel at detecting sophisticated and previously unseen threats.

Figure 1: Chart depicting a regression line.

By analyzing vast volumes of data, including security logs, network traffic logs and threat intelligence feeds, AI-driven systems can identify patterns and anomalies that signify potential vulnerabilities or attacks. Converting the logs into data and charts will make analysis simpler and quicker. Incidents should be identified based on the security risk, and notification should take place for immediate action.

Self-learning is another area where AI can be trained with data. This will enable AI to be up-to-date on the changing environment and capable of addressing new and emerging threats. AI will identify high-risk threats and previously unseen threats.

Implementing AI requires iterations to train the model, which may be time-consuming. But over time, it becomes easier to identify threats and flaws. AI-driven platforms constantly gather insights from data, adjusting to shifting landscapes and emerging risks. As they progress, they enhance their precision and efficacy in pinpointing weaknesses and offering practical guidance.

While training AI, we also need to consider MITRE ATT&CK adversary tactics and techniques as part of the AI self-learning. Incorporating MITRE along with AI will find and stop 90% of high-risk threats.

Implementation steps

Through the analysis of past data and security breaches, AI has the capability to forecast attacks and preemptively prevent the exploitation of vulnerabilities.

Figure 2: Graph depicting the steps and flow of implementation.

Requirement gathering: Logs and reports need to be analyzed. This includes specifications like input, output, dependent variable, independent variable and actionable insights.

Planning: The algorithms and machine learning techniques need to be selected, as well as the input and output feeds and variables. The techniques will specify which variables and keywords are searched and how the results will be displayed in a table. The final results will be pulled from the table and added to a chart for actionable insights.

Coding: Code should be written to meet the requirements. It is advisable to check if the input file is read and generates the output file.

Testing: The coding and other program components should be tested and problems diagnosed.

Feedback Loop: A feedback loop should be established to see if the expected output is received. Improvements should be made based on the feedback. These steps should be repeated for continuous improvement.

Automation can revolutionize vulnerability management

Organizations can transform vulnerability management practices by introducing automation, AI and proactive capabilities. By leveraging AI in vulnerability management, organizations can enhance their security posture, stay ahead of emerging threats and protect their valuable assets and data in today’s rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape.

However, it’s important to recognize that AI should not be seen as a standalone solution, but rather as an enhancement to traditional vulnerability management systems. The best results are achieved when AI is integrated and used alongside existing methods.