Vulnerability is a weak point, weakness, flaw, error, or gap in technology, security environment or in the process, people knowledge, security measures. In general a weakness of an asset or a process. It is a weakness which exposes them to a higher risk of failure or enables or facilitates an attacker's unauthorized access or an attack.
- An example of a process vulnerability: unrevoked access rights to an application
- An example of a vulnerability in IT security: missing or weak encryption
- An example of a vulnerability in physical security: an unlockable entry to a room
- An example of a vulnerability of person: poor head protection in the workplace
Why is it important to know your vulnerabilities
- Vulnerabilities are weak points that you should focus on to eliminate or minimize
- There are many occupational safety and health vulnerabilities or cybersecurity vulnerabilities
- Determining the vulnerability of assets is the third step in cybersecurity risk analysis
- Together with information assets and threats, they help determine risks, are important in their identification and analysis.
Examples of the most common vulnerabilities
- error in technology
- a bug in the software enabling a cyber attack
- insufficiently trained worker
- insufficient protection of the worker's body (protection of the head, hands, body, etc.)
- insufficient maintenance of equipment and machinery
- misconfigured process
How Aptien can help you manage vulnerabilities
- Knowing the vulnerabilities of your processes and assets will help you uncover potential risks
- See how you can keep track of vulnerabilities in Aptien Risk management