I'm looking for some advice on how to manage critical vulnerabilities in my role at a mid-size company. I'm currently in a support position that combines tier 1 and 2 support with system administration, which has been a unique experience. As our Sr. System Engineer prepares for retirement, he's been passing on responsibilities to me, but I don't have a formal engineering background or much technical education.
The process I follow involves the Security team creating Vulnerability Management tickets, which seem to consist mostly of copy-pasted information from sources like cve.org or Defender. I'm tasked with determining which software needs to be updated based on these tickets. However, I often face resistance from users who claim they don't have the software or that it's already updated. In many cases, I have to take their word for it because I can't verify everything on their systems. For instance, if there's a ticket about Apache Commons Text, I wouldn't even know how to find it, and if the user says they don't have it, I'm stuck.
Additionally, I feel like the Security team isn't fully taking responsibility for these vulnerabilities. When I ask if certain software is security approved and they point me to cve.org, it often leaves me confused when I flag something as high risk and their response is that it's not as straightforward as it seems. I'm just unsure what my role is supposed to be in this process and whether I'm expected to be more self-sufficient in figuring everything out. Am I the one who needs to adapt better, or is this a larger issue within the company's structure?
5 Answers
Ultimately, it seems like a structural issue within your company where the Security team is not providing adequate context for their findings. They really should be giving you enough information to make informed decisions, especially when it comes to complex components. If they can't guide you better on vulnerabilities, it might be worth discussing with management to address the overall process.
One thing to consider is whether your company has a vulnerability scanner that can help identify installed software more directly. Sometimes there’s a lot of red tape when it comes to patching, but not every update is a risk. It’s crucial to have agreements on responsibilities between your team and the Security team. If patches break things, who is accountable? Having an approved software list can clarify these responsibilities.
Have you thought about automating some of your processes? Tools like Action1 can quickly handle vulnerabilities with one click, making life easier. When you start to automate, you’ll tackle those issues without much hassle, and you might find it's more manageable than it seems at first. And definitely stand firm with users; it's crucial not to let them sidestep security protocols.
Testing updates in a non-production environment is key before deploying anything crucial. It’s also essential to have a comprehensive inventory of all software systems to know what needs attention. Don't hesitate to push for better protocols on how vulnerabilities are handled externally; knowing the right version and configurations helps prevent issues down the line.
It sounds like the main issue is communication and support from your Security team. Instead of just relying on users' claims, it’s essential to have clear ways to verify software installations. You could try searching for executable files related to the software in question or ask the Security team for better tools that provide installation paths. It’s tough, but troubleshooting and figuring things out independently are part of the IT game, so keep pushing yourself to learn.
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