IT Security Vulnerability and Incident Response Management

Abstract

This paper summarises the results of a Dutch PhD research project on IT security vulnerability and incident response management, which is supervised by the University of Twente in the Netherlands and which is currently in its final stage. Vulnerabilities are ‘failures or weaknesses in computer (application) system design, implementation or operation which can be exploited to violate the security policy defined for that system’. Incidents are defined as ‘events that have actual or potentially adverse effects on computer or network operations resulting in fraud, waste or abuse, compromise of information or loss or damage of property of information’. Hacking, denial-of-service attacks and computer viruses are examples of such events. The research project identifies a number of shortcomings in IT service management processes which affect the speed and quality of IT security vulnerability and incident response processes in enterprises. To shorten the lifecycle of vulnerabilities organizations should implement three basic process elements: (1) filtering and analyzing of vulnerability announcements and alerts, (2) prioritizing of vulnerability response activities and (3) scanning of infrastructure components. Each of these steps can be related to specific IT service management processes and to IT security incident management in particular. Using checklists, procedures and dedicated response capabilities, IT organizations are able to faster detect and respond to incidents.