Build a network security threat model with this comprehensive learning guide Key Features Develop a network security threat model for your organization Gain hands-on experience in working with network scanning and analyzing tools Learn to secure your network infrastructure Book Description The tech world has been taken over by digitization to a very large extent, and so it’s become extremely important for an organization to actively design security mechanisms for their network infrastructures. Analyzing vulnerabilities can be one of the best ways to secure your network infrastructure. Network Vulnerability Assessment starts with network security assessment concepts, workflows, and architectures. Then, you will use open source tools to perform both active and passive network scanning. As you make your way through the chapters, you will use these scanning results to analyze and design a threat model for network security. In the concluding chapters, you will dig deeper into concepts such as IP network analysis, Microsoft Services, and mail services. You will also get to grips with various security best practices, which will help you build your network security mechanism. By the end of this book, you will be in a position to build a security framework fit for an organization. What you will learn Develop a cost-effective end-to-end vulnerability management program Implement a vulnerability management program from a governance perspective Learn about various standards and frameworks for vulnerability assessments and penetration testing Understand penetration testing with practical learning on various supporting tools and techniques Gain insight into vulnerability scoring and reporting Explore the importance of patching and security hardening Develop metrics to measure the success of the vulnerability management program Who this book is for Network Vulnerability Assessment is for security analysts, threat analysts, and any security professionals responsible for developing a network threat model for an organization. This book is also for any individual who is or wants to be part of a vulnerability management team and implement an end-to-end robust vulnerability management program.

The instant access that hackers have to the latest tools and techniques demands that companies become more aggressive in defending the security of their networks. Conducting a network vulnerability assessment, a self-induced hack attack, identifies the network components and faults in policies, and procedures that expose a company to the damage caused by malicious network intruders. Managing a Network Vulnerability Assessment provides a formal framework for finding and eliminating network security threats, ensuring that no vulnerabilities are overlooked. This thorough overview focuses on the steps necessary to successfully manage an assessment, including the development of a scope statement, the understanding and proper use of assessment methodology, the creation of an expert assessment team, and the production of a valuable response report. The book also details what commercial, freeware, and shareware tools are available, how they work, and how to use them. By following the procedures outlined in this guide, a company can pinpoint what individual parts of their network need to be hardened, and avoid expensive and unnecessary purchases.

This book will take readers from the discovery of vulnerabilities and the creation of the corresponding exploits, through a complete security assessment, all the way through deploying patches against these vulnerabilities to protect their networks. This is unique in that it details both the management and technical skill and tools required to develop an effective vulnerability management system. Business case studies and real world vulnerabilities are used through the book. It starts by introducing the reader to the concepts of a vulnerability management system. Readers will be provided detailed timelines of exploit development, vendors' time to patch, and corporate path installations. Next, the differences between security assessment s and penetration tests will be clearly explained along with best practices for conducting both. Next, several case studies from different industries will illustrate the effectiveness of varying vulnerability assessment methodologies. The next several chapters will define the steps of a vulnerability assessment including: defining objectives, identifying and classifying assets, defining rules of engagement, scanning hosts, and identifying operating systems and applications. The next several chapters provide detailed instructions and examples for differentiating vulnerabilities from configuration problems, validating vulnerabilities through penetration testing. The last section of the book provides best practices for vulnerability management and remediation.* Unique coverage detailing both the management and technical skill and tools required to develop an effective vulnerability management system* Vulnerability management is rated the #2 most pressing concern for security professionals in a poll conducted by Information Security Magazine* Covers in the detail the vulnerability management lifecycle from discovery through patch.

Vulnerability management (VM) has been around for millennia. Cities, tribes, nations, and corporations have all employed its principles. The operational and engineering successes of any organization depend on the ability to identify and remediate a vulnerability that a would-be attacker might seek to exploit. What were once small communities became castles. Cities had fortifications and advanced warning systems. All such measures were the result of a group recognizing their vulnerabilities and addressing them in different ways. Today, we identify vulnerabilities in our software systems, infrastructure, and enterprise strategies. Those vulnerabilities are addressed through various and often creative means. Vulnerability Management demonstrates a proactive approach to the discipline. Illustrated with examples drawn from Park Foreman’s more than three decades of multinational experience, the book demonstrates how much easier it is to manage potential weaknesses than to clean up after a violation. Covering the diverse realms that CISOs need to know and the specifics applicable to singular areas of departmental responsibility, he provides both the strategic vision and action steps needed to prevent the exploitation of IT security gaps, especially those that are inherent in a larger organization. Completely updated, the second edition provides a fundamental understanding of technology risks—including a new chapter on cloud vulnerabilities and risk management—from an interloper’s perspective. This book is a guide for security practitioners, security or network engineers, security officers, and CIOs seeking understanding of VM and its role in the organization. To serve various audiences, it covers significant areas of VM. Chapters on technology provide executives with a high-level perspective of what is involved. Other chapters on process and strategy, although serving the executive well, provide engineers and security managers with perspective on the role of VM technology and processes in the success of the enterprise.

Covers offensive technologies by grouping and analyzing them at a higher level--from both an offensive and defensive standpoint--helping you design and deploy networks that are immune to offensive exploits, tools, and scripts. Chapters focus on the components of your network, the different services yourun, and how they can be attacked. Each chapter concludes with advice to network defenders on how to beat the attacks.

Practical Vulnerability Management shows you how to weed out system security weaknesses and squash cyber threats in their tracks. Bugs: they're everywhere. Software, firmware, hardware -- they all have them. Bugs even live in the cloud. And when one of these bugs is leveraged to wreak havoc or steal sensitive information, a company's prized technology assets suddenly become serious liabilities. Fortunately, exploitable security weaknesses are entirely preventable; you just have to find them before the bad guys do. Practical Vulnerability Management will help you achieve this goal on a budget, with a proactive process for detecting bugs and squashing the threat they pose. The book starts by introducing the practice of vulnerability management, its tools and components, and detailing the ways it improves an enterprise's overall security posture. Then it's time to get your hands dirty! As the content shifts from conceptual to practical, you're guided through creating a vulnerability-management system from the ground up, using open-source software. Along the way, you'll learn how to: • Generate accurate and usable vulnerability intelligence • Scan your networked systems to identify and assess bugs and vulnerabilities • Prioritize and respond to various security risks • Automate scans, data analysis, reporting, and other repetitive tasks • Customize the provided scripts to adapt them to your own needs Playing whack-a-bug won't cut it against today's advanced adversaries. Use this book to set up, maintain, and enhance an effective vulnerability management system, and ensure your organization is always a step ahead of hacks and attacks.

Modern society depends critically on computers that control and manage the systems on which we depend in many aspects of our daily lives. While this provides conveniences of a level unimaginable just a few years ago, it also leaves us vulnerable to attacks on the computers managing these systems. In recent times the explosion in cyber attacks, including viruses, worms, and intrusions, has turned this vulnerability into a clear and visible threat. Due to the escalating number and increased sophistication of cyber attacks, it has become important to develop a broad range of techniques, which can ensure that the information infrastructure continues to operate smoothly, even in the presence of dire and continuous threats. This book brings together the latest techniques for managing cyber threats, developed by some of the world’s leading experts in the area. The book includes broad surveys on a number of topics, as well as specific techniques. It provides an excellent reference point for researchers and practitioners in the government, academic, and industrial communities who want to understand the issues and challenges in this area of growing worldwide importance.