Vulnerabilities in Cybersecurity – 5 Most Common to Beware of

The internet is one of the most used commodities in the world today. This is a major motivation for all the cybercriminals who will exploit the Vulnerabilities in Cybersecurity present in your IT infrastructure at a moment’s notice. Hence, it is very important for you to understand these vulnerabilities for preventing them.

First let’s learn about the concept of vulnerabilities and why they are required to be remediated.

What Are Vulnerabilities in Cybersecurity?

Vulnerabilities in Cybersecurity can be defined as the loopholes or weaknesses in the IT infrastructure that a cybercriminal may exploit for his own gain, These range from mere mistakes while configuration to glaring loopholes which can have a pretty major impact to your business.

Once a weakness has been found, it is forwarded to the concerned team for patching and remediation. This process is an integral part of implementing the protocols of cybersecurity.

These vulnerabilities are generally found out by implementing certain cybersecurity practices like VAPT etc. Continuous and rigorous testing of all your infrastructure is also  necessary to keep these attacks at bay.

Differences Between a Vulnerability, Threats and Exploits

In the context of cybersecurity, there are some differences between these three terms.

• Vulnerability: Vulnerabilities in Cybersecurity is a weakness or flaw in a system, software, network etc. that can be exploited by an attacker to compromise the security of the system. Vulnerabilities can exist in various forms, such as software bugs, misconfigurations, design flaws, or weak security practices. They create potential entry points for attacks and can be accidental or intentional.
• Threat: A threat refers to any potential danger or harmful event that can exploit a vulnerability and cause harm to a system. Threats can be unintentional like  accidental data loss, or deliberate like cyberattacks. 
• Exploit: An exploit is a piece of code or a technique that takes advantage of a vulnerability to gain unauthorized access, manipulate, or compromise a system or its data. Exploits are created to leverage specific vulnerabilities and can vary in complexity and sophistication. They can be used by attackers to execute malicious actions, such as installing malware, stealing data, or taking control of a system.

The Most Common Types of Vulnerabilities in Cybersecurity

While you plan and curate a security plan for your organization, certain things should be kept in mind. Some of these you will find in the section below.

• Zero Day Vulnerabilities: These are the vulnerabilities which were exploited by the cybercriminals before a patch could be made by the developers. Zero day vulnerabilities are generally unknown to the organization until the attackers take advantage of it. These weaknesses are there due to insufficient testing during the development process or the configuration.

• Unauthorized Access: Sub par access management can be detrimental to the integrity of your defenses laid against the attackers. Proper checks and validation algorithms are needed to properly plug this loophole.

• Outdated Infrastructure: A network is only as secure as its most vulnerable link. Regular patches ensure that these Vulnerabilities in Cybersecurity remain to a minimum but outdated software and other infrastructure is a direct call for the cybercriminals. These components follow old security standards and still have unresolved threats. Moving to an up-to-date infrastructure is the right call.

• Misconfigurations: This is one of the most dangerous and possibly the most overlooked Vulnerabilities in Cybersecurity. All the security measures of the individual components of the network are dependent on the efficacy of the configurations in place. Proper protocols should be followed during the network configuration of the systems.

• Malware & Other Viruses: The users of the infrastructure may accidentally download viruses and worms that will compromise all the systems. These are pretty common and usually require a lot of sanitization and remediation. Therefore, proper download restrictions and network monitoring practices need to be applied in order to prevent this.

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Conclusion

There are various Vulnerabilities in Cybersecurity that are detrimental to your organization. We have 5 such common weaknesses and the possible ways they could have occurred. Read the whole article to know about this field and protect your businesses in the process.