We live in an interconnected world. It is dynamic, innovative, and future-oriented. The Internet of Things is a seemingly infinite playground of systems, platforms, software, and hardware. Cybersecurity risks are rife. They lurk within source code and, if left unchecked, are stealthily transferred into networks and servers.
These security threats pose an imminent danger to operational activity. The disruptive effects are widespread, resulting in myriad challenges, excessive costs, and a veritable legal minefield of culpability. Cybersecurity threats jeopardize the stability and success of SMEs across the board.
Any business manager worth their salt is focused on building a resilient business model. That entails ensuring the long-term growth and prosperity of the enterprise amid obstacles and security challenges. This instructional guide provides actionable material for companies intent on calculating and prioritizing potential threats.Â
IT security consultants can leverage the vast resources available to companies to identify, assess, and prioritize threats with a focus on static application security testing of digital assets. The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) ranks the severity of threats, with exigent threats warranting the most attention.
After vulnerabilities are identified using SAST, CVSS can be used to quantify the severity of these vulnerabilities. This scoring system helps rank threats, ensuring that the most critical vulnerabilities, which pose the highest risk to the organization, are addressed first. Threat identification is imperative for all layers of an organization. It is sacrosanct because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
If left unchecked, threats can finagle their way through a network, paralyzing operations, destroying profitability, and wreaking havoc on the integrity of accounts. Vulnerabilities present themselves from many sources, notably internal vulnerabilities, external attacks, and environmental factors. For companies to succeed in this unenviable challenge, they must adopt a multifaceted approach to threat identification.
Human intelligence and technological tools are needed to achieve this objective.
Static Application Security Testing
As its namesake suggests, static application security testing is critical in identifying potential threats in a company. This is particularly true when businesses rely on software applications. With SAST, the source code is analyzed for vulnerabilities. This happens before the software is deployed in the system.
Once SAST is integrated in the software development life-cycle, it allows for proactive identification and risk mitigation of threats. This in turn, reduces the likelihood of a system failure or, at the very least, a cybersecurity breach. It’s necessary to infer the potential impact as soon as threats are identified. This is assessed according to a severity scale and the probability of realizing that threat.
The brains trust of cybersecurity threat detection, assessment, and remediation has identified four primary factors:
- Legal and regulatory consequences
- Operational disruptions
- Financial loss
- Reputational damage
We may, for example, identify a security vulnerability via SAST that seems innocuous at first assessment. However, the consequences can be severe if that leads to a data breach. There is no telling how much damage severe cybersecurity poses to a company’s credibility or its bottom line.
For these reasons, threat identification must be prioritized. As expected, the most severe threats should receive the bulk of the attention. Since scarce resources must be allocated towards threats, the ratings must match the severity. Therefore, critical threats are addressed first.
Matrix of SAST Threat Management Strategy
| Strategy Component | Description | Objective |
| Choosing the Right SAST Tool | Select a SAST tool that supports your programming languages and provides accurate analysis with minimal false positives. | Ensure the tool is relevant and effective for your specific environment. |
| Utilizing Presets and Frameworks | Use predefined rules that align with regulatory standards and development practices to streamline the scanning process. | Focus on relevant vulnerabilities and improve scan efficiency. |
| Seamless Integration into the SDLC | Integrate SAST into every stage of the software development lifecycle to ensure continuous security checks. | Enable early detection and continuous monitoring of security issues. |
| Effective Results Triage | Implement a robust triage process to prioritize the most critical vulnerabilities for remediation. | Address the most impactful issues first, improving overall security posture. |
| Prompt Remediation | Provide clear remediation guidance to developers for quick and effective resolution of identified vulnerabilities. | Reduce time to deploy secure code by facilitating prompt and effective fixes. |
Risk mitigation is only one component of prioritizing potential threats. However, threat management must move beyond that and allow the business to innovate and grow. That’s why well-structured threat management strategies make it possible for companies to operate with total confidence.
Once critical assets are protected, thanks to a carefully formulated threat management strategy, the company can boldly implement its strategic vision and attendant tactical objectives. The ongoing digitization of business operations warrants investment in SAST, with CVSS assistance. By adopting a forward-leaning approach, businesses can stay safe while remaining abreast of the competition.