Context-Aware Vulnerability Prioritization for Device-Specific Risk
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vulnerability prioritization methods rely solely on CVSS scores, which are not specific to a device's context, leading to inefficient resource allocation and costly, time-consuming patching efforts due to overlooking device-specific mitigating or preventing factors.
Innovation Solution
Analyze a device's execution environment to identify contextual factors that prevent, mitigate, or increase vulnerability risks, adjusting CVSS scores based on these factors to generate a device-specific list of vulnerabilities prioritized by their actual impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If vulnerability prioritization is based solely on CVSS scores, then the prioritization process is simple and fast, but the accuracy and device-specific relevance of the prioritization is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The vulnerability assessment process is segmented into multiple independent analysis components: CVSS score analysis, contextual factor identification, exploitation condition evaluation, and prioritization scoring. Each component handles a specific aspect of the assessment, improving accuracy while maintaining manageable complexity through modular processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds new dimensions to the traditional CVSS-based prioritization by incorporating contextual factors (software version, configuration settings, enabled services) and exploitation conditions as additional assessment criteria. This multi-dimensional approach transforms the single-dimension CVSS scoring into a comprehensive device-specific vulnerability assessment framework.
2Reliability
If all vulnerabilities are fixed based on CVSS scores, then comprehensive security coverage is achieved, but resource consumption and patching time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of fixing all vulnerabilities uniformly, the patent applies partial action by identifying and prioritizing only those vulnerabilities that meet specific exploitation conditions and contextual factors. Resources are focused on addressing the most critical device-specific vulnerabilities rather than all potential vulnerabilities, improving patching efficiency while maintaining adequate security coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the prioritization parameters from static CVSS scores alone to dynamic device-specific parameters including contextual factors and exploitation conditions. This parameter transformation enables more accurate identification of vulnerabilities that actually affect the specific device configuration, reducing unnecessary patching efforts.
3Measurement precision
If device-specific contextual analysis is performed, then vulnerability prioritization accuracy improves, but the analysis time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-identifying and cataloging contextual factors (software versions, configuration settings, enabled services) before vulnerability assessment. This preliminary contextualization enables faster matching of vulnerabilities to device-specific conditions during the actual assessment, reducing analysis time while maintaining high precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system and product are provided including obtaining a list of vulnerabilities of an execution environment of a device, analyzing the execution environment to determine contextual factors of the execution environment, and adjusting the list of vulnerabilities based on the contextual factors. This provides a device-specific list of vulnerabilities configured to indicate an estimated impact of each listed vulnerability. Adjusting the list includes at least one of removing a first vulnerability from the list in case that exploitation of the first vulnerability is prevented in the device by the contextual factors, decreasing a score of a second vulnerability of the list in case the contextual factors mitigate an exploitation of the second vulnerability, and increasing a score of a third vulnerability of the list in case that the contextual factors increase a risk of an exploitation of the third vulnerability.