Virtual Asset Template Vulnerability Remediation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current vulnerability management and verification approaches in cloud-based infrastructures are inadequate for comprehensive and proactive security, leading to potential threats and irreparable damage, especially with sensitive data like financial data, due to ad-hoc, manual, and resource-intensive methods that fail to identify and remediate vulnerabilities promptly.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that utilize virtual asset creation templates to identify and remediate vulnerabilities at the template level, assigning a verified status to virtual assets, monitoring changes, and applying remedies as needed, thereby reducing the need for individual asset-level scanning and minimizing resource usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If comprehensive vulnerability management and verification is implemented at the individual virtual asset level, then security reliability is improved, but resource consumption and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity reliabilityVSAvoidresource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges vulnerability management across multiple virtual assets by identifying common vulnerabilities that affect groups of assets simultaneously. Instead of managing each asset individually, the system consolidates vulnerability data from multiple sources, identifies patterns, and applies remedies at the group level, thereby reducing redundant resource consumption while maintaining comprehensive security coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a universal vulnerability management approach that can handle diverse virtual assets (virtual machines, containers, microservices) through a single platform. The vulnerability scanner and remediation system are designed to work across different asset types and deployment environments, eliminating the need for separate management systems for each asset class and reducing overall resource requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If ad-hoc and manual vulnerability management is used, then flexibility is maintained, but productivity and response time deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperational flexibilityVSAvoidvulnerability response productivity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements automated self-service capabilities where the vulnerability management platform automatically scans for vulnerabilities, assesses their severity, prioritizes them based on risk criteria, and applies remediations without requiring manual intervention for each step. This automation dramatically increases productivity while maintaining operational flexibility through configurable policies and rules that can be adjusted as needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system establishes continuous feedback loops where vulnerability scan results automatically trigger remediation processes, and the outcomes of remediations are fed back into the system for verification. This closed-loop automation enables rapid response to vulnerabilities while maintaining the flexibility to customize feedback thresholds and remediation strategies based on organizational requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If individual asset-level vulnerability scanning is performed, then detection precision is improved, but time consumption and resource usage increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevulnerability detection precisionVSAvoidscanning time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the vulnerability management process into hierarchical levels: group-level pattern recognition and asset-level detailed scanning. By dividing assets into groups with similar characteristics and applying vulnerability patterns at the group level, the system reduces redundant scanning while maintaining precise detection through targeted asset-level verification when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary vulnerability assessment at the group level by analyzing common vulnerability patterns, configurations, and risk factors before conducting detailed asset-level scanning. This preliminary action identifies high-probability vulnerabilities that can be addressed through group-level remediations, reducing the need for time-consuming individual asset scanning while maintaining detection precision for critical issues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9888025B2Method and system for providing an efficient asset management and verification service

Publication Date: 2018.02.06 INTUIT INC

AI summary

A virtual asset creation template associated with a class of virtual assets is identified and analyzed to identify and remedy vulnerabilities in the virtual asset creation template. If no vulnerability is identified in the virtual asset creation template, or once each vulnerability identified in the virtual asset creation template is remedied, each virtual asset of the virtual asset class generated using the virtual asset creation template is assigned an initial status of verified virtual asset. Instructions are generated for monitoring and detecting one or more trigger events in assets as well as instructions for implementing at least one responsive action associated with each of the one or more trigger events. Assets monitor and detect one or more trigger events and associated responsive actions are then performed upon the trigger event being detected.