Vulnerability Knowledge Base Linking for Faster Secure Fix Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of managing knowledge for solving vulnerability issues in software development is exacerbated by the rapid code churn, lack of documentation, and the reliance on tribal knowledge, leading to increased security risks and delays in mitigating vulnerabilities.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for managing knowledge using an organizational knowledge base that integrates and links vulnerabilities, tickets, and code commits, employing AI and NLP to automatically link relevant articles and set SLAs, ensuring timely and effective security measures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If developers search for solutions on the internet to fix vulnerabilities, then they can find potential solutions quickly, but the code from outside may have even more security issues, violate intellectual property, or have functional issues requiring more testing/fixing cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an internal knowledge base as an intermediary between developers and external vulnerability solutions. The knowledge base stores pre-validated, organization-specific code solutions that developers can access without leaving the organization's ecosystem, thus maintaining speed while ensuring reliability through internal validation and IP compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates and stores validated vulnerability fix patterns within the organization's knowledge base. Instead of copying unverified code from external sources, developers can access pre-copied, tested, and approved solution patterns that are specific to the organization's codebase and security requirements.
2Device complexity
If developers rely on tribal knowledge when developers leave, then no additional documentation is needed, but new developers are overwhelmed with missing documentation and knowledge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by capturing and storing vulnerability knowledge, discussions, and decisions in the knowledge base before developers leave. This proactive documentation ensures that critical information is preserved and made accessible to future developers, preventing knowledge loss without requiring complex manual documentation processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The knowledge base enables self-service by allowing developers to autonomously access and learn from previously documented vulnerability cases and solutions. New developers can independently retrieve needed knowledge without relying on tribal knowledge or extensive manual onboarding, thus simplifying knowledge management while preventing information loss.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the code base is large or complex, then developers have flexibility in implementation, but it becomes too large or complex to figure out how a vulnerability was fixed in the past
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts relevant vulnerability fix information from the large and complex codebase and stores it in a structured, searchable knowledge base. This separation allows developers to access specific vulnerability solutions without navigating through the entire complex codebase, thus maintaining code flexibility while reducing the difficulty of finding past vulnerability fixes.
Solution Approach 2:
The knowledge base serves as an intermediary layer between the complex codebase and developers. It provides a simplified, organized view of vulnerability fixes and solutions, making it easier to detect and retrieve specific information without directly searching through the large and complex codebase.
4Loss of information
If organizations use traditional documentation tools to manage knowledge, then knowledge can be stored centrally, but a lot of manual effort is required to maintain documentation over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the knowledge base automatically updates and maintains itself through integration with development workflows. As new vulnerability information and fixes are discovered in the codebase, the system automatically captures and updates the knowledge base, reducing manual maintenance effort while ensuring information preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The knowledge base performs self-service by automatically capturing, organizing, and maintaining vulnerability knowledge through integration with existing development and security tools. This automation reduces the manual effort required to maintain documentation while ensuring that security knowledge is continuously preserved and updated.
5Loss of time
If developers copy code from external sources to fix vulnerabilities, then solutions can be found quickly, but the copied code may have functional issues requiring more testing/fixing cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by storing pre-validated vulnerability fix patterns within the organization's knowledge base. Developers can quickly copy these internally-validated patterns without external sourcing, thus maintaining speed while avoiding functional issues that would require additional testing and fixing cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
The embodiments herein provide a method for managing knowledge for solving vulnerability issues using an organizational knowledgebase. The method includes linking a vulnerability management platform knowledgebase (KB) article to an organization's core documents. The method further includes applying a vulnerability management platform formula, to enhance the knowledge management and security practices within the organization's knowledgebase. The method for applying the vulnerability management platform formula comprises tagging (CVEs) or (CWEs), to the vulnerability platform knowledgebase (KB) articles; attaching rich articles as links to a ticket tracking system; linking the vulnerability management platform KB articles to a new ticket created; and automatically linking a code commit to the vulnerability management platform KB articles. The method further comprises defining and configuring a plurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) at an application or sub-application level to set acceptable timelines for acknowledging and mitigating security concerns.