Vulnerability management (VM) follows a standard lifecycle: identification, analysis, prioritization, remediation, and control. However, specific environments like industrial control systems (ICS), IoT, and mobile devices require tailored approaches due to operational constraints.
In ICS, the primary goal is to avoid disrupting technological processes. Scanning is performed using audit modes rather than penetration testing to prevent system crashes. Updates are applied only during maintenance windows, often tested on digital twins, and require manual approval from the system owner.
Network security often suffers from improper segmentation and weak configurations, such as default SNMP community strings or unencrypted protocols like Telnet. Experts recommend using SNMPv3, enforcing RBAC, and isolating critical infrastructure behind firewalls to mitigate risks.
IoT security remains a significant challenge due to default credentials and lack of firmware updates. Historical incidents like the Mirai botnet, which compromised over 600,000 devices in 2016, highlight the dangers of exposed interfaces. Security measures include isolating IoT segments and disabling unnecessary services.
ML systems face unique threats such as prompt injection and data poisoning. Protecting these assets requires input validation and strict access control. Similarly, mobile device management (MDM) is essential in corporate environments to address fragmentation and data loss risks, especially given the prevalence of zero-day exploits.
