In this lesson, we're going to cover
Risk Scoring and Prioritization
in a penetration test report.
Understanding how to score and prioritize risk
is essential for effectively communicating severity
and impact of vulnerabilities to your stakeholders.
First, let's talk about risk scoring in general.
Risk scoring is a process of evaluating
and assigning a numerical value
to each identified vulnerability
based on its potential impact
and likelihood of exploitation.
This helps in determine which vulnerabilities need
immediate attention and which can be addressed later.
The go-to method for risk scoring
is the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
CVSS provides a standardized way
to assess the severity of vulnerabilities
by considering factors such as exploitability, impact,
and the complexity required to exploit that vulnerability.
The risk score typically ranges from low to critical.
Low-risk vulnerabilities may not need immediate action,
but should be monitored
and eventually addressed.
Medium-risk vulnerabilities are more concerning
and should be fixed in a reasonable timeframe.
High-risk vulnerabilities pose a significant threat
and need prompt attention,
and critical risk vulnerabilities are the most severe
and require immediate action
to prevent potential breaches or damage.
Next, let's discuss how to articulate
risk severity and impact.
Articulating risk severity means clearly explaining
how serious a vulnerability is.
This involves using the risk scoring
to categorize the vulnerability,
and then describing what the score means in practical terms.
For example, a high-risk vulnerability
might be described as one that allows an attacker
to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data
with minimal effort.
This description helps stakeholders understand
the urgency and potential consequences of the vulnerability.
Using graphs, matrices, and charts are a great way
of helping the stakeholders visualize the risk,
probability, and impact.
Impact articulation is about explaining what could happen
if a vulnerability is exploited.
It's important to describe both technical
and business impacts.
The technical impact might involve loss of data,
system downtime, or unauthorized access.
The business impact, on the other hand,
could include financial loss, reputational damage,
or legal implications.
By clearly articulating both types of impact,
you help stakeholders grasp the full scope of the risk.
For instance, if you discover a SQL injection vulnerability
in a customer-facing application like PayPal,
you might rate it as high risk
due to the ease of exploitation
and the potential access to sensitive customer data.
To explain the impact,
you could say that if this vulnerability is exploited,
it could lead to unauthorized access to personal information
such as names, addresses, and financial account details.
This breach could result in significant financial penalties
under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).
Under the GLBA, organizations can face fines
up to $100,000 per violation,
and officers and directors can be fined
up to $10,000 personally.
Moreover, such a breach could severely damage
the organization's reputation,
causing a loss of customer trust
and potential business loss.
You could also see the share prices of these companies
plummeting if they're publicly traded,
causing a loss of billions of dollars in market value.
So remember, risk scoring and prioritization are crucial
for helping organizations understand
which vulnerabilities to address first.
By signing a numerical value to each vulnerability
and clearly articulating its severity and impact,
you provide a clear roadmap for risk mitigation.
This ensures that the most critical issues
are addressed promptly,
helping to protect the organization's assets
and maintain its security posture.