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Vulnerability Management Process

Version: 1.0
Last Updated: 2026-01-14
Status: Active

Overview

This document defines CreditNexus's vulnerability management process, including identification, assessment, remediation, and disclosure procedures.

1. Vulnerability Sources

Internal Sources

  1. Automated Security Scans:

    • CI/CD security scanning (Bandit, Semgrep, pip-audit)
    • Dependency vulnerability scanning (Dependabot, Safety)
    • Secrets detection (detect-secrets)
    • Weekly scheduled scans

  2. Code Reviews:

    • Pull request reviews
    • Security-focused code reviews
    • Architecture reviews

  3. Penetration Testing:

    • Annual penetration tests
    • Red team exercises
    • Bug bounty programs (if applicable)

External Sources

  1. Security Researchers:

  2. Vendor Advisories:

    • Dependency vulnerability databases (CVE, GitHub Advisories)
    • Vendor security bulletins
    • Third-party security notifications

  3. User Reports:

    • Security concerns from users
    • Suspicious activity reports

2. Vulnerability Classification

Severity Levels

Critical (CVSS 9.0-10.0)

  • Definition: Remote code execution, authentication bypass, or data breach
  • Examples:
    • SQL injection
    • Remote code execution
    • Authentication bypass
    • Privilege escalation
    • Sensitive data exposure

High (CVSS 7.0-8.9)

  • Definition: Significant security impact, but requires specific conditions
  • Examples:
    • Cross-site scripting (XSS)
    • CSRF with state-changing operations
    • Insecure deserialization
    • Insecure direct object references

Medium (CVSS 4.0-6.9)

  • Definition: Moderate security impact
  • Examples:
    • Information disclosure
    • Denial of service
    • Weak cryptography
    • Security misconfigurations

Low (CVSS 0.1-3.9)

  • Definition: Minimal security impact
  • Examples:
    • Informational disclosures
    • Best practice violations
    • Low-risk misconfigurations

3. Vulnerability Lifecycle

Stage 1: Discovery

  1. Detection:

    • Automated scan identifies vulnerability
    • Security researcher reports vulnerability
    • Internal review discovers issue

  2. Initial Triage:

    • Acknowledge receipt (within 24 hours)
    • Assign unique vulnerability ID
    • Classify severity
    • Assign to security team

Stage 2: Assessment

  1. Technical Assessment:

    • Verify vulnerability exists
    • Assess exploitability
    • Determine impact
    • Identify affected systems/versions

  2. Business Impact:

    • Assess data at risk
    • Estimate number of affected users
    • Evaluate business impact
    • Determine regulatory implications

  3. Risk Rating:

    • Calculate CVSS score (if applicable)
    • Assign final severity
    • Prioritize remediation

Stage 3: Remediation

  1. Fix Development:

    • Develop security patch
    • Code review
    • Security review
    • Testing

  2. Deployment:

    • Deploy to staging
    • Verify fix effectiveness
    • Deploy to production
    • Monitor for issues

  3. Verification:

    • Verify vulnerability is fixed
    • Test for regressions
    • Confirm no new vulnerabilities introduced

Stage 4: Disclosure

  1. Internal Disclosure:

    • Notify security team
    • Update vulnerability database
    • Document remediation

  2. External Disclosure:

    • Security advisory (if public)
    • Credit researcher (if applicable)
    • Update changelog
    • Public disclosure (if required)

4. Remediation Timelines

Critical Vulnerabilities

  • Acknowledgment: Within 24 hours
  • Fix Development: Within 7 days
  • Deployment: Within 14 days
  • Target: 30 days maximum

High Vulnerabilities

  • Acknowledgment: Within 48 hours
  • Fix Development: Within 30 days
  • Deployment: Within 60 days
  • Target: 90 days maximum

Medium Vulnerabilities

  • Acknowledgment: Within 1 week
  • Fix Development: Within 90 days
  • Deployment: Within 180 days
  • Target: 6 months maximum

Low Vulnerabilities

  • Acknowledgment: Within 2 weeks
  • Fix Development: As resources allow
  • Deployment: Next release cycle
  • Target: 12 months maximum

5. Vulnerability Tracking

Tracking System

  • Primary: GitHub Security Advisories
  • Secondary: Internal vulnerability database
  • Format: Structured vulnerability records

Required Information

  • Vulnerability ID: Unique identifier
  • Title: Brief description
  • Severity: Critical, High, Medium, Low
  • CVSS Score: If applicable
  • Discovery Date: When vulnerability was found
  • Reported By: Who reported it
  • Affected Systems: List of affected components
  • Description: Detailed description
  • Impact: Business and technical impact
  • Remediation: Fix details
  • Status: Open, In Progress, Fixed, Closed
  • Timeline: Key dates and milestones

6. Responsible Disclosure

For Security Researchers

  1. Reporting:

    • Email: security@creditnexus.com
    • Include: Description, steps to reproduce, impact assessment
    • Do NOT: Exploit publicly, access user data, disrupt services

  2. Our Commitment:

    • Acknowledge within 24 hours
    • Provide regular updates
    • Credit in security advisories (if desired)
    • Fair assessment and response

  3. Recognition:

    • Security Hall of Fame (if applicable)
    • Credit in release notes
    • Public acknowledgment (with permission)

For Internal Team

  1. Reporting:

    • Create GitHub Security Advisory (private)
    • Notify security team
    • Document in vulnerability database

  2. Process:

    • Follow same lifecycle as external reports
    • Internal tracking and remediation
    • Public disclosure (if required)

7. Dependency Vulnerabilities

Detection

  1. Automated:

    • Dependabot alerts
    • pip-audit scans
    • npm audit
    • Safety checks

  2. Manual:

    • Review security advisories
    • Monitor CVE database
    • Vendor notifications

Remediation

  1. Critical/High:

    • Update immediately
    • Test thoroughly
    • Deploy as hotfix (if needed)

  2. Medium/Low:

    • Update in next release
    • Test in staging
    • Deploy in regular release cycle

Patching Strategy

  • Security Patches: Apply immediately
  • Minor Updates: Include in next release
  • Major Updates: Plan and test thoroughly

8. Code Vulnerabilities

Detection Methods

  1. Static Analysis (SAST):

    • Bandit (Python)
    • Semgrep (Multi-language)
    • Ruff security rules
    • ESLint security plugin

  2. Code Review:

    • Security-focused reviews
    • OWASP Top 10 checklist
    • Secure coding guidelines

  3. Dynamic Analysis (DAST):

    • OWASP ZAP
    • Penetration testing
    • Runtime security testing

Remediation

  1. Fix Development:

    • Follow secure coding practices
    • Code review required
    • Security review required
    • Comprehensive testing

  2. Deployment:

    • Deploy to staging first
    • Security verification
    • Production deployment
    • Post-deployment monitoring

9. Configuration Vulnerabilities

Common Issues

  1. Security Misconfigurations:

    • Default credentials
    • Unnecessary services enabled
    • Weak encryption settings
    • Improper access controls

  2. Infrastructure:

    • Unpatched systems
    • Weak network security
    • Insecure storage
    • Missing security headers

Remediation

  1. Immediate:

    • Fix critical misconfigurations
    • Disable unnecessary services
    • Update default settings

  2. Ongoing:

    • Regular configuration audits
    • Security hardening
    • Compliance checks

10. Metrics and Reporting

Key Metrics

  1. Vulnerability Metrics:

    • Total vulnerabilities discovered
    • By severity breakdown
    • Mean time to fix (MTTF)
    • Remediation rate

  2. Process Metrics:

    • Time to acknowledgment
    • Time to fix
    • Time to deployment
    • False positive rate

Reporting

  • Monthly: Vulnerability summary report
  • Quarterly: Trend analysis
  • Annually: Comprehensive security assessment

11. Continuous Improvement

Review Process

  • Monthly: Review vulnerability trends
  • Quarterly: Assess process effectiveness
  • Annually: Comprehensive process review

Improvements

  • Update scanning tools
  • Enhance detection capabilities
  • Improve remediation processes
  • Streamline workflows

12. Tools and Resources

Scanning Tools

  • SAST: Bandit, Semgrep
  • SCA: pip-audit, Safety, npm audit
  • Secrets: detect-secrets
  • DAST: OWASP ZAP

Vulnerability Databases

References

13. Compliance Requirements

DORA (EU)

  • Vulnerability Management: Required process
  • Remediation Timelines: Documented and tracked
  • Third-Party Risk: Assess vendor vulnerabilities

GDPR

  • Data Breach: Report vulnerabilities that could lead to breaches
  • Security Measures: Document vulnerability management as security measure

14. Contact Information

Vulnerability Reporting

Internal Contacts

  • Security Team: [Email]
  • DevOps Team: [Email]
  • CTO: [Email]

Document Owner: Security Team
Review Date: Quarterly
Next Review: [Date]
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