Phoenix Security
FAQ

• Risk is commonly defined with the following formula: threat x vulnerability x impact.

• Details of the risk formula can be found here Risk formula

• To better understand the risk formula and how it applies to cybersecurity risk, we must first break down its component parts
  
  

Threat

There are many threat actors out there, including nation states, criminal syndicates and enterprises, hacktivists, insiders, and lone wolf actors. These threat actors play on a variety of motivations, including financial gain, political statements, corporate or government espionage, and military advantage.

Vulnerability

Threat actors are able to launch cyber attacks through the exploitation of vulnerabilities. In cybersecurity, these vulnerabilities are fixed with a process, procedure, or technology.

For example, an employee may choose to exploit their familiarity with internal processes, procedures, or technology, such as their knowledge of the following:

• Everyone in their company uses the password “12345”

• User names consist of an employee’s first and last name

• Their organization is very lax on additional security controls like multifactor authentication
  
  

Failures in both process and technology could then be exploited by said insider. And of course, there are also a number of vulnerabilities in both hardware and software that can be exploited from the outside, such as unpatched software, unsecured access points, misconfigured systems, and so on.

Consequence

The consequence is the harm caused to an exploited organization by a cyberattack — from loss of sensitive data, to a disruption in a corporate network, to physical electronic damage. Consequences from a cybersecurity incident not only affect the machine or data that was breached, but also affect the company’s customer base, reputation, financial standing, and regulatory good-standing. These can be considered direct and indirect costs.

You will be able to place a threshold or target in the dashboard. As you interact with the visual data, you will be given an option to set your threshold in each of the graphs (such as in the risk progression line graph etc.) With your newly appointed threshold, you will be able to see if your application falls above or below that threshold, as well as identify where the problem areas are that are keeping that application above the threshold.

After you place your initial threshold or target and view the progression of the application’s risk over time, you will be able to adjust (override) the previous threshold to reflect any new changes in the company. For example, perhaps the new industry threshold is now lower, in which case you may override your initial threshold to reflect this change.

CVSS is an industry standard vulnerability metric. You can learn more about CVSS at FIRST.org.

• Critical

• High

• Medium

• Low

Below are a few examples of vulnerabilities which may result in a given severity level. Please keep in mind that this rating does not take into account details of your installation and are to be used as a guide only.

Severity Level: Critical

Vulnerabilities that score in the critical range usually have most of the following characteristics:

• Exploitation of the vulnerability likely results in root-level compromise of servers or infrastructure devices.

• Exploitation is usually straightforward, in the sense that the attacker does not need any special authentication credentials or knowledge about individual victims, and does not need to persuade a target user, for example via social engineering, into performing any special functions.
  
  

For critical vulnerabilities, is advised that you patch or upgrade as soon as possible, unless you have other mitigating measures in place. For example, a mitigating factor could be if your installation is not accessible from the Internet.

Severity Level: High

Vulnerabilities that score in the high range usually have some of the following characteristics:

• The vulnerability is difficult to exploit.

• Exploitation could result in elevated privileges.

• Exploitation could result in a significant data loss or downtime.
   

Severity Level: Medium

Vulnerabilities that score in the medium range usually have some of the following characteristics:

• Vulnerabilities that require the attacker to manipulate individual victims via social engineering tactics.

• Denial of service vulnerabilities that are difficult to set up.

• Exploits that require an attacker to reside on the same local network as the victim.

• Vulnerabilities where exploitation provides only very limited access.

• Vulnerabilities that require user privileges for successful exploitation.
   

Severity Level: Low

Vulnerabilities in the low range typically have very little impact on an organization’s business. Exploitation of such vulnerabilities usually requires local or physical system access.

In cybersecurity, a vulnerability is a weakness that can be exploited by cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to a computer system. Every organization has multiple security measures that keeps intruders out and important data in. We can think of such security measures as the fence that circumvents your yard. Vulnerabilities are cracks and openings in this fence.After exploiting a vulnerability, a cyberattack can run malicious code, install malware and even steal sensitive data. 

According to the CWE/SANS Top 25 list, there are three main types of security vulnerabilities:

• Faulty defences

• Poor resource management

• The insecure connection between elements

Software Composition Analysis (SCA), also known as Composition Analysis, is a vital aspect of application security testing. It focuses on identifying and managing the security risks associated with third-party and open-source components used in software applications. SCA tools analyze the composition of an application, including its dependencies and libraries, to detect known vulnerabilities and licensing issues. By examining the software supply chain, SCA helps organizations understand and mitigate the potential security threats posed by the components they rely on. It provides visibility into the presence of outdated or vulnerable components, enabling proactive remediation. SCA also helps ensure compliance with open-source licenses and enables organizations to track and manage the usage of third-party components effectively. By incorporating SCA into the application security testing process, organizations can bolster their defenses against security vulnerabilities introduced through the software supply chain.

References:

• OWASP Software Composition Analysis
• NIST Software Composition Analysis Guidelines

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) is a critical component of application security. It involves the analysis of application source code or binary files to identify potential security vulnerabilities and coding errors. SAST tools examine the code without executing it, searching for known coding patterns or security flaws that could be exploited by attackers. By detecting issues early in the development process, SAST helps developers address security concerns before the application is deployed. It helps ensure secure coding practices and improves the overall security posture of the software. SAST tools are valuable for identifying common vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), buffer overflows, and insecure cryptographic implementations. They provide insights into potential security weaknesses, enabling developers to remediate them effectively. Utilizing SAST as part of the secure software development lifecycle helps organizations build robust and secure applications.

References:

• OWASP SAST
• NIST SAST Guidelines

Application security tooling and orchestration refers to using specialized tools and processes to enhance the security of software applications. It systematically identifies, assesses, and mitigates security vulnerabilities and risks throughout the application development lifecycle. By implementing robust security measures and leveraging automation, organizations can protect their applications against potential threats and attacks.

The primary goal of application security tooling and orchestration is to ensure that applications are developed, deployed, and maintained with security in mind. This involves the use of various tools that aid in identifying security flaws, assessing risks, and implementing appropriate security controls. These tools can include static code analysis, dynamic application scanning, vulnerability management systems, penetration testing frameworks, and security information and event management (SIEM) solutions.

Orchestration plays a crucial role in application security by streamlining and automating security processes. It involves integrating different security tools and technologies into a cohesive workflow, enabling seamless collaboration between development, operations, and security teams. Organizations can achieve consistent and repeatable security practices through orchestration, reduce manual effort, and respond more effectively to security incidents.

Application security tooling and orchestration help organizations address a wide range of security concerns, including:

• Vulnerability identification: Tools can analyze application code or runtime behaviour to identify vulnerabilities and potential security weaknesses.
• Risk assessment: Tools provide risk assessment capabilities to prioritize and address security vulnerabilities based on their severity and potential impact.
• Secure coding practices: Tools can enforce secure coding practices by scanning code for common vulnerabilities and offering guidance to developers.
• Continuous monitoring: Tools enable continuous monitoring of applications, detecting security incidents, and providing real-time alerts.

By leveraging application security tooling and orchestration, organizations can proactively identify and mitigate security risks, reduce the likelihood of successful attacks, and protect sensitive data. This approach helps foster a secure development culture and ensures that security is integral to the entire application lifecycle.

Please note that this summary provides a high-level overview of application security tooling and orchestration and may not cover all aspects in detail.

Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) is a comprehensive approach to managing and improving the overall security posture of software applications. It involves continuous monitoring, assessment, and remediation of security risks throughout the application lifecycle. ASPM solutions give organizations visibility into their applications’ security status, allowing them to identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and policy violations. By leveraging automation and analytics, ASPM helps organizations proactively address security issues and prioritize remediation efforts. It enables centralized management of security policies, standards, and best practices, ensuring consistent application security across the organization. ASPM tools offer real-time insights, dashboards, and reports that facilitate risk analysis, compliance monitoring, and security posture tracking. By implementing ASPM, organizations can establish a proactive and dynamic approach to application security, effectively managing risks and maintaining a robust security posture.

References:

• Gartner: Application Security Posture Management (ASPM)
• Forrester: Application Security Posture Management
• OWASP: Application Security Posture Management (ASPM)

A website vulnerability is a weakness or misconfiguration in a website or web application code that allows an attacker to gain some level of control of the site, and possibly the hosting server. Most vulnerabilities are exploited through automated means, such as vulnerability scanners and botnets.

Most Common Website Security Vulnerabilities

• SQL Injections. 

• Cross Site Scripting (XSS) 

• Broken Authentication & Session Management.

• Insecure Direct Object References. 

• Security Misconfiguration. 

• Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

Additional references

• OWASP TOP 10 risk and vulnerabilities
• Top application security issues

Phoenix Security allows you to specify your annualised value and divide it by the number of business applications that you run or specify the value an application generates annually.

Phoenix Security does that for you. We apply FAIR principles to derive the direct damage (current damage you could incur if an attacks happens and brings down your application or renders it unavailable) and indirect damage (remaining value of the application plus financial damage derived by brand damage, cost of the record sold on dark web, financial damage derived from Finex (e.g. GDPR)).

One of the biggest advantages of Phoenix Security is that we are able to visualize the complex data that goes behind cyber security and create a narrative that helps you understand how safe your company really is. 

With the risk progression models, we are able to track the overall performance of the company’s risk over time. 

Creating thresholds allows you to manage your company’s risk so that it can stay below your designated threshold. Our risk progression line graphs show the threshold you have set overlaid against the risk progression over time. This sheds light on any patterns that arise. 

From the dashboard, you will be able to see the cost of your exposure over time as well as how much can be saved through fixing the exposure. 

The heatmap’s ability to navigate through the most critical risks in the system is unmatched. To visually ascertain where significant risks are coming from is pivotal to understanding the nature of the vulnerability and how best to mitigate and prevent other similar risk vulnerabilities from happening.

One of the biggest advantages of Phoenix Security is that we provide our clients the ability to bring their own business logic. Phoenix security allows editing of weights for the risk formula so that every customer can specify what’s more important between:

• Application security and environment security
• In the vulnerability
  • Probability of Exploitation / Cyber Threat Intelligence
  • Business Impact
  • Location of assets
    
    

With the risk progression models, we can track the overall performance of the company’s risk over time.