Managing cyber security vulnerabilities in large networks

Networks and computers often hold a company's most precious and costly commodities — its intellectual properties and proprietary data. If the network and computer vulnerabilities of any large network — such as the Lucent Technologies intranet — are not identified and mitigated, they could enable an intruder to seriously compromise the security of a company's network, computers, and data. Given the voluminous nodes and hosts in Lucent's intranet, it is not operationally feasible to scan the entire network to search for vulnerabilities. In this paper, we describe a methodology for statistical sampling and analysis, combined with a network and host security discipline for developing Lucent's cyber security profile in an effective, efficient manner. We have also developed a methodology for correlating vulnerabilities in and among the network and operating systems. We found the distribution of high-risk vulnerabilities to be very concentrated. Through root cause analyses, we developed a focused plan for mitigating vulnerabilities effectively and efficiently. These patent-pending methodologies will enable cyber security management in a large networked environment and, if properly deployed, will be to network security what quality control charts are to manufacturing processes.