What is a Managed Vulnerability Program (MVP)?

Small businesses take a number of steps to ensure that their day-to-day operations flow uninterrupted. You plan for which products, solutions, and services you’ll offer, how to best deliver them to your customers, and how you can keep your customers happy and your business growing. In this process, you’re keeping records and collecting data that help keep you informed and connected – all while often wearing multiple hats from ideation to customer support. And though you do all that you can to safeguard the process you can see, there are cyber criminals who will exploit your hard work, hacking into your network, potentially crippling your business.

How do cybersecurity issues impact business resources, including finances, people, and time?

By the time a security breach occurs, it’s too late to stop the interruption you’ve worked hard to avoid. And worse, the damage to your business is already done. Once hackers gain access to your data, they can injure your reputation, steal intellectual property, and exploit your customers’ financial information. For every minute you’re trying to undo the damage and that your business comes to a halt, not only are you not able to service your customers, but more complex issues may develop that you may not see for some time. That’s why it’s critical to adopt measures that help prevent breaches before they happen.

The only course of action to prevent becoming a victim of a cyberattack is to implement cybersecurity services and solutions for small business to protect your network. Unfortunately, the data shows that many companies fail to take necessary security precautions to safeguard their digital assets. What’s more, they tend fly blind—not knowing where their weaknesses are. Surveys report that 84% of companies have high-risk vulnerabilities on their external networks.[1] Also, 62% of security breach victims were unaware of their weak points prior to an breach.¹ An alarming 76% of all software applications possess at least one security vulnerability.[2] Increasing numbers of devices, applications, and networks only multiplies the potential entry points for hackers to attack.

These statistics stress the need for businesses to act now to help prevent unauthorized network and device access. But deciding how to invest in cybersecurity solutions can be daunting. Many small and medium sized businesses face challenges, including:

• A lack of expertise or systematic, automated processes for vulnerability management
• Very little or no network awareness or up-to-date threat intelligence
• Too many vulnerabilities to address with limited resources

Investing in preventative security measures can help reduce costly breaches. But which technologies should you invest in? If your business is looking for options, consider vulnerability scanning as a first step.

Vulnerability scanning: Continuous threat detection to help limit damaging infiltrations

One method of preventing security breaches is to routinely scan for weaknesses in your networks and applications. This is called vulnerability scanning. It can help you assess your security posture. That means knowing your cybersecurity strengths and weaknesses. Then you can more accurately plan how to address your weak points.

Vulnerability scanning is done by scanning IP addresses that support your operations. It also examines network-connected devices such as servers, workstations, routers, and firewalls.

AT&T Managed Vulnerability Program (MVP) is a vulnerability scanning service that tests your networks and applications using safe diagnostic methods that reveal soft spots. Once it detects a weakness, the vulnerability scanning service can assign each device or network a risk score. These tests are based on complex algorithms. But the results are straightforward: a simple scorecard and recommendations on how to strengthen the weaknesses.

In addition to detecting network security risks, vulnerability scanning can identify web applications that are in need of updating to benefit from the latest security protections. IT and management personnel can access alerts and view action notifications within remediation workflow tools.

Achieving policy compliance for high volume payment processing

Vulnerability scanning can also help businesses satisfy Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) security requirements. If your business conducts a high volume of credit card transactions, you may need to work with an authorized Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) to help identify and address security flaws in your networks and applications.

Here’s what vulnerability scanning can provide your business:

• Validation: Confirms that application update tools are working properly
• Compliance: Can assist with satisfying and maintaining regulatory requirements
• Due diligence: Demonstrates commitment to customer protections
• Risk reduction: Demonstrates commitment to customer protections

AT&T Vulnerability Scanning Service: Scan multiple systems and ports rapidly to help reduce costly breaches

Help identify system vulnerabilities and close gaps in your cyber defense strategy with AT&T Managed Vulnerability Program (MVP). It can rapidly scan your systems and applications to help pinpoint potential weaknesses. With its less than 1% false positive rate, AT&T MVP reduces chances of misallocating resources in an attempt to resolve vulnerabilities. You can know what to address and how to address it—so you can act with confidence.

Vulnerability scanning tests your networks and applications using safe diagnostic methods that reveal weak points in your operations.

AT&T MVP key features:

• External and internal vulnerability assessment
• On-demand scanning
• Quarterly scanning
• Document vulnerability scanning
• Physical and virtual scanner
• Access to AT&T Cybersecurity consultants
• Consolidated scan reports

Use case: Helping protect customers and keeping an eye on emerging threats

A business needed help achieving PCI compliance by retaining an authorized vendor to perform quarterly vulnerability scans.

AT&T MVP offered a convenient workflow tool for employees to review scan reports and address remediation tasks. The business scheduled automatic quarterly scans of all internet-facing networks and systems to help identify vulnerabilities and accessed scan report summaries to identify actionable alerts.

By proactively scanning its networks and applications, the business demonstrated its commitment to customer confidentiality and helped protect sensitive financial information.

We’re here for you

Are you a small-to-medium business wanting to better support your workforce, customers, and locations? Contact us today. We have professionals who can demystify the technology for you and get you up and running with emerging technology and other solutions for your business.

AT&T Business is here to help small businesses in a big way. Our Tech Demystified series can help you decide what products and services will work best for your business. To learn more, visit AT&T Managed Vulnerability Program (MVP) or contact your local sales representative.

Sources:  

¹ Comparitech, “25+ cyber security vulnerability statistics and facts of 2021,” April 2021

² Bitdefender, “10 Stats on the State of Vulnerabilities and Exploits,”  November 2021