ManageEngine’s Vulnerability Manager Plus scans and discovers network device vulnerabilities and remediates them with built-in firmware deployment.
This new feature enables organisations to focus on fortified network device security.
Network devices, also called network infrastructure devices, are a critical portion of your IT framework.
Similar to how the nervous system handles the communication of all bodily signals between vital organs, network devices enable connectivity and communication between users, devices, applications, and the internet.
They include components such as switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, and integrated access devices.
Why do we need a vulnerability scanner for network devices?
Given their importance, it might be misconstrued that network devices receive as much maintenance attention as every other system or server. However, in reality, it is often quite the opposite.
Sys Admins, fearing the unaffordable downtime that can come when modifications are made to enhance the security posture of network devices, often shy away from implementing changes in them.
The lack of conventional tools to monitor these network machines further increases the chance they could be changed into a breeding ground for threat vectors.
Malicious cyber actors, who are usually quick to recognize configuration oversights, readily see these network devices as ideal targets.
In most organizations, customer traffic passes through these machines, further incentivizing the attackers to target them.
If an attacker gains a proper footing in a network through these devices, they can access all the traffic and data passing through it, and bring the organization’s entire IT infrastructure down by launching laterally moving attacks.
The worst part is the potentially recurrent nature of the attacks. Even if remedial actions by the IT team are implemented to combat and clean up after the attacks, the attention is mostly directed towards workstations, while the threat actors continue to secretly thrive in the network devices waiting for an opportunity to strike again.
In many organizations, inadequate maintenance efforts are common for network devices, and a plethora of firmware vulnerabilities often result.
Organizations should equally prioritize firmware vulnerabilities with software vulnerabilities; implementing a foolproof vulnerability scanning and patching workflow for network devices ensures that the network remains secure from firmware vulnerabilities too.
Learn more about vulnerability management support for network devices here.
For more information on ManageEngine’s Vulnerability Manager Plus or if you want to know about vulnerability management support for network devices, contact our ManageEngine NZ team.
