17643205. COMBINING POLICY COMPLIANCE AND VULNERABILITY MANAGEMENT FOR RISK ASSESSMENT simplified abstract (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION)

COMBINING POLICY COMPLIANCE AND VULNERABILITY MANAGEMENT FOR RISK ASSESSMENT

Organization Name

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION

Inventor(s)

Muhammed Fatih Bulut of West Greenwich RI (US)

Abdulhamid Adebowale Adebayo of White Plains NY (US)

Lilian Mathias Ngweta of Troy NY (US)

Ting Dai of Elmsford NY (US)

Constantin Mircea Adam of Fairfield CT (US)

Daby Mousse Sow of Croton on Hudson NY (US)

Steven Ocepek of Cuyahoga Falls OH (US)

COMBINING POLICY COMPLIANCE AND VULNERABILITY MANAGEMENT FOR RISK ASSESSMENT - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17643205 titled 'COMBINING POLICY COMPLIANCE AND VULNERABILITY MANAGEMENT FOR RISK ASSESSMENT

Simplified Explanation

The patent application describes an apparatus, method, and computer program product that combine policy compliance with vulnerability management to provide a more accurate risk assessment of an environment.

• The method involves training a policy machine learning model using a first training dataset to generate a model that can classify mitigation techniques.
• A vulnerability machine learning model is also trained using a second training dataset to generate a model that can classify weakness types.
• The method further includes mapping the mitigation technique classifications to attack techniques to create a policy mapping.
• Similarly, the weakness type classifications are mapped to attack techniques to create a vulnerability mapping.
• Finally, a risk assessment of a vulnerability is produced based on the policy mapping and the vulnerability mapping.

Potential applications of this technology:

• Cybersecurity: This technology can be used in the field of cybersecurity to assess the risk of vulnerabilities in an environment.
• Risk management: It can assist in identifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities based on their potential impact and the available mitigation techniques.
• Compliance assessment: The technology can help organizations ensure compliance with policies and regulations by assessing the risk associated with vulnerabilities.

Problems solved by this technology:

• Accuracy of risk assessment: By combining policy compliance and vulnerability management, this technology provides a more accurate assessment of the risk associated with vulnerabilities.
• Mapping vulnerabilities to attack techniques: The mapping of vulnerability classifications to attack techniques helps in understanding the potential impact and likelihood of exploitation.

Benefits of this technology:

• Improved risk assessment: The combination of policy compliance and vulnerability management enhances the accuracy of risk assessment, allowing organizations to prioritize and address vulnerabilities effectively.
• Efficient mitigation planning: By mapping vulnerabilities to attack techniques, organizations can better understand the potential impact and plan mitigation strategies accordingly.
• Compliance assurance: The technology helps organizations ensure compliance with policies and regulations by assessing the risk associated with vulnerabilities.

Original Abstract Submitted

An apparatus, a method, and a computer program product are provided that combine policy compliance with vulnerability management to provide a more accurate risk assessment of an environment. The method includes training a policy machine learning model using a first training dataset to generate a policy machine learning model to produce mitigation technique classifications and training a vulnerability machine learning model using a second training dataset to generate a vulnerability machine learning model to produce weakness type classifications. The method also includes mapping the mitigation technique classifications to attack techniques to produce a policy mapping and mapping the weakness type classifications to the attack techniques to produce a vulnerability mapping. The method further includes producing a risk assessment of a vulnerability based on the policy mapping and the vulnerability mapping.