SAP Vulnerability Management refers to identifying issues and potential risks to SAP security, assessing the business impact of each risk on SAP customers, and reducing the risk of cyber attacks within a company’s software ecosystem over time.
This article will provide a more in-depth view of SAP Vulnerability Management and the main use cases associated with the solution, as well as where our team of SAP consultants can come in to help.
Read on to learn more!
What is Vulnerability Management in SAP?
SAP systems are complex and often consist of multiple interconnected modules, databases, and interfaces, making them more susceptible targets for cyberattacks.
With well-defined SAP vulnerability management processes, companies across industries can scan and monitor their SAP applications to identify vulnerabilities that unauthorized users and other threat actors could exploit, like weak access controls or misconfigurations.
Once vulnerabilities are detected, companies can prioritize and address each issue through remediation measures, such as patch management, security configuration, or security awareness training for SAP administrators and end-users.
Regular vulnerability management practices help to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of business-critical applications, making it easier to protect essential business data, reduce the risk of potential security vulnerabilities and breaches, and maintain compliance with cybersecurity regulations.
Key Steps in the SAP Vulnerability Management Process
Organizations must have a comprehensive strategy to combat asset vulnerabilities that identifies new threats and determines which assets are the most vulnerable.
Here’s a list of the main steps involved in the SAP Vulnerability Management process:
1) Identify your assets.
The first step of the SAP vulnerability management process involves identifying the assets to be assessed for vulnerabilities, including scanning the environment in which the asset resides and generating a comprehensive report of each asset. This helps SAP users determine at-risk assets and assess the level of patching, remediation, or investigation needed to combat the issues related to each asset.
2) Prioritize key SAP vulnerabilities.
After identifying which assets pose a greater security risk, companies must assess the threat level associated with each asset, assign value to each asset, generate a list of prioritized assets, add threat context to related reports, and communicate all threat information with key stakeholders.
3) Create a plan of action.
Once you’ve created a list of prioritized vulnerabilities, there are three main courses of action to follow:
- Accept the risk of the vulnerable asset if a non-critical asset or threat of exposure is low
- Develop a strategy to mitigate the vulnerability, making it difficult for attackers to exploit the system
- Remediate the vulnerability by patching or upgrading the asset before it’s an entry point for attacks
4) Reassess your SAP systems.
Conducting reassessments of all SAP applications helps companies determine whether or not the previous action has been successful, validate their work, and assess the need for new actions based on reporting metrics or the success of ongoing vulnerability management efforts.
5) Drive continuous improvement.
By regularly examining the full vulnerability management lifecycle and conducting continuous improvement assessments, companies can improve weak defenses, eliminate underlying issues, and reevaluate vulnerabilities to mitigate risks over time.
For more information about preventing security risks across your ERP solutions, click here.
How to: Customer-Initiated Penetration Testing
Customer-initiated penetration testing plays a pivotal role in SAP vulnerability management by offering a proactive approach to identifying and addressing potential security weaknesses within the SAP environment.
By simulating real-world cyberattacks, organizations can assess the resilience of their SAP systems to various threats, such as unauthorized access, data breaches, and system manipulation. It also empowers businesses to identify vulnerabilities that may go unnoticed through traditional security measures and allows them to take targeted actions to remediate these issues before malicious actors can exploit them.
Vulnerability assessments, including SAP-managed or customer-initiated penetration tests, are designed to help companies improve the overall security of their SAP applications and reduce vulnerabilities within their core assets.
Here’s a quick how-to guide on customer-initiated penetration testing:
Request Phase
In this phase, users will submit a service ticket request to perform a vulnerability assessment in the SAP ONE Support Launchpad. Administrators will receive a notification via email if the request is approved.
Testing Phase
Users will perform requested tests according to agreed rules of engagement and approved testing scopes.
Validation Phase
Once testing is complete, users will send test reports and completed tracking lists to be validated by the SAP Product Security Response Team (PSRT).
Remediation Phase
Test reports must contain all necessary details and supporting evidence for each proposed vulnerability. If the finding is a vulnerability, the PSRT will conduct follow-up actions until the issue is resolved.
Main Advantages of SAP Vulnerability Assessment
- Gain better visibility into the most critical assets in your SAP systems
- Initiate, manage, and monitor remediation practices
- Understand the impact of each risk on business-critical applications
- Create reports to manage risk and measure success
- Leverage data-driven reports to make better, more informed decisions
How Can We Help?
Whether you need help leveraging the ICM SAP component to enable communication between SAP systems and other business-critical applications, additional support assessing SAP security recommendations and best practices, or just an extra hand creating a plan of action for vulnerable assets, Surety Systems is here to help.
Our team of senior-level, US-based SAP consultants has what it takes to lead you to success, regardless of the nature of your SAP vulnerabilities or the complexity of your organizational structure.
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Interested in learning how to maintain consistency and security across your core SAP applications?
Ready to get started on your SAP journey, but don’t know where to begin?
Contact us today for more information about our SAP consulting services!
