Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsTo check whether your organization is running vulnerable software, first build a current inventory of assets and the software versions on them, then compare those records with vendor advisories and maintained vulnerability data. Validate potential matches, prioritize affected systems by risk, remediate or mitigate them, and check that the fix worked. A scanner can help, but its results do not prove that every asset was discovered or every version identified accurately.
1. Define what you need to find
Set the scope before scanning: user endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, network appliances, containers, other software-defined infrastructure, and operational technology (OT), if present. Identify the owner of each asset and the system or systems that serve as your authoritative inventory.
Record enough information to locate and act on a finding. Useful fields include asset identifier, location or environment, business or technical owner, software and product identity, detected version, detection time, collection source, and remediation status. CISA’s incident guidance for Log4Shell also calls for recording update timestamps, responsible personnel, user accounts and privilege levels, and the asset’s position in the enterprise topology; treat those as practical context, not a universal required schema. CISA Log4Shell guidance
NIST recommends reviewing component inventories at an organization-defined frequency and updating them when software is installed, removed, or updated. Choose a review schedule that reflects your rate of change and level of risk. NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3
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2. Discover assets through more than one channel
No single discovery method is likely to provide complete coverage in a mixed environment. CISA identifies active scanning, passive network-flow monitoring, logs, and APIs for software-defined infrastructure as discovery methods. Use the channels suited to your architecture, permissions, and operational constraints, and include cloud resources and systems that do not behave like standard office computers. CISA BOD 23-01
What different discovery methods can tell you
- Unauthenticated network discovery: can identify reachable hosts and exposed services, but usually offers less detail about installed applications and patch levels.
- Credentialed scans or endpoint clients: where technically feasible, suitable access can improve identification of installed software, operating-system attributes, missing updates, outdated versions, and misconfigurations.
- Passive telemetry, logs, and APIs: can provide additional visibility into network activity and software-defined or cloud environments without relying on a single scanner’s reach.
Track which known assets each method reaches, when it last collected data, and where credentials, unsupported platforms, or other gaps prevent reliable identification. CISA BOD 23-01 requires covered federal agencies to update vulnerability-detection signatures no less frequently than 24 hours after a vendor releases them. That is a directive-specific requirement, not a universal cadence for every organization. CISA BOD 23-01
3. Identify software and versions precisely
A familiar product name alone may not be enough to match a vulnerability. Capture the vendor, product, edition, platform, version, build or patch level, and component details when available. Keep a readable product name alongside a machine-usable identifier that can be matched to the vulnerability information you use.
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Use software identity data as supporting evidence
Software Identification (SWID) tags are structured records that can describe a product, characterize its version, list artifacts, and record relationships and other metadata. NIST identifies uses that include software asset management, vulnerability assessment, missing-patch detection, and integrity verification. NIST Software Identification (SWID) Tagging
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For purchased, open-source, and in-house software, request and catalog machine-readable software bills of materials (SBOMs) where practical. NIST’s supply-chain guidance discusses formats including SPDX, CycloneDX, and SWID in the federal acquisition context, and recommends integrating vulnerability detection with an SBOM repository and aligning results with asset inventory. An SBOM describes software components and relationships; by itself, it does not establish which versions are currently deployed or running on a particular asset. NIST SBOM guidance
NIST describes the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) as specifications for exchanging security-automation content used in compliance assessment and detection of vulnerable software versions. Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) is intended as a software identifier, not as an inventory standard. These identifiers can assist matching, but the inventory still needs to connect the identified software to real assets. NIST SCAP v2 FAQs
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4. Compare your inventory with vulnerability information
Use maintained vulnerability information appropriate to the products you run, including vendor security advisories and established vulnerability feeds. Compare product identity and affected-version ranges rather than simply assuming that any lower version number is vulnerable. Vendors may backport fixes, use different editions or build schemes, or make applicability depend on configuration.
For SBOM-covered software, connect vulnerability detection to the SBOM repository, then align possible component matches with the deployed asset and its business context. When a tool reports a potential match, treat it as a lead to validate: confirm the product and version, whether the component is present, whether the affected conditions apply, and whether a vendor patch or mitigation is available. Keep the time and source of both the inventory observation and vulnerability information so others can understand what was compared.
5. Prioritize findings and remediate
Prioritize using exposure, exploitability, business criticality, and operational context. Pay particular attention to internet-facing software and vulnerabilities known to be exploited; CISA’s ransomware guidance emphasizes timely patching in these cases. CISA #StopRansomware Guide
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Follow the supplier’s current affected-version and mitigation guidance. Apply patches or documented mitigations through your change process, record what changed and when, and track systems that cannot be patched immediately. CISA’s Log4Shell response guidance illustrates why teams should retain records of suspected and affected assets, software versions, asset context, and remediation status. CISA Log4Shell guidance
For legacy software without a supplier SBOM, NIST describes binary decomposition to generate an SBOM as a possible option when technically and legally feasible. This is an advanced approach, not a routine first step for every organization. NIST SBOM guidance
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.6. Verify fixes and keep coverage current
Where possible, rescan or use an independent method to check that the fix took effect. CISA’s Log4Shell guidance recommends using more than one verification method when possible, monitoring assets, and watching for vendor updates. Preserve records of vulnerable assets and their remediation state for audit and investigation. CISA Log4Shell guidance
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Review exceptions and detection gaps against other sources of asset information, such as endpoint management, cloud inventories, procurement, and configuration management. Keep visible the assets with unknown software identity, stale observations, missing credentials, unsupported platforms, or unconfirmed ownership. Increase checks when rapid changes or an urgent advisory make the usual schedule insufficient.
Choose collection methods for the environment
There is no single collection approach that fits every organization. Compare options against these practical factors:
- Coverage: whether it reaches endpoints, servers, cloud resources, networked infrastructure, and OT.
- Collection method and access: whether it uses an agent, credentialed or uncredentialed scan, passive telemetry, logs, or APIs, and what permissions it needs.
- Version detail: whether it identifies exact products, editions, builds, patch levels, and component versions.
- Freshness and integration: how often it discovers assets and updates vulnerability content, and whether it connects to inventory, configuration management, patching, and SBOM repositories.
- Operational impact: whether scanning or agents could disrupt sensitive production systems or OT devices.
- Evidence and workflow: whether reports show scope, coverage, detections, owners, remediation status, and verification results.
NIST’s security-hygiene practice guide emphasizes selecting products that integrate with existing tools and IT infrastructure. For OT, account for how a tool collects data and test it where appropriate before using it in production; active scanning can be unsuitable for sensitive devices. NIST SP 1800-31 NIST Guide to Operational Technology (OT) Security
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