DRAG DROP Order the below steps to create an effective vulnerability management process.

This sequence represents a logical and standard methodology for establishing an effective vulnerability management program.

1. Identify assets: The foundational step is to create a comprehensive inventory of all hardware and software assets. An organization cannot protect what it does not know it has. This step defines the scope of the entire program.
2. Identify risks: Once assets are known, an initial risk assessment is performed to identify existing vulnerabilities and understand their potential impact. This establishes a baseline and helps prioritize subsequent actions.
3. Implement recurring scanning schedule: To ensure continuous discovery, an automated scanning process is implemented. This operationalizes the vulnerability identification phase, allowing the organization to detect new vulnerabilities in a timely manner.
4. Implement change management: Before remediation actions (like patching) are performed, a formal governance process for change management must be established. This ensures that all changes are reviewed, tested, and approved, minimizing operational disruption.
5. Implement patch deployment: With a governance framework in place, the technical tools and procedures for patch deployment can be implemented. This is the primary remediation step to fix the vulnerabilities discovered during scanning.

The MITRE Corporation. (2010). A Reference Architecture for Enterprise Vulnerability Management. Section 2.1, "Foundational Components," emphasizes that Asset Management is a prerequisite for the vulnerability management lifecycle, which consists of scanning, analysis, and remediation.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2020). Special Publication (SP) 800-53, Revision 5: Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations. Control RA-5 (Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning) mandates scanning systems, which presupposes an inventory defined in CM-8 (System Component Inventory). Furthermore, remediation is governed by CM-3 (Configuration Change Control), reinforcing the need for change management before implementing fixes.

Enck, W., & Moyer, T. (2007). Towards a More Secure, Available, and Manageable Enterprise Infrastructure. MIT Lincoln Laboratory. The paper discusses the importance of a structured approach starting with asset discovery, followed by vulnerability assessment, and then controlled remediation, highlighting that "patch management is the primary mechanism for mitigating software vulnerabilities" (p. 2) and must be done in a controlled manner.

Al-Shaer, E., & El-Atawy, A. (2008). Network configuration in a box: A toolbox for building secure and available network configuration management systems. Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Security and Trust Management (STM '08). The work implicitly supports the sequence by discussing the necessity of knowing the network state (assets and configuration) before managing changes and vulnerabilities. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-85247-0_1