How I Managed Vulnerabilities that Can’t be Remediated?

As a security analyst, one of the most challenging aspects of my job is dealing with vulnerabilities that simply can’t be fixed. Despite my best efforts to remediate all issues to protect my organization, I often encounter roadblocks that prevent me from completely resolving certain vulnerabilities. In this post, I’ll share my experiences and techniques for managing vulnerabilities when traditional remediation isn’t feasible.

Why Some Vulnerabilities Can’t Be Patched?

Before diving into solutions, it’s important to understand why some vulnerabilities can’t be patched. There are a few common reasons:

The common thread is that forces outside of the security team’s control prevent the true remediation of flaws in these systems. So what can be done instead to manage and mitigate the risks?

Compensating Controls

When I encounter unpatchable vulnerabilities, my first line of defense is layering on compensating controls. The goal is to reduce the overall risk of exploitation through other means, even if the root vulnerability remains unresolved.

Some of my favorite compensating controls include:

The controls above don’t eliminate vulnerabilities, but they constrain the risk to levels I deem acceptable. They buy time and protection until the underlying flaws can hopefully be patched.

Decommission and Replace End-of-Life Systems

In cases involving highly vulnerable legacy platforms and software, compensating controls only go so far. If patching simply isn’t possible at all, the only true long-term solution is decommissioning and replacing outdated systems.

But ripping and replacing critical systems is often easier said than done. It requires proper planning, budgets, testing, and execution without disruption. For large enterprises, migrations like Windows 7 to Windows 10 can take years. Still, I always make this case to senior leadership when I encounter highly exposed legacy platforms:

I frame decommissioning legacy systems prone to unpatchable flaws as a necessary, long-term investment to avoid security incidents down the road. The costs to secure outdated technology eventually outweigh the migration expenses. And by starting early, I can implement compensating controls to safely bridge old and new systems during the transition period.

Exceptions for Business Needs

Occasionally, my security recommendations to decommission legacy systems conflict with business objectives. Replacing some systems would badly disrupt operations or require budget my organization simply doesn’t have yet. In these cases, I work closely with business leaders on exceptions to keep systems online despite unpatched flaws.

The executives understand the security risks involved with exceptions. I provide complete transparency through regular reports and metrics on vulnerability status, risk levels, exploitation attempts and more. Together, we define sunsetting timelines to decommission legacy systems on a roadmap aligned with business needs.

Meanwhile, I implement virtual patching or micro patching and the compensating controls mentioned earlier to minimize risk. While not ideal, blending security best practices with business realities is necessary to move towards modernization at my organization’s pace.

Final Thoughts

Managing vulnerabilities that evade remediation presents unique challenges for me as a security analyst. Through compensating controls, legacy system replacements, and transparent exceptions, I reduce risk levels for my organization to acceptable thresholds. What techniques have you leveraged to handle unpatchable vulnerabilities? I welcome any advice in the comments below!

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