Apple Vulnerability Summary

Monitoring Apple software for vulnerabilities is essential to securing a network against exploitation. Apple software is becoming more commonplace in organizations, and as a result are more regularly targeted by attackers. By leveraging vulnerability data gathered by Tenable Nessus, Tenable SecurityCenter is able to provide detailed insight into vulnerabilities related to Apple software deployed in an environment.

The Apple Vulnerabilities Summary dashboard provides insight into vulnerabilities associated with Apple software that may expose an organization to increased risk of exploitation. Vulnerabilities related to various categories of Apple software are specifically tracked. Apple software and devices are becoming more popular in the workplace, and as a result are increasingly targeted for exploitation. By monitoring the network specifically for vulnerabilities in Apple software, security teams can more effectively secure the network against exploitation and intrusion.

The components in this dashboard leverage data gathered by active vulnerability scanning with Nessus and passive vulnerability detection with Tenable Passive Vulnerability Scanner (PVS). The data collected is filtered to provide insight into the vulnerabilities related to Apple software in the environment. Vulnerabilities are tracked by time, severity, and exploitability in order to provide a more complete view of the security status of the network. Security teams can use all of the components in this dashboard to assist in identifying, monitoring, and remediating vulnerabilities in Apple software that may expose their organization to risk.

The dashboard uses the Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) filter to identify many of the software programs used in application development. According to NIST, the CPE is a structured naming scheme for information technology systems, software, and packages. Based upon the generic syntax for Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI), CPE includes a formal name format, a method for checking names against a system, and a description format for binding text and tests to a name. Tenable assigns CPEs to plugins where appropriate. This allows for analysts to search for common CPE prefixes such as “cpe:/a:apple:mail,” “cpe:/o:apple:,” and “cpe:/a:apple:itunes.” Associating CPE strings with vulnerabilities allow the analysts a greater view into separating operating system vulnerabilities from application vulnerabilities, and adds to the level of a vulnerability detail provided to the organization.

This dashboard is available in the SecurityCenter Feed, a comprehensive collection of dashboards, reports, Assurance Report Cards, and assets. The dashboard can be easily located in the SecurityCenter Feed under the category Threat Detection & Vulnerability Assessments. The dashboard requirements are:

• SecurityCenter 5.3.1
• Nessus 6.8.1

Tenable SecurityCenter provides extensive network monitoring by leveraging a unique combination of detection, reporting, and pattern recognition utilizing industry recognized algorithms and models. SecurityCenter is continuously updated to detect advanced threats and vulnerabilities. Tenable constantly analyzes information from our unique sensors, delivering continuous visibility and critical context and enabling decisive action that transforms the security program from reactive to proactive. Continuous vulnerability analysis enables security teams to more effectively tailor remediation efforts. Monitoring the network to ensure that all systems are secured against vulnerabilities is essential to ongoing security efforts. Tenable’s extensive network monitoring capabilities can verify that systems are successfully scanned regularly and secured against vulnerabilities, enabling ongoing improvements to an organization’s security posture.

The following components are included in this dashboard:

• Vulnerability Status at a Glance: This matrix displays the counts of vulnerabilities related to Apple software by severity and discovery date. Counts are provided for medium, high, and critical severity vulnerabilities, as well as exploitable vulnerabilities. Security teams can use this matrix to monitor the detection of vulnerabilities related to Apple software in their environment.
• Vulnerability Trend (Last 90 Days): This trend line chart depicts the detection of vulnerabilities related to specific categories of Apple software over the last 90 days. Each line is filtered for medium, high, and critical severity vulnerabilities related to a category of Apple software. The data points are calculated every 3 days to provide the most accurate trend of vulnerabilities detected over time. Security teams can use this line chart to track the presence of various types of vulnerabilities in Apple software over time.
• Criticals at a Glance: This table lists the critical vulnerabilities related to Apple software detected in the environment. Relevant vulnerabilities with a critical severity level are shown to focus on the vulnerabilities that present the highest level of risk to the organization. For each vulnerability, the plugin name, family, severity, and total count are listed. Security teams can use this component to identify and remediate the highest risk vulnerabilities in Apple software.
• Vulnerability Summary: This matrix displays information about the systems and vulnerabilities detected on the network, listed by Apple software category. The counts of vulnerabilities and impacted systems are provided, along with percentages of systems with vulnerabilities and exploitable systems. The percentage bars are color-coded based on the percentage of systems that meet the specified filters. The bar turns yellow when 0-50% of systems meet the filter requirement, orange when 50-75% of systems do, and red when more than 75% of systems do. Security teams can use this component to identify high-risk Apple software and the potentially impacted systems.