Vulnerability Management Guide: Understand, prioritise, and take control of your cyber risk.

What’s inside the guide?

Vulnerability management is often treated as a technical task. But without structure, ownership, and prioritisation, it becomes hard to manage and easy to overlook.

This guide offers a straightforward approach, based on the NCSC’s 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

Inside, you’ll find:

• A clear definition of what vulnerability management involves
• A breakdown of the five key activities recommended by the NCSC
• Practical steps to set patching policies and track progress
• Advice on managing legacy systems and unsupported software
• Guidance on risk ownership and when not to patch
• Tips on automation and streamlining processes

Whether you’re building your first process or improving an existing one, this Vulnerability Management Guide is a practical resource to help you reduce risk and improve visibility.

Who is it for?

This guide is written for IT, security, and risk professionals working in:

• Mid-sized to large organisations
• Highly regulated industries
• Government and public sector environments

It’s suitable for anyone responsible for patching, vulnerability scanning, asset oversight, or policy decisions.

Why does it matter?

Over 3,000 new vulnerabilities are published every month.
Many are low risk, but some can be exploited quickly and with serious consequences.

A strong vulnerability management process helps you:

• Respond faster when risks appear
• Reduce reliance on manual reviews
• Know what’s been fixed, and what hasn’t
• Communicate technical risk in business terms