Overview
Regular vulnerability scans are important to keep IT systems secure. This case study explains how we used routine scans to find and fix vulnerabilities. We focused on identifying outdated software versions and SSL issues to reduce security risks.
The Story
After making updates and changes to our applications, we ran a vulnerability scan. The goal was to check if these updates introduced new issues or made old ones worse. We wanted to ensure our systems were secure and free of problems like outdated software or weak SSL setups.
We set up the scan to cover all key systems, including servers, web applications, and network devices. Since the applications had recently changed, we paid extra attention to these updates. The scan provided a detailed report on software versions, SSL protocols, and other configurations.
The scan found several vulnerabilities related to the recent updates. Some servers were using older versions of Apache HTTP Server (2.4.48) and OpenSSL (1.1.1f). Additionally, some endpoints were using outdated SSL protocols like SSL 3.0 and TLS 1.0. Weak cipher suites were identified, and a few SSL certificates had expired.
We quickly started fixing these issues. First, we updated the outdated software. Apache HTTP Server was upgraded to version 2.4.57, and OpenSSL was updated to its latest version. Next, we fixed the SSL problems by replacing weak cipher suites with stronger ones, such as AES256-GCM-SHA384, and ensured all systems used TLS 1.2 or higher. Expired SSL certificates were renewed and installed.
After making these fixes, we ran another scan to confirm that the problems were resolved. The second scan showed that the outdated software and SSL issues were fixed. No critical or high-risk vulnerabilities were left.
We documented everything in a detailed report. It included the vulnerabilities we found, how we fixed them, and the results of the second scan. This report was shared with stakeholders to show the importance of regular scans, especially after making changes to applications.
Fixing these issues wasn’t without challenges. We had to carefully plan downtime to update critical servers and test how stricter SSL settings would affect older clients. However, these efforts paid off as we improved the security of our systems and showed our commitment to staying ahead of potential threats.
Conclusion
This case study shows how important it is to run vulnerability scans after making changes to applications. Regular scans help find and fix issues quickly, ensuring updates don’t weaken security. By addressing vulnerabilities early, we improved our defenses and built trust in the reliability of our systems.
