Which method is the most cost-effective for identifying new vendor vulnerabilities?

Identifying new vendor vulnerabilities is a critical aspect of information risk management, and leveraging external vulnerability reporting sources is a highly efficient method to achieve this. These sources include security advisories, vulnerability databases, and threat intelligence feeds, which provide timely updates on vulnerabilities found in various software and systems. Utilizing such resources allows organizations to stay informed about the latest vulnerabilities without incurring significant costs associated with hiring external consultants or investing in specialized software.

Additionally, external sources can offer insights from a broader community perspective, as they often include contributed knowledge from various experts and organizations, providing a comprehensive view of potential threats. This approach is typically less resource-intensive compared to periodic assessments by consultants, which may require ongoing contracts and can be costly.

Using intrusion prevention software or honeypots can be beneficial for real-time threat detection and monitoring. However, they are not primarily focused on identifying new vendor vulnerabilities and may incur higher implementation and maintenance costs. Therefore, relying on external vulnerability reporting sources proves to be a more economical and efficient strategy in identifying and addressing new vulnerabilities introduced by vendors.