How to write a vulnerability management policy

Why this policy proves your security is alive

Finding vulnerabilities is easy; fixing them on a schedule is what auditors check. A vulnerability management policy defines how you discover weaknesses, decide what to fix first, and remediate within set timeframes — turning a scanner report into an operating discipline.

What to include

Scope — systems, applications, endpoints and cloud in scope.
Discovery — scanning frequency, authenticated scans, and intake of vendor advisories and CVEs.
Prioritisation — severity scoring (e.g. CVSS) combined with exposure and asset criticality.
Remediation SLAs — fix deadlines by severity (e.g. critical in days, high in weeks), the heart of the policy.
Patch management — testing, scheduling and emergency patching.
Exceptions — risk-accepted findings, time-boxed and approved.
Reporting — metrics and trends for management.

Common mistakes

Scanning without remediation SLAs, so findings pile up.
One generic deadline for all severities.
No exception process, so overdue items get quietly ignored instead of risk-accepted.

Framework alignment

Maps to ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 8.8 (management of technical vulnerabilities), the SOC 2 criteria, and NIST CSF Detect/Protect.

Primary sources

NIST SP 800-40 Rev. 4 — Guide to Enterprise Patch Management Planning (csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/40/r4/final).
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 — Annex A control 8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities (iso.org/standard/27001).
CISA — Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog (cisa.gov).

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Frequently asked questions

What are remediation SLAs and why do they matter?

Remediation SLAs are fix deadlines by severity — for example critical within days, high within weeks. They are the heart of the policy, because finding vulnerabilities is easy but fixing them on a schedule is what auditors check. Without SLAs, findings simply pile up.

How should vulnerabilities be prioritised?

Combine a severity score such as CVSS with real-world exposure and asset criticality. A medium-severity flaw on an internet-facing critical system can outrank a high-severity one on an isolated test box. Avoid a single generic deadline for all severities.

What should happen to vulnerabilities you cannot fix in time?

Use a formal exception process: the finding is risk-accepted, time-boxed and approved by an accountable owner. Without one, overdue items get quietly ignored instead of consciously accepted — which auditors treat as an uncontrolled risk under ISO 27001 Annex A 8.8.