Mark Watney, an astronaut, is stranded on Mars with few resources and a damaged habitat in Ridley Scott’s The Martian. His survival hinges on one critical principle: identify problems quickly and fix them immediately. Watney needs to find problems and fix them right away if he wants to stay alive, whether that means patching up a hole in the Hab or hacking into a communication system. This is the core of CIS Safeguard 7.7, which emphasizes the necessity of remediating enterprise system vulnerabilities. Detection alone isn’t enough. Action is what prevents disaster.
What Is CIS Safeguard 7.7?
CIS Safeguard 7.7 is part of the Vulnerability Management control family. It states:
“Remediate detected vulnerabilities on a timely basis, based on risk.”
This safeguard builds on the previous steps of identifying and scanning for vulnerabilities. Once vulnerabilities are found; whether through automated scans, threat intelligence, or manual discovery; they must be prioritized and remediated based on their potential impact.
Why it’s important (Ask Mark Watney)
Watney’s habitat is damaged in The Martian. He immediately repairs it with duct tape and plastic sheeting rather than waiting for a committee or a monthly review cycle. His life depends on it.
The stakes in cybersecurity are different, but not less serious. A known vulnerability left unpatched can be exploited within hours. Attackers act quickly rather than waiting for change control windows. So must defenders.
How to Put It into Use
Organizations must comply with CIS Safeguard 7.7 in order to:
- Recognize that not all vulnerabilities are created equal and implement a risk-based remediation strategy.
- Prioritize fixes based on CVSS scores and business context.
- When possible, automate patch deployment, particularly for critical systems.
- Track remediation timelines and set SLAs (e.g., critical vulns patched within 72 hours).
- Conduct follow-up scans or configuration checks to confirm remediation.
- Time-to-remediate, open vulnerabilities, and trends should be reported to leadership.
Pop Culture Parallel: Watney’s Mars Mission
Watney’s success wasn’t just about being smart, it was about being decisive and resourceful. He didn’t put problems off or wait for ideal circumstances. He prioritized, triaged, and remedied, frequently under extreme pressure and with limited resources. Cybersecurity teams face similar constraints: limited staff, complex environments, and constant threats. But like Watney, success comes from acting on what you know, not just knowing it.
Final Thoughts
CIS Safeguard 7.7 is the action phase of vulnerability management. It’s where detection turns into defense. Just like in The Martian, survival depends not on identifying problems—but on fixing them.
So when your scanners light up with red alerts, channel your inner Mark Watney: patch the breach, seal the hole, and keep your systems breathing.
Resources
Here’s a link to the Policy Templates provided free of charge from the fine folks at the Center for Internet Security:
Do you want even more information? Here you go. Send me a message if this still does not satisfy your curiosity.
CIS Control 7 – Continuous Vulnerability Management
Develop a plan to continuously assess and track vulnerabilities on all enterprise assets within the enterprise’s infrastructure, in order to remediate, and minimize, the window of opportunity for attackers. Look for new information about threats and vulnerabilities from both public and private industry sources.
Remediate Detected Vulnerabilities in CIS Safeguard 7.7
Depending on the remediation process, remediate software vulnerabilities discovered through processes and tooling on a monthly or more frequent basis.
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