- Cybersecurity-focused to implement a program-level Attack Surface Management (ASM) function.
- Holistic approach to govern software patching, vulnerability scanning and penetration testing activities.
- Supports evolving requirements for proactive maintenance and remediation activities.
- Immense time & cost savings - provides a streamlined approach to patching & vulnerability management.
Don't Write It From Scratch.
When an auditor or customer asks how your organization finds, prioritizes, and remediates vulnerabilities, and how quickly, can you point to a documented program, or just a scanning tool? "How vulnerabilities are managed" is one of the most common audit deficiencies, because most teams have the tooling but not the program behind it. Writing that program from a blank page pulls your engineers away from actually fixing things. The Vulnerability & Patch Management Program (VPMP) gives you a running start: an editable, program-level framework that defines ownership, scope, the vulnerability management methodology, remediation timelines, and scanning and penetration testing guidance. It gets you roughly 80 to 90 percent of the way there, then your team tailors the scope and timelines to your environment.
Is your organization looking for a patch and vulnerability management program? ComplianceForge's Vulnerability & Patch Management Program (VPMP) is an editable Microsoft Word document that provides program-level guidance that directly supports your company's policies and standards for managing vulnerabilities. This product addresses the “how?” questions for how your company manages technical vulnerabilities and patch management operations. Answering how vulnerabilities are managed is one of the most common deficiencies in audits, so this product fills a very crucial gap in most cybersecurity programs. The VPMP addresses fundamental needs when it comes to reasonably-expected vulnerability management requirements:
- Who is responsible for managing vulnerabilities?
- What is in scope for patching and vulnerability management?
- Defines the vulnerability management methodology.
- Defines timelines for conducting patch management operations.
- Considerations for assessing risk with vulnerability management.
- Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing guidance.
- Information Assurance (IA) guidance to support secure engineering activities.
Some of our customers claim they are looking for a vulnerability management program framework that aligns with some of the leading frameworks. Our VPMP is framework-independent (e.g., ISO, NIST, COBIT, etc.), and it can serve as the cornerstone in your organization's technical vulnerability management program. It can stand alone or be paired with other specialized products we offer. The VPMP was one of the most challenging documents we've developed over the last decade. The reason for this is the need to address and unify various components that are complex on their own - patching systems, vulnerability scanning, remediation activities and penetration testing. What this program-level document establishes is the framework to provide direction to and govern those functions, regardless of who is actually doing the work. Depending on the makeup of the organization, it can be pure IT, cybersecurity personnel, outsourced staffing or a combination of all. Given the cost associated with the effort to create a documented vulnerability management program from scratch, the VPMP priced to be affordable to all organizations.
- A new contract/regulation specifically calls out a vulnerability management capability and the vendor can't meet that requirement (e.g., NIST 800-171);
- A company is going to get audited soon by an external party and is scrambling for documentation its staff can easily implement;
- A company just failed an external audit and its staff is scrambling to implement a program to make up for the deficiency in the audit;
- Recent leadership changes uncovered internal program weaknesses that need to be remediated;
- An annual internal review of IT General Controls (ITGC) pointed to deficient processes within vulnerability management; and
- A risk assessment identified remediation efforts as deficient and the issue needs to be remediated to remove it from the risk register.
What Is The VPMP?
Once again, our customers spoke and we listened - our customers needed documentation to help them prove the existence of a "vulnerability management program" to address this common requirement in vendor contracts and newer regulations. Similar to the other cybersecurity documentation we sell, many of our customers tried and failed to create their own program-level documentation. It is not uncommon for organizations to spent hundreds of man-hours on this type of documentation effort and only have it end in failure. That is why we are very excited about this product, since it fills a void at most organizations, both large and small.
The VPMP is an editable Microsoft Word document that gives an organization the program-level framework to govern technical vulnerability management. Where most cybersecurity documentation describes what controls should exist, the VPMP describes how patching, vulnerability scanning, remediation activities, and penetration testing fit together as a single unified program. This makes the VPMP the operational bridge between high-level policies and the tactical work that operations teams perform every day.
This product is intended for cybersecurity, IT operations, and engineering teams that need a defensible technical vulnerability management program. The VPMP is also valuable for organizations preparing for external audits, failed-audit remediation, ITGC reviews, or risk assessments where vulnerability management is identified as a gap that needs to be closed.
The VPMP can help with compliance with the following statutory, regulatory and contractual sources, which specifically have requirements surrounding patching, vulnerability remediation, vulnerability scanning and penetration testing:
- NIST 800-53 rev 4 - SI-2 & SA-11
- NIST 800-171 - 3.14.1, 3.14.2 & 3.14.3
- PCI DSS - 6.1, 6.2 & 6.6
- ISO 27002 - 12.6.1 & 16.1.3
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework - ID.RA-1 & PR.IP-12
- CIS Critical Security Controls - 4.5, 4.7 & 16.6
- MA 201 CMR 17.00 - 17.04(6)
- OR 646A - 622(2)(d)(B)(iii)
- NIST 800-53 rev 4 - PM-04
- NIST 800-171 - 3.11.3 & 3.12.2
- ISO 27002 - 12.6.1
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework - ID.RA-6
- CIS Critical Security Controls - 4.7, 4.8 & 18.1
- MA 201 CMR 17.00 - 17.03(2)(j)
- OR 646A - 622(2)(d)(B)(iii)
- CIS Critical Security Controls - 18.1
- NIST 800-53 rev 4 - RA-5
- NIST 800-171 - 3.11.2
- PCI DSS - 11.2
- ISO 27002 - 12.6.1 & 18.2.3
- HIPAA - 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A)
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework - ID.RA-1, PR.IP-12, DE.CM-8, DE.DP-4, DE.DP-5, RS.CO-3 & RS.MI-3
- CIS Critical Security Controls - 4.1-4.8 & 15.2
- OR 646A - 622(2)(B)(iii) & 622(2)(d(A)(iii)
- NIST 800-53 rev 4 - CA-8
- NIST 800-171 - 3.12.1
- PCI DSS - 11.3-11.3.3
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework - ID.RA-1
- CIS Critical Security Controls - 20.1-20.8
No Software To Install
The VPMP is a one-time purchase of editable Microsoft Word-based documentation templates. There is no software to install, no agent to deploy, no account to provision, and no cloud environment to configure. If the organization can open and edit Microsoft Word files, the VPMP is ready to use.
Microsoft Word
Delivered as a fully editable .docx file. Compatible with Word 2016 and newer, Microsoft 365, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and Google Docs. The VPMP includes built-in styles, tables, and process flows that are ready for customization.
Email Delivery
Documentation is delivered via email download link within 1-2 business days of purchase, often the same business day. There is no installer, no license server, and no activation step.
One-Time Purchase
A single-entity license is included with purchase. There is no recurring subscription requirement, although an optional update subscription is available to stay current as frameworks and leading practices evolve.
This deployment model is intentional. Vulnerability management documentation belongs in the organization's own hands, inside its own version control and document management systems, rather than locked inside a vendor's SaaS tool. Once delivered, this product belongs to the buyer.
What Problems Does The VPMP Solve?
Lack of In House Security Experience
Writing security documentation is a skill that many good cybersecurity professionals simple are not proficient at and avoid the task at all cost. Tasking your security analysts and engineers to write comprehensive documentation means you are actively taking them away from protecting and defending your network, which is not a wise use of their time. It is not uncommon for organizations to spent hundreds of man-hours on this type of documentation effort and only have it end in failure.
Compliance Requirements
An organization just failed an external audit on vulnerability management. The VPMP gives the team a defensible program structure to remediate the deficiency and demonstrate operational improvements before the next audit cycle.
Audit Failures
Similar to risk management, most organizations run into trouble in audits when asked HOW vulnerabilities and patches are managed, since they cannot provide documentation beyond policies and standards. The VPMP addresses the HOW for you!
Vendor Requirements
Requirements such as PCI DSS, MA 201 CMR 17.00 and NIST 800-171 establish a mandate to formally manage vulnerabilities. The VPMP addresses these compliance requirements!
How Does The VPMP Solve These Problems?
The VPMP addresses each technical vulnerability management challenge with concrete, measurable outcomes. It is designed to take an organization from fragmented patching, scanning, and remediation practices to a defensible, repeatable program in weeks rather than months.
Clear Documentation
The VPMP provides the comprehensive documentation to prove that your vulnerability and patch management program exists.
Time Savings
The VPMP provides actionable guidance on what steps can be taken to proactively address risk and keep systems patched in a sustainable manner.
Alignment With Leading Practices
The VPMP is written to support leading practices for patching, vulnerability scanning, penetration testing and vulnerability remediation.
What Is Included?
The VPMP is delivered as an editable Microsoft Word document. Purchase includes a single-entity license and the first year of product updates. The package contains the program framework, supporting templates, and framework mapping content.
VPMP Document
Editable Microsoft Word document covering the program-level framework for technical vulnerability management, including scope, applicability, roles and responsibilities, the unified program lifecycle, and the governance model for patching, scanning, remediation, and penetration testing functions.
Supplemental Documentation
Multiple supplemental documentation to assist in the implementation of the CPMP, including PDF references, start here guides, and a zone-based patching matrix.
The Cornerstone Of Technical Vulnerability Management
Most cybersecurity documentation addresses vulnerability management in fragments: patching policy here, scanning standard there, penetration testing scope somewhere else. The VPMP is different: it serves as the cornerstone that unifies these into one defensible technical vulnerability management program. This makes the VPMP the missing program-level framework between high-level policies and the tactical patching, scanning, and remediation work that operations teams perform every day.
Cost Savings Estimate
When you look at the costs associated with either (1) hiring an external consultant to write cybersecurity documentation for you or (2) tasking your internal staff to write it, the cost comparisons paint a clear picture that buying from ComplianceForge is the logical option. Compared to hiring a consultant, you can save months of wait time and tens of thousands of dollars. Whereas, compared to writing your own documentation, you can potentially save hundreds of work hours and the associated cost of lost productivity. Purchasing the VPMP from ComplianceForge offers these fundamental advantages when compared to the other options for obtaining quality cybersecurity documentation:
Internal Staff Cost
For your internal staff to generate comparable documentation, it would take them an estimated 180internal staff work hours, which equates to a cost of approximately $15,500 in staff-related expenses. This is about 3 to 5 months of development time where your senior cybersecurity and operations staff would be diverted from operational duties.
The VPMP is approximately 12% of the cost for your internal staff to generate equivalent documentation.
External Consultant Cost
If you hire a consultant to generate this documentation, it would take them an estimated 100 consultant work hours, which equates to a cost of approximately $30,000. This is about 2 to 3 months of development time for a contractor to provide you with the deliverable.
The VPMP is approximately 7% of the cost for an external consultant to generate equivalent documentation.
Product Examples
The VPMP addresses program-level guidance on HOW to actually manage patching and vulnerability management, including vulnerability scanning and penetration testing. Policies & standards are absolutely necessary to an organization, but they fail to describe HOW vulnerabilities are actually managed. The VPMP provides this middle ground between high-level policies and the actual procedures of how systems are patched, systems scanned, etc. on a day-to-day basis by those individual contributors who execute vulnerability management tasks.
Coverage spans the strategic, operational, and tactical components of a technical vulnerability management program, regardless of whether the organization's primary framework is NIST, ISO, COBIT, SCF, or another framework.
Below is a PDF example containing a sample of the policies & standards you would receive upon purchasing the VPMP.
How Much Customization Remains?
Given the difficult nature of writing templated vulnerability management documentation, ComplianceForge aims for approximately an 80% solution because it is impossible to write a 100% cookie-cutter document that can be equally applied across every organization. Technical vulnerability management depends on the specific patching tools, scanning platforms, remediation cadence, and risk tolerance of the organization, so the remaining work is fine-tuning the VPMP with the specific information that only the organization knows.
In practice, customization is filling in the blanks and following the guidance provided to identify the who, what, when, where, why, and how for the specific organization. Typical customization tasks include adding the company name and logo, naming actual role owners (patching, scanning, remediation, penetration testing), tailoring the program lifecycle to the existing tooling and cadence, calibrating remediation timelines to the organization's risk tolerance, and integrating the VPMP with existing change management and incident response workflows.
Professional Services
ComplianceForge offers optional professional services to customize purchased documentation. Professional services are not required to customize ComplianceForge documentation. However, some clients want our subject matter expertise to help customize their documentation to meet their specific business needs. If you have any questions about our professional services, please contact us at:
We offer the following professional service bundles:
5-Hour Bundle
This includes five (5) hours of professional services, which may be beneficial for companies that need some guidance on getting started with how to tailor their documentation.
10-Hour Bundle
This includes ten (10) hours of professional services, which may be beneficial for companies that need additional guidance on tailoring their documentation to meet their compliance requirements.
20-Hour Bundle
This includes twenty (20) hours of professional services, which may be beneficial for companies that need robust services, beyond just 10 hours, to assist in tailoring their documentation to meet their compliance requirements.
Purchased professional service hours expire 120 days (4 months) from the time of purchase if unused. Hours are intended to supplement, not replace, your own customization work, since only your organization knows the exact details to tailor your documentation. For questions regarding scoping a professional services engagement or configuring a custom package, contact ComplianceForge directly through the Contact Us page.
Why Vulnerability Management Matters
Technical vulnerability management has become a baseline expectation across regulatory, contractual, and insurance contexts. Every major framework (NIST 800-53, NIST CSF, ISO 27002, PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, CMMC) expects evidence of a defined vulnerability management program with patching cadence, scanning rigor, and remediation SLAs. Cyber insurance underwriters increasingly require evidence of formal vulnerability management as a precondition for coverage. Customer due-diligence reviews routinely include questions about vulnerability scanning cadence, patching SLAs, and penetration testing scope.
Without a documented vulnerability management program, organizations face audit findings, lost contracts, denied insurance claims, and the operational chaos of fragmented patching and remediation work owned by different teams with different priorities. The VPMP provides the program-level framework that makes vulnerability management demonstrable to auditors, regulators, customers, and insurers as one defensible program rather than a collection of disconnected tactical activities.
ComplianceForge also offers another product to assist in Vulnerability Management, which we call the Secure Baseline Configurations (SBC).
