What should occur every 36 months when it pertains to active vulnerability assessments?

Performing an active vulnerability assessment in either the test or production environment every 36 months is critical for identifying and mitigating potential security risks within an organization's infrastructure. This process ensures that the security posture of the systems is regularly evaluated against the evolving threat landscape and changes in the operational environment.

Regular assessments help organizations discover vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors. By conducting these assessments in both test and production environments, organizations can better understand the potential impacts of vulnerabilities and validate the effectiveness of existing security controls. The frequency is significant; conducting these assessments every 36 months aligns with best practices for maintaining a robust security framework and regulatory compliance, such as those outlined in the NERC CIP standards.

In contrast, limiting the assessment to only the test environment would not provide a comprehensive overview of the security posture of production systems, which are often more critical and exposed to real threats. Changing all configurations post-assessment may introduce new risks, as not all findings require immediate changes to configuration; instead, a risk-based approach should guide any corrective actions. Sharing results broadly without restrictions could jeopardize sensitive information and undermine security efforts, as it may expose vulnerabilities to potential attackers. Therefore, conducting an active vulnerability assessment in both environments every 36 months is the best practice to ensure continuous