Source: Help Net Security Author: Mirko Zorz URL: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/04/29/automating-cyber-hygiene/

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:

Automation in cyber hygiene enhances visibility, streamlines patching and credential management, yet requires human oversight to manage exceptions effectively.

MAIN POINTS:

1. Automate asset discovery first to ensure comprehensive visibility of systems and accounts.
2. Exposure management tools provide critical external asset discovery without internal assumptions.
3. Effective exposure management identifies shadow IT, dangling DNS, risky cloud usage, and domain squatting.
4. Automating patches requires fallback mechanisms, clear alerts, and alignment with business schedules.
5. Prioritize patches based on vulnerability exploitability, not simply availability.
6. Automate credential rotation for service accounts, privileged credentials, and API keys.
7. Credential vaulting tools prevent hardcoded passwords, unauthorized sharing, and provide detailed audit logs.
8. Automate onboarding and offboarding of employees to ensure timely account provisioning and revocation.
9. Avoid automating exception handling; humans should approve and renew exceptions regularly.
10. Automate alerts and reporting with prioritization based on severity, exploitability, and business impact.

TAKEAWAYS:

1. Always start automation efforts by establishing clear visibility across all digital assets.
2. Automation should complement, not replace, human judgment—especially regarding exceptions and access logic.
3. Credential automation and vaulting significantly reduce risk from compromised privileged accounts.
4. Align automated processes with security frameworks like NIST and ISO to enhance audit readiness and compliance.
5. Continuously measure automated processes and regularly reassess their effectiveness and risk impact.