This article explains what vulnerabilities in computer security are and how they can be exploited to compromise systems. It outlines common examples like unpatched software, weak credentials, insecure APIs, and cloud misconfigurations. A recent real-world case—the June 2025 Microsoft Entra ID “nOAuth” flaw—is used to illustrate the impact of overlooked weaknesses. The article also covers major vulnerability types, key causes, and practical remediation strategies such as patch automation, penetration testing, and continuous monitoring to enhance organizational security.
Table of Contents
What is Vulnerability?
A vulnerability is a flaw or weakness in a computer system’s design, implementation, or configuration that can be exploited by an attacker to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Identifying and remediating vulnerabilities through systematic scanning, patching, and configuration management is essential to maintaining a secure environment. Organizations can deploy SOC as a Service to gain scalable, 24/7 security monitoring without building an in-house SOC, enhancing their vulnerability management program.
What is Vulnerability In Computer Security?
A vulnerability in computer security is a specific weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that attackers can exploit to gain unauthorized access or cause harm. Systematic identification and remediation—through techniques such as vulnerability scanning, patch management, and secure configuration—are critical to preventing exploitation and maintaining organizational security. Organizations often partner with a managed SOC provider to receive prioritized vulnerability reports and actionable remediation guidance directly integrated into their automation workflows. Indian cybersecurity companies such as Quick Heal, K7 Computing, Safe Security (formerly Lucideus), and Paladion integrate real-time threat intelligence into continuous monitoring and review processes.
What Are Common Examples of Vulnerabilities in Security?
Some of the common examples are:
Unpatched Software Flaws
Software bugs—ranging from buffer overflows to logic errors—create exploitable vulnerabilities when security patches are not applied promptly. Attackers scan for publicly known flaws in operating systems and applications to gain unauthorized access or execute malicious code. Maintaining a disciplined patch-management process and subscribing to a vulnerability database for alerts are fundamental to reducing this risk.
Weak or Default Credentials
Accounts protected by default or easily guessable passwords remain one of the most frequent causes of security incidents. Cybersecurity teams have repeatedly observed brute-force attacks and credential stuffing campaigns succeed against devices and services left on factory settings. Enforcing strong password policies, multi-factor authentication, and regular credential audits are critical steps in vulnerability management.
Insecure APIs
APIs that lack proper authentication, input validation, or rate-limiting expose sensitive data and broaden an organization’s attack surface. Exploitable API endpoints can allow attackers to manipulate backend systems, extract customer records, or pivot to additional internal resources. Implementing strict access controls, schema validation, and regular security testing of API interfaces mitigates these security vulnerabilities.
Misconfigured Cloud Services
Incorrectly configured storage buckets, compute instances, or Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles in cloud environments often lead to data breaches. Publicly accessible S3 buckets and overly permissive IAM policies enable unauthorized access to sensitive information and infrastructure control. Adopting a “least privilege” model, conducting periodic configuration reviews, and using automated scanning tools help maintain a secure cloud posture.
Insider-Created Weaknesses
Human vulnerabilities—whether through accidental misconfiguration or deliberate sabotage—can introduce backdoors and expose critical assets. Examples include improperly secured development branches, shared credentials, or disabling security controls to expedite tasks. Regular security training, strict change-management procedures, and continuous monitoring for anomalous behavior reduce the likelihood and impact of insider-originated threats.
Recent Real-World Example:
In June 2025, cybersecurity firm Semperis uncovered a critical flaw in Microsoft Entra ID, called the “nOAuth” vulnerability. It allowed attackers to take full control of user accounts using just tenant access and an email—bypassing MFA, conditional access, and zero-trust policies.
The issue impacted about 10% of SaaS apps connected to Entra ID, exposing organizations to widespread account takeovers. It shows how even advanced identity platforms can be compromised due to overlooked misconfigurations.
This real-world case reinforces the concept of a vulnerability in computer security and highlights the importance of ongoing assessment and patch management to reduce exposure.
What Are the Types of Vulnerabilities in Cyber Security?
These are the following vulnerabilities:
Software Vulnerabilities
Software vulnerabilities are flaws or weaknesses in code—often introduced during the software development lifecycle—that attackers can exploit to execute malicious code or gain unauthorized access. Common examples include buffer overflows, injection flaws, and logic errors. Organizations maintain a vulnerability database (e.g., the National Vulnerability Database) and run regular vulnerability scans to detect these software bugs and apply security patches promptly.
Network Vulnerabilities
Network vulnerabilities arise from misconfigured routers, switches, firewalls or improper network segmentation that expand the attack surface. An exploitable vulnerability might be an open port, insecure protocols (like outdated TLS), or weak network security settings. Security teams use tools such as vulnerability scanners and intrusion detection systems to perform continuous network vulnerability assessment and mitigate risks before a data breach occurs.
Web Application Vulnerabilities
Web application vulnerabilities stem from insecure coding practices or missing input validation in web-facing portals. Typical issues include cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and broken authentication. Since web applications often handle sensitive data, businesses conduct regular application security testing—both automated scans and manual code reviews—to identify and fix vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them.
Configuration and Misconfiguration Issues
Configuration vulnerabilities occur when hardware or software is deployed with default, weak, or inconsistent settings. Examples include default administrative credentials, overly permissive file permissions, or disabled security features. Effective vulnerability management requires enforcing hardened security configurations, automating configuration audits, and verifying that system security policies are applied uniformly across all assets.
Third-Party and Supply-Chain Vulnerabilities
Third-party and supply-chain vulnerabilities emerge when external libraries, services or vendors introduce weaknesses into an otherwise secure environment. A single exploited dependency or compromised update mechanism can cascade into a widespread security incident. To manage these risks, organizations inventory third-party components, monitor for known vulnerabilities in dependencies, and integrate supply-chain risk assessments into their overall cybersecurity posture.
What Causes Vulnerabilities in Computer Systems?
Following vulnerabilities are found:
Design-Phase Security Gaps
During system architecture and requirements gathering, security is often deprioritized in favor of functionality or time-to-market. This oversight creates exploitable weaknesses—such as unvalidated inputs or overly permissive access controls—that expand the attack surface before any code is written. Integrating threat modeling and secure design principles early can prevent these foundational flaws from becoming enduring cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
Coding and Development Errors
Software flaws introduced by developers—ranging from buffer overflows to improper error handling—are among the most common vulnerability examples in information security. Incomplete validation routines or unchecked user input enable attackers to inject malicious code or escalate privileges. Adopting static analysis tools, peer code reviews, and a rigorous vulnerability management process reduces the chance that software bugs will evolve into exploitable vulnerabilities.
Human and Process Failures
Even the most robust technical controls can be undermined by human error and weak processes. Poor security awareness allows social engineering campaigns—such as phishing—to trick employees into revealing credentials or clicking malicious links. Likewise, infrequent patch management or misconfigured security settings leave known vulnerabilities unaddressed, providing attackers a clear path to unauthorized access.
Evolving Threat Landscape
Cyber threats continuously adapt, with attackers leveraging zero-day vulnerabilities and emerging exploit techniques to bypass existing defenses. As new hardware and software platforms—along with cloud-based services—enter your environment, previously unknown weaknesses may surface. Security teams must monitor vulnerability databases, conduct regular assessments, and update security policies to keep pace with these dynamic risks.
What Is the Vulnerability Lifecycle?
The vulnerability lifecycle describes the stages through which a security weakness progresses—from initial discovery through ongoing refinement of defenses—and provides a roadmap for effective vulnerability management in cybersecurity.
Discovery and Disclosure
- Conduct proactive vulnerability scanning and penetration tests to detect software flaws or misconfigurations
- Leverage threat intelligence feeds and the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) for known vulnerabilities and zero-day alerts
- Validate each identified vulnerability (CVE or new finding) to confirm exploitability and potential for unauthorized access
- Follow responsible vulnerability disclosure protocols: notify vendors, internal stakeholders, or CERTs before public announcement
Assessment and Prioritization
- Evaluate exploitability and potential impact on critical assets and sensitive data
- Assign severity scores using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS)
- Rank vulnerabilities by risk factors: exploit complexity, attack surface exposure, and business context
- Focus remediation efforts on high-risk issues to reduce overall cybersecurity vulnerabilities
Remediation and Verification
- Apply security patches, configuration changes, or approved workarounds to address each vulnerability
- Update security settings in operating systems, applications, and network devices
- Perform follow-up vulnerability scans and controlled exploit attempts to verify effective mitigation
- Ensure fixes do not introduce new weaknesses in software or hardware environments
Reporting and Continuous Improvement
- Document discovery dates, assessment scores, remediation actions, and verification results in formal reports
- Analyze root causes (e.g., development errors, design omissions, lack of security training) to inform preventive measures
- Integrate lessons learned into vulnerability management policies and security training programs
- Continuously refine scanning frequencies, patch cadences, and response workflows to strengthen overall security posture
How to Find and Fix Vulnerabilities in Your Network?
Some Solutions go a long way in fixing the vulnerabilities:
Combining UBA/UEBA and SIEM Alerts
Correlate behavioral anomalies (e.g., unusual logins, privilege escalations) from UEBA with log events in Security Information and Event Management. According to the 2024 Ponemon State of AI in Cybersecurity Report, organizations that leverage behavior analytics reduce false positives by over 40%, allowing SOC teams to focus on genuine cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
- Automatically generate high-confidence alerts when a user’s activity deviates from established baselines
- Prioritize investigation of alerts that combine behavioral risk scoring with built-in exploit indicators
- Reduce false positives by requiring both behavioral and event-based evidence before escalation.
Manual Penetration Testing vs. PTaaS
Manual Penetration Testing
- Ethical hackers simulate multi-step attacks against live systems. Gartner predicts that by 2026, PTaaS users will conduct up to 10× more frequent tests and achieve remediation twice as fast as those relying solely on manual assessments
- Identifies complex exploitation chains and business-logic flaws
- Performed at discrete intervals (typically quarterly or annually)
Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS)
- Automated scanners feed findings to on-demand security experts
- Enables continuous or on-demand assessments throughout development cycles
- Rapid validation of known vulnerabilities with standardized remediation guidance
Automated Remediation Tools
Vulnerability Scanners
- Scheduled network, host and application scans against CVE/NVD databases
- Generates prioritized lists of missing patches and flawed components
Patch Management Platforms
- Automatically deploys and verifies security updates across OS and applications
- Tracks patch compliance and rollback capabilities. Automation of OS and application updates has saved organizations an average of $2.22 million per breach in 2024, according to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report
Configuration Compliance Engines
- Enforces secure baselines for firewalls, SSH, registry settings, etc.
- Detects and remediates unauthorized configuration drift
Establishing Continuous Monitoring and Review
Scheduled Scans
- Monthly full-scope scans plus ad-hoc scans after infrastructure changes
Alert Triage SLAs
- Remediate critical-severity findings within 48 hours
- Address medium-severity findings within 7 days
Red-Team Exercises
- Simulated adversary engagements to validate residual risk
- Tests effectiveness of detection and response workflows
Metrics & Reporting
- Track time to detect, time to remediate and residual risk trends
- Report KPIs to stakeholders to guide security investments. Track key performance indicators—mean time to detect (MTTD), mean time to remediate (MTTR), and residual risk—to inform executive dashboards and justify security investments. Organizations that report these metrics see a 25% improvement in overall security posture year over year.
What is vulnerability in software?
A software vulnerability is a flaw or weakness in an application’s code, design, or configuration that attackers can exploit to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Such vulnerabilities often arise from coding errors, inadequate input validation, or misconfigured security settings. Identifying and remediating these weaknesses through regular code reviews, automated vulnerability scanning, and timely patch deployment is essential to maintaining a secure software environment.
