Safeguard 7.5: Perform Automated Vulnerability Scans of Internal Enterprise Assets

Safeguard 7.5 requires you to run automated vulnerability scans across internal enterprise assets on a defined cadence, then track remediation through to closure with provable evidence. To operationalize it quickly, you need a complete internal asset scope, an authenticated scanning approach, documented severity-based SLAs, and repeatable reporting that shows scan coverage, findings, exceptions, and fixes. ¹

Key takeaways:

• Scope comes first: your scan program is only as good as your internal asset inventory and network segmentation boundaries.
• “Automated” means scheduled, repeatable scanning with consistent configuration, not ad-hoc scans after incidents.
• Auditors look for operational proof: scan schedules, coverage reports, remediation tickets, and exception governance.

“Safeguard 7.5: perform automated vulnerability scans of internal enterprise assets requirement” is a requirement about operational discipline: scan what you own internally, do it consistently, and prove you acted on what you found. For a Compliance Officer, CCO, or GRC lead, the fastest path is to treat 7.5 as a control with measurable inputs and outputs: defined scope, defined frequency, defined tooling configuration, defined remediation workflow, and defined evidence collection.

This safeguard sits at the intersection of IT operations, security operations, and governance. Security teams often “have a scanner,” but the control fails in assessments because scanning coverage is partial (missing subnets, cloud workloads, remote endpoints), results aren’t tied to a system of record, or exceptions exist only in email threads. Your job is to convert “we scan” into a managed process with artifacts that survive personnel changes and stand up in an audit.

The guidance below is written to help you stand up a defensible program quickly: what to include in scope, how to structure scanning and authentication, how to set remediation expectations, what evidence to retain, and what auditors commonly challenge. ¹

Requirement summary (plain-English)

Safeguard 7.5 expects you to run automated vulnerability scans against internal enterprise assets, collect and review the results, and drive remediation with accountability. “Internal enterprise assets” typically includes on-prem systems and internal-facing cloud or virtual infrastructure that is part of your environment, even if it is segmented. The control is not satisfied by occasional scans, informal reviews, or scanning only a subset of the environment. ¹

What “good” looks like in practice

• You can name which assets are in scope, and you can show coverage.
• Scans are scheduled and repeatable, with consistent configurations.
• Results are triaged and tracked to remediation tickets, with clear ownership.
• Exceptions exist, but they are documented, time-bound, approved, and reviewed.

Regulatory text

Excerpt (framework expectation): “CIS Controls v8 safeguard 7.5 implementation expectation (Perform Automated Vulnerability Scans of Internal Enterprise Assets).” ¹

Operator interpretation of the excerpt

To meet this expectation, you must be able to demonstrate, with evidence, that:

1. internal assets are scanned with an automated mechanism,
2. scans occur on a defined recurring basis (your cadence should be documented and justified),
3. scan output is reviewed and acted upon, and
4. the process is governed (scope changes, exceptions, and remediation accountability are controlled).

CIS is a framework, not a regulator, so the “regulatory” requirement here is best read as an assessment expectation: a third-party assessor, customer security reviewer, or internal audit team will check whether you implemented and can prove operation of the safeguard. ¹

Who it applies to

Entities

• Enterprises and technology organizations adopting CIS Controls v8 as a security baseline or mapping target in their control framework. ¹

Operational context (where teams get tripped up)

• Hybrid environments: on-prem plus cloud VMs, containers, and internal PaaS components.
• Remote endpoints: laptops that are “internal assets” but rarely on the corporate network.
• Segmented networks: OT/ICS, PCI segments, labs, or restricted enclaves.
• M&A / rapid growth: asset inventory and IP ranges change faster than scan scope.

If you cannot define “internal enterprise assets” in your environment (networks, accounts, business units, subsidiaries), you cannot prove 7.5.

What you actually need to do (step-by-step)

Use this sequence to operationalize the safeguard as a control that can be tested.

Step 1: Define scope and ownership

1. Write a scope statement for “internal enterprise assets,” including: internal IP ranges/VPCs, on-prem networks, internal cloud workloads, internal DNS zones, and remote endpoint approach.
2. Assign a control owner (often Security Operations or Vulnerability Management) and a GRC point of contact for evidence and exceptions.
3. Document excluded environments (if any) with a reason and a plan to close the gap or accept risk.

Deliverable: “Vulnerability Scanning Standard” (one or two pages is fine), plus a scope appendix.

Step 2: Establish the scanning architecture

1. Select scanning method(s): network scanning, agent-based scanning, or both. In practice, most internal programs need a mix to cover remote endpoints and segmented networks.
2. Place scanners appropriately: ensure reachability into each network segment, including internal cloud networks and restricted subnets. If a segment is intentionally isolated, document how scans will occur (temporary scan windows, jump host, dedicated scanner inside the enclave).
3. Define authentication approach: authenticated scans (credentialed) usually produce better findings for patch and configuration issues. If you cannot use credentials in a segment, document compensating methods and acceptance.

Deliverable: architecture diagram or written description showing scanners, segments, and coverage boundaries.

Step 3: Standardize configuration and scheduling

1. Create baseline scan templates (ports, plugins, safe checks, performance limits) so results are consistent across segments.
2. Set an automated schedule (recurring) for each segment and asset class, and document the cadence. Your cadence should reflect change rate and risk, not convenience.
3. Define scan failure handling: what happens if a scheduled scan fails, coverage drops, or credentials stop working.

Deliverable: scanner configuration export/screenshots and a schedule report.

Step 4: Triage, prioritize, and route findings

1. Define severity handling rules: map scanner severity to your internal risk language (for example, Critical/High/Medium/Low) and assign default owners (server team, endpoint team, app team).
2. Create a ticketing workflow: every in-scope Critical/High finding should become a trackable remediation item in a system of record (ITSM, Jira, or vulnerability platform workflow).
3. De-duplicate and suppress correctly: document when you suppress (false positives) and require evidence for suppression decisions.

Deliverable: written triage SOP and sample tickets linked to scan findings.

Step 5: Remediate and verify closure

1. Set remediation SLAs by severity and asset criticality. If you already have patch SLAs, align them.
2. Track exceptions: allow time-bound exceptions with approval, justification, and compensating controls (segmentation, virtual patching, WAF rules, monitoring).
3. Rescan to verify: closure should be based on verification (rescan, agent confirmation, or validated patch state), not only a “patch applied” email.

Deliverable: SLA document, exception register entries, and evidence of verified closure.

Step 6: Build reporting and governance

1. Coverage reporting: percent of in-scope assets scanned successfully per cycle, by segment and asset type.
2. Risk reporting: open findings by severity, aging, and business owner.
3. Governance cadence: a recurring meeting or review (security + infrastructure + GRC) to address overdue items and exception renewals.

Deliverable: monthly vulnerability management report and meeting notes or governance tickets.

Step 7: Map to your control framework and evidence plan

CIS assessments frequently fail on “we do it, but can’t prove it.” Make evidence capture part of the operating rhythm:

• auto-export scan summaries,
• snapshot coverage dashboards,
• retain sample finding-to-ticket threads,
• retain exception approvals.

If you use Daydream to manage control narratives and evidence requests, treat 7.5 as a single control with a recurring evidence checklist tied to each scan cycle. The operational team keeps running scans; GRC collects proof without interrupting delivery.

Required evidence and artifacts to retain

Use this table as an audit-ready checklist.

Evidence type	What it should show	Example artifact
Scope definition	What “internal enterprise assets” includes/excludes	Vulnerability Scanning Standard + scope appendix
Asset coverage support	In-scope assets and segmentation boundaries	Asset inventory export; subnet/VPC list; CMDB report
Scan schedule proof	Scans run on a recurring automated schedule	Scanner schedule report; job history
Scan results	Findings by asset, severity, timestamp	Scan reports; platform exports
Authenticated scanning evidence	Credentialed scan configuration and success rate	Credentialed scan settings; auth success logs
Remediation tracking	Findings routed to accountable owners	Tickets with IDs linked to findings
Verification	Closure validated by rescan/agent state	Rescan report showing finding resolved
Exceptions	Time-bound approvals and compensating controls	Exception register; approvals; renewal decisions
Governance	Oversight and escalation	Monthly report; meeting notes; escalation tickets

Common exam/audit questions and hangups

1. “Show me your internal scanning scope.” Auditors want boundaries: networks, cloud accounts, subsidiaries, and how endpoints are covered.
2. “How do you know scans ran successfully?” Provide job history and failure handling records.
3. “Are these authenticated scans?” If not, explain where you cannot authenticate and what you do instead.
4. “How do you ensure remediation happens?” Show SLA policy plus a sample of tickets from discovery through closure verification.
5. “How do you handle false positives and exceptions?” Expect scrutiny. Informal suppression is a common finding.
6. “How do you keep scope current?” Tie scan scope updates to asset onboarding/offboarding and network change management.

Frequent implementation mistakes (and how to avoid them)

• Mistake: scanning only data centers and ignoring cloud internal networks. Fix: include cloud VPC/VNet ranges and cloud-hosted internal services in the scope statement and scanner placement plan.
• Mistake: unauthenticated scans presented as “full coverage.” Fix: track authenticated vs unauthenticated coverage and require a documented exception when credentials cannot be used.
• Mistake: findings live only in the scanner UI. Fix: route material findings into a system of record and retain evidence of ownership and dates.
• Mistake: “closed” means “ticket closed.” Fix: require verification evidence (rescan/agent state) as the closure criterion.
• Mistake: stale exceptions that auto-renew. Fix: set time-bound exceptions and require periodic re-approval with updated justification.

Enforcement context and risk implications

No public enforcement cases were provided in the source catalog for this safeguard, so you should treat the risk as assessment and breach exposure rather than direct regulator penalties tied to CIS language. The practical risk is straightforward: unscanned internal assets accumulate known vulnerabilities, and organizations struggle to prove due diligence after a security event or during customer security reviews. ¹

Practical 30/60/90-day execution plan

No numeric timelines are required by the source text, but phased execution helps. Use this plan format and adjust to your environment’s change windows and staffing.

First 30 days (stand up the control)

• Publish the vulnerability scanning standard: scope, ownership, scan types, reporting, exceptions. ¹
• Confirm scan reachability for each internal segment; deploy scanners or agents where needed.
• Turn on automated schedules for the highest-value segments first (server subnets, core identity infrastructure).
• Define a minimum evidence pack and start collecting it from the first scan cycle.

Days 31–60 (make it operationally repeatable)

• Expand coverage to remaining segments, including internal cloud networks and remote endpoints.
• Implement ticketing integration or a consistent manual workflow, then test it with real findings.
• Establish severity-based remediation expectations and an exception register with approvals.
• Produce the first management report: coverage, open findings, aging, exception count.

Days 61–90 (harden governance and audit readiness)

• Run governance reviews on a regular cadence; escalate overdue critical items to leadership.
• Audit your own evidence: pick a sample of findings and verify you can trace discovery → ticket → fix → verification.
• Tune scan templates to reduce noise without suppressing real issues; document tuning decisions.
• Create a control narrative for assessors and map artifacts to the safeguard in Daydream for recurring collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need authenticated (credentialed) scans to satisfy Safeguard 7.5?

CIS 7.5 is about automated internal scanning, and assessors commonly expect authentication where feasible because it improves accuracy and depth. If you cannot use credentials in a segment, document why, document the alternate approach, and track it as an exception. ¹

Are laptops and remote endpoints considered “internal enterprise assets”?

They often are, because they are enterprise-owned assets that connect to internal services and hold enterprise data. If endpoints are not reliably reachable for network scanning, use an agent-based approach and document how endpoint coverage is measured. ¹

How do we prove “automated” versus running ad-hoc scans?

Keep evidence of a recurring schedule (job configuration and execution history) and show that the schedule runs without manual initiation. Pair that with consistent scan templates and periodic reporting. ¹

What’s the minimum evidence set an auditor will accept?

Expect to provide scope documentation, scan schedules, scan outputs, proof of coverage, remediation tracking, and exception governance. If you can show a trace from a finding to verified closure for a sample set, you usually clear the biggest hurdle. ¹

We have segmented environments (PCI, OT, labs). Can we exclude them?

You can define exclusions, but you need a written rationale, an approved exception, and a plan or compensating controls that reduce risk. Most assessment friction comes from “silent exclusions” where nobody can explain why a segment is out of scope. ¹

How should GRC partner with Security Operations without slowing them down?

Treat 7.5 as a control with a recurring evidence checklist and automate evidence capture where possible (exports, screenshots, ticket samples). Tools like Daydream help you standardize the control narrative and collect recurring artifacts without pulling engineers into one-off audit scrambles. ¹

Footnotes

1. CIS Controls v8; CIS Controls Navigator v8