For more than a decade, almost all businesses have become highly dependent on the use of technology. Ranging from financial institutions to healthcare organizations, there has been a large dependency on the use of digital systems. This has, in turn, triggered the industry regulators to put forward mandatory requirements that the organizations need to comply. Noncompliance to any of the requirements specified by the regulator attracts heavy fines and bans.

The following are some of the regulatory standards that demand the organizations to perform vulnerability assessments:

• Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)
• Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements 16 (SSAE 16/SOC 1 (https://www.ssae-16.com/soc-1/))
• Service Organization Controls (SOC) 2/3
• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Gramm Leach Bliley Compliance (GLBA)
• Federal Information System Controls Audit Manual (FISCAM)