Vulnerability Management Advisory

See your full attack surface.
Know exactly what to fix first.

Most IT companies excel at infrastructure but lack the specialized tooling and adversarial focus required for modern vulnerability management. Northstar Cyber Advisory fills that gap, providing full-spectrum attack surface visibility and mapping your internal and external weaknesses to real-world exploit intelligence.

N E S W
Common triggers
HIPAA audit prep Cyber insurance renewal Client security questionnaires Compliance gap assessment No dedicated security staff IT provider without security practice
0
Active KEV entries tracked
0
More vulns vs external scanning
Monthly
Advisory cadence
30 min
Monthly advisory call
Why it works differently

Built for programs,
not one-time reports.

Most vulnerability tools produce output. Northstar produces outcomes. Three things set the program apart.

01
Inside-out visibility
Scanning from inside your network with authenticated credentials finds 60 to 70 percent more vulnerabilities than external scanning. External scans only see what is visible through your firewall. We see everything on every system.
60–70% more coverage
02
AI-assisted risk prioritization
Raw scanner output is noise. AI-assisted analysis cross-references every finding against CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and current exploit telemetry — surfacing what is being actively weaponized right now, not just what scores high on paper.
AI + CISA KEV mapped
03
Advisory judgment, not automated alerts
A trained analyst reviews your environment every month and delivers a structured remediation roadmap. Clear priorities, defined risk levels, and specific actions for your IT team. Not a dashboard. Not auto-generated.
Monthly human review
Core Services

A program that grows
with your risk posture.

Start with a baseline. Build a program. Add log visibility when you are ready. Every tier stacks — you do not have to buy it all at once.

01
Security Posture Assessment
One-Time Baseline2-week deliveryAny org size
$3,000 – $7,500
Our Security Posture Assessment leverages authenticated scanning and comprehensive asset discovery to establish a definitive source of truth for your environment. By achieving full-spectrum visibility, we uncover shadow IT and forgotten assets that standard scans miss. Every finding is cross-referenced against CISA KEV and real-world emergent threat intelligence, identifying vulnerabilities actively targeted by adversaries. We deliver a risk-prioritized remediation roadmap and a concise executive brief that establishes the technical baseline required for all downstream security initiatives.
Authenticated vulnerability scanFull asset discovery auditShadow IT identificationCISA KEV cross-referenceRisk-prioritized roadmapExecutive brief30-day follow-up advisory
02
Vulnerability Management Program
Ongoing AdvisoryMonthly retainerCompliance-ready
From $2,000 / mo
We provide total attack surface visibility by combining monthly authenticated internal scanning with external perimeter assessments. This dual-lens approach uncovers the critical vulnerabilities and misconfigurations that standard, unauthenticated scans simply cannot reach. AI-assisted analysis cross-references every finding against CISA KEV and real-world exploit intelligence to automatically surface the highest-risk items — so the remediation roadmap reflects actual attacker behavior, not just CVSS scores. Through a monthly Strategic Advisory Session, we guide your IT team on exactly what to fix first, ensuring your security efforts stay ahead of the current threat landscape.
Monthly authenticated scanningExternal perimeter assessmentAI-assisted risk prioritizationCISA KEV cross-referenceStrategic Advisory SessionStructured monthly report12 documented assessments/year
03
Log Management & Threat Hunt
Advanced Detection Add-onMonthlyAI-assisted analysis
Add-on to VM Program
By utilizing AI-powered telemetry analysis, we automate the heavy lifting of parsing millions of security events to surface high-probability Indicators of Compromise (IOCs). This automation allows our threat hunters to focus their manual efforts on high-value activity: identifying living-off-the-land techniques and unauthorized lateral movement that bypass standard automated alerts.
AI-assisted telemetry analysisCentralized log collectionManual IOC threat huntLiving-off-the-land detectionLateral movement analysisCredential abuse reviewMonthly findings summary
04
Security Program Build-Out
Premium GRC RetainerCompliance-focusedPolicy development
From $4,500 / mo
Designed for organizations ready to transition from reactive patching to a formal Security Program Maturity model. We provide a comprehensive framework including Policy Orchestration, HIPAA/Regulatory Alignment, and Incident Response Readiness. Beyond technical scans, we develop a Defensible Security Narrative for auditors and stakeholders. Your leadership receives an Annual Risk Assessment (ARA) and Quarterly Executive Reviews (QERs), ensuring your security posture is a documented business asset.
Policy orchestration (WISP)HIPAA / regulatory alignmentIncident response readinessDefensible security narrativeAnnual Risk Assessment (ARA)Quarterly Executive Reviews (QERs)
What you get

We advise.
Your team executes.

Every month, you get a clear picture of your risk posture, a ranked list of what to fix, and a 30-minute call to walk through it together. Your IT company handles execution. Northstar owns the security direction.

Advisory only · Not managed IT · Not a 24/7 SOC

Monthly risk picture, every cycle
Credentialed scanning of your full environment every month. Every finding cross-referenced against actively exploited vulnerabilities. You always know exactly where you stand.
Plain-English reporting your leadership can act on
Risk score, top findings, what has improved, what is still open. Written for a business owner, not a security engineer. No 200-page technical exports.
Remediation roadmap your IT team can execute
A specific, ranked action list your IT company can work from. No ambiguity about what to fix first, what can wait, or why it matters.
12 documented assessments per year
Monthly reports build into a compliance record. Meaningful for HIPAA audits, cyber insurance renewals, and client security questionnaires.
CISA KEV · Active Exploit Intelligence Live Feed
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For MSPs

Your clients need security advisory.
Most MSPs do not offer it.

Managed IT and security advisory are two different disciplines. Most MSPs are excellent at keeping infrastructure running. Vulnerability management programs, compliance alignment, and threat hunting are a different practice entirely. That is where Northstar comes in.

Partner Program
Northstar works alongside MSPs as a dedicated security advisory layer. Referral arrangements, white-label delivery, or co-engagement on existing clients. If your clients are asking security questions you cannot answer, let us talk.
01
Refer and stay in the relationship
Bring Northstar in as the security advisory layer. You stay the primary IT relationship. Your client gets security coverage. You get a trusted partner for the security questions that land on your desk.
02
Compliance questions answered
HIPAA, PCI-DSS, cyber insurance renewals, client due diligence requests. These questions are landing on your desk. Northstar handles the security program side so you can stay focused on IT operations.
03
No conflict, just coverage
We advise, your team executes. Northstar never competes for the managed IT relationship. We handle vulnerability management and security advisory. You handle everything else.
04
Differentiate your stack
Offering a security advisory partner sets your MSP apart. Give your clients a complete answer, not a referral to figure it out themselves.
Engagement Methodology

How we build your
security program.

Phase 01
Discovery
Intake session to map your infrastructure, existing IT setup, compliance obligations, and current security posture. We learn your environment before we touch anything.
Phase 02
Asset Inventory
Full discovery of what is on your network: servers, workstations, printers, IoT devices, cloud assets. Most clients find devices they forgot existed. You cannot protect what you do not know about.
Phase 03
Authenticated Scanning
We utilize authenticated internal scanning to achieve unrestricted visibility into your architecture. This bypasses the "firewall blindfold," allowing us to interrogate the software, configurations, and local technical debt that perimeter-only scans miss.
Phase 04
Adversarial Correlation
Raw output is noise. We correlate findings against emergent exploit telemetry and the CISA KEV catalog to isolate high-risk targets. We don't just tell you it's broken. We tell you if it's currently being used as a weapon in the wild.
Phase 05
Structured Risk Reporting
Monthly report with a risk score, top findings, remediation progress, and a prioritized action list. Direct and actionable. No 200-page technical exports.
Phase 06
Remediation Guidance
We tell your IT team exactly what to fix, in what order, and why. They own execution. We own the strategy. Monthly advisory call walks through everything together.
Phase 07
Continuous Program Maturity
Month over month, your program gets tighter. Scan coverage improves, remediation velocity tracks, posture scores move. You have something to show auditors, insurers, and clients who ask.
Remediation SLA Framework
CRITICAL24 Hours
Actively exploited CVEs, CISA KEV entries, CVSS 9.0+
Industry median: 14 days
HIGH7 Days
Public exploit available, CVSS 7.0–8.9, network-facing assets
Industry median: 45 days
MEDIUM30 Days
No active exploit, CVSS 4.0–6.9, internal assets
Industry median: 90 days
LOW / INFO90 Days
Informational findings, patch cycle alignment
Industry median: 180+ days
SLA targets established during engagement scoping.
Industry medians sourced from published vulnerability research.
Why Northstar

Security expertise built
for the real world.

You have an IT company keeping things running. Nobody is actually owning security. Northstar fills that gap: structured vulnerability management, monthly reporting, and direct risk guidance your leadership, IT team, and insurers can all act on.

Vulnerability ManagementNIST CSFHIPAASOC 2PCI-DSSISO 27001Threat HuntingRisk Reporting
For organizations with infrastructure worth protecting
Professional services, healthcare practices, legal and financial firms, and any organization with compliance obligations they cannot ignore and no dedicated security specialist on staff.
Advisory, not managed services
We guide your team through vulnerability prioritization and remediation strategy. Your IT company owns execution. We own the security direction.
Inside-out visibility
Scanning from inside your network finds 60 to 70 percent more vulnerabilities than external scanning. We give you the full picture, not just what is visible from the outside.
12 documented assessments per year
Monthly reports are not just useful. They are a compliance asset. Twelve documented risk assessments a year is a meaningful record for HIPAA audits, cyber insurance renewals, and client due diligence.
Common Questions

What people ask
before they engage.

How is this different from what my IT company already does?
Your MSP focuses on operations and uptime. Northstar focuses on adversarial risk and defensibility. While your IT team handles the hands-on execution of patches, we provide the Strategic Security Layer — defining the roadmap, validating the fixes, and providing the documentation your auditors and insurers actually require.
What does inside-out scanning mean and why does it matter?
External scanners look at your network from the outside, limited to what is visible through your firewall. Inside-out scanning uses authenticated credentials from within your network, which means it can assess every asset and every vulnerability on every system. Credentialed internal scanning finds 60 to 70 percent more vulnerabilities than external-only approaches. Most organizations do not realize they have this gap until their first credentialed scan.
I do not have a security team. How does remediation actually work?
That is exactly who this is designed for. Northstar delivers a prioritized remediation roadmap every month alongside a 30-minute advisory call. Your IT company handles the actual patching and configuration changes. We tell them exactly what to fix, in what order, and why. You do not need a security engineer on staff. You need someone who gives your IT team a clear, ranked list and holds the program accountable month over month.
What compliance frameworks does this support?
The vulnerability management program directly supports HIPAA Security Rule requirements, PCI-DSS vulnerability scanning requirements, NIST CSF, SOC 2 Type II audit readiness, and cyber insurance renewal documentation. Twelve documented monthly assessments per year is a meaningful compliance record. For organizations needing formal policy and framework alignment, the Security Program Build-Out tier covers that specifically.
How much time will this take from my team each month?
The monthly advisory call runs 30 minutes. Reading the report takes another 20. Your IT company reviews the remediation roadmap and executes patches on their normal schedule. There is no standing up infrastructure, no alert queues to manage, and no ongoing technical overhead on your side. Northstar runs the program. Your team acts on the output.
Is this the same as a penetration test?
No. A penetration test is a point-in-time engagement where a tester actively tries to exploit vulnerabilities. Useful, but it goes stale the day it finishes. A vulnerability management program runs every month and tracks remediation progress over time. A pentest tells you where you stood on one day. Northstar tells you where you stand every month and whether you are getting better.
Transparent Pricing

Priced on outcomes,
not hours.

No hourly billing. No ambiguity. Fixed monthly retainers so you know exactly what you are getting and what it costs. A one-time pentest costs $4,000 to $6,000 and goes stale immediately. Northstar delivers continuous monthly coverage.

"What is broken?"
$3K+
Starter · one-time baseline
  • Point-in-time baseline
  • Risk-scored roadmap
  • Asset discovery
  • CISA KEV mapping
"We tell you what is broken."
$2K/mo
Advisory Program · ongoing retainer
  • Continuous attack surface visibility
  • Monthly Advisory Sessions
  • 12 documented assessments / year
  • Exploit intelligence feed
"We build the system that keeps it from breaking."
$5K+/mo
Program Build-Out · premium GRC retainer
  • Full security governance & GRC
  • Written policy development (WISP)
  • Incident response planning
  • Annual Risk Assessment (ARA)