PDQL

Ghost Assets in Vulnerability Management: How Identification, Merging and Asset History Eliminate Anomalies in MaxPatrol VM

Positive Technologies experts explain how infrastructure changes create duplicate, merged and phantom assets that distort vulnerability management. The article details three core mechanisms inside MaxPatrol VM: unique asset identification across scan sources, non-destructive merging of new and existing data, and full lifecycle history with configurable aging policies. It describes how the system distinguishes assets using prioritized keys such as system ID, FQDN, MAC address and VM ID, then applies recursive merging rules that respect multiple data sources. Policies allow teams to set freshness and obsolescence thresholds, automatically hiding assets after 90 days while preserving historical snapshots for PDQL queries. The piece also covers practical cloning and partial-scan scenarios that can produce misleading duplicates or lingering collections.

Asset and Vulnerability Management in Practice: Building a Working Process with MaxPatrol VM and NetBox

This detailed guide explains how organizations can implement effective asset and vulnerability management by focusing on reliable infrastructure data, IT collaboration, and automation. It draws from real-world projects using MaxPatrol VM, NetBox, and 1C:ERP to demonstrate dynamic grouping, webhook-driven asset onboarding, and deviation-based control. The approach emphasizes eight core principles including minimizing human dependency, just-in-time awareness, maximum data accuracy, and embedding security into existing IT workflows. Technical flows cover automatic scanning initiation upon asset creation in NetBox, categorization against unacceptable events, and priority-based patching cycles aligned with Patch Tuesday. Self-control mechanisms and PDQL queries enable ongoing validation of subnets, asset freshness, and compliance without excessive manual oversight. The framework is designed to be adaptable to any mature vulnerability management platform beyond the specific tools demonstrated.