Vulnerability Scanning

Reports of cyberattacks and data breaches are typical in today’s hyperconnected world. Every week of the year, you can rely on seeing news stories about the most recent cyber attack.
Every effective cyber security strategy must include vulnerability scanning, but it can be difficult to do well. This guide contains something for everyone, whether your company is just getting started on the road to greater security or you’re trying to enhance current security measures and learn more about best practices for vulnerability scanning.

 

Vulnerability scanning: what is it?

The simplest definition of vulnerability scanning is using software tools to find and report on security problems (also known as vulnerabilities) that affect your systems.
Vulnerability scanners frequently have thousands of automated tests at their disposal, and by examining and learning about your systems, they can spot security gaps that hackers could exploit to steal confidential data, gain unauthorized access to systems, or generally disrupt your business.

Vulnerability scanning vs penetration testing?

Manual penetration testing is another typical technique for checking your systems for vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities can also be found using vulnerability scanning, which is not the only way to do so.
Both penetration testing and vulnerability scanning have advantages and disadvantages. The benefit of vulnerability scanning is that it may be done automatically and continuously at a cheaper cost, allowing for the quick detection of new security concerns. In the meanwhile, penetration testing is typically done as a consulting service.

Vulnerability scanning process: Getting started

Defining the scope

Knowing what you’re going to target a vulnerability scanner towards is the first step in using one. Although it might seem obvious, if you’re new to vulnerability scanning, you can discover that there isn’t a centralized list of the systems your company is in charge of.

Asset administration

The process of maintaining a central registry of the systems that are managed by an organization is known as asset management. It’s crucial to stay current with your organization’s growth or adjustments.

Sensitivity-based

There might not be much critical information about your business online. It’s possible that only marketing information is available on your main website, but all of your sensitive client data is kept in a central location that is shielded from the internet by a firewall.

Coverage-based

After evaluating what is available online and where your most sensitive data is kept, it is important to keep in mind that other corporate systems are still vulnerable to compromise. Any of your systems may be vulnerable, and if an attacker gains access to one system, they frequently utilize that position as a launching pad for additional attacks.

For instance, by sending emails with malicious files that take advantage of flaws in the system they are opened on, hackers could infiltrate a worker’s laptop. If a device is successfully compromised, it may be used to scan and exploit vulnerabilities in other systems connected to the same network.