What Is Network Vulnerability Scanning – Guide
Which company did you last hear about being hacked? Do you know how the attackers got in? Often, the first step in an attack is to scan the victim’s systems for vulnerabilities that could be exploited. Modern organizations need to regularly assess their own systems so administrators can fill in the gaps to improve security. One way to do this is to proactively run your own vulnerability scans to discover problems with systems so the problems can be fixed before an attacker exploits them.
What is vulnerability assessment?
Vulnerability assessment also called vulnerability analysis is a process that identifies, quantifies and analyzes security weaknesses in the IT infrastructure. The main purpose of the VA is to discover any vulnerabilities that could compromise the security and overall operations of the organization. As such, VA can help you minimize the likelihood of threats. Many security professionals use the terms “vulnerability assessment” and “penetration testing” interchangeably, although they do not mean the same thing. Whereas the VA finds and measures the severity of a system’s weaknesses, penetration testing is a goal-oriented exercise. In other words, penetration testing focuses more on simulating real-life attacks, mapping out the paths a real attacker might take to breach defenses. Vulnerability assessment is no longer just a cool feature in an organization. Depending on the type of organization, you may be required to take regular VAs to remain compliant. Over the years, various compliance regulations have emerged to address the ever-evolving security challenges. Compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPRs), the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are such examples. These standards require organizations to conduct VAs regularly to ensure they are protecting sensitive customer data. A vulnerability assessment is a holistic security process that includes different tasks, such as: A vulnerability assessment output is a VA report, which serves as an organization’s security policy and other security products. To perform a VA, you need to use a combination of tools such as vulnerability scanning tools and technical judgment. Once completed, the VA recommends actions that can help mitigate identified risks.
The types of vulnerability scans
You can classify vulnerability scans based on:
Type of assets they can check
The five categories of vulnerability scans are based on the type of digital assets they can scan. They are network-based scanners, host-based scanners, application scanners, wireless network scanners and database scanners.
The origin of the scan
There are two types of vulnerability scans in this category: external and internal scans.
Network security posture
Authenticated and unauthenticated vulnerability scanning are the main types of vulnerability scanning in this category.
The Vulnerability Assessment Process
Conducting a vulnerability assessment is a five-step process. It is important to think about what each of these steps entails.
Final note
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