Vulnerability Scanning

What Is Vulnerability Scanning?

Vulnerability scanners are tools used to detect security susceptibilities in computer systems, networks, and applications. They operate by using a signature database that catalogs known vulnerabilities to pinpoint areas of potential exploitation. This scanning process is crucial for uncovering possible threats and avenues of attack within a network or system infrastructure.

Why Do We Need Vulnerability Scanning?

A vulnerability represents a point of weakness within a computer system that could compromise its confidentiality, integrity, accessibility, and access control, as well as the security of application data. Attackers are known to exploit existing vulnerabilities, including but not limited to SQL injection, buffer overflow attacks, and cross-site scripting, which can lead to effortless intrusions into your network, potentially resulting in substantial losses. To mitigate such risks, vulnerability scanners are employed on a regular basis to seek out, identify, and assess system vulnerabilities. By doing so, timely corrective actions can be executed to bolster system security, diminish the likelihood of an attack, and avert severe cybersecurity events like data breaches.

How Do We Perform Vulnerability Scanning?

Utilizing a vulnerability scanner to audit a host involves the process of checking for unapplied patches, established malware signatures, unprotected network ports, and insufficient password strength, along with conducting a broader security assessment. Upon completion of the scan, the tool evaluates the findings, assesses associated risks, suggests remediation measures, and compiles a thorough report outlining the vulnerabilities discovered.

There are two primary categories of vulnerability scanning:

• Authenticated Scanning: In this mode, the scanner leverages remote management protocols to gain direct access to and analyze detailed information about network assets, including services running on the host operating system and specific software installations. By attempting to exploit detected vulnerabilities, authenticated scanning can uncover a deeper layer of vulnerabilities, including those which might otherwise remain undetected.

• Unauthenticated Scanning: This approach is executed without providing the scanner with any user credentials, resulting in a limited view of potential security flaws. This form of scanning may also lead to a higher incidence of false positives due to its more superficial analysis.

Furthermore, with the continuous emergence of new vulnerabilities, it is vital for vulnerability scanners to persistently update their signatures to identify all potential system vulnerabilities, reduce the likelihood of inaccurate results, and enhance the precision of the scans.

Major Differences Between Vulnerability Scanning and Penetration Testing

While vulnerability scanning and penetration testing might appear similar in their objective to identify security weaknesses, they significantly differ in methodology and depth.

Vulnerability scanning is an automated process designed to detect potential security flaws within a system. These scans typically identify a range of vulnerabilities and are conducted by automated tools that can complete the task relatively quickly, often in a matter of minutes or hours.

In contrast, penetration testing, or 'pen testing,' is a comprehensive evaluation whereby skilled testers actively exploit system vulnerabilities to mimic cyber-attack scenarios. This process involves a detailed examination to validate and confirm vulnerabilities, assess their potential impact, and trace back to their underlying causes. Pen testers also look into service logic flaws, considering the specific context of the operational environment to provide a more nuanced security assessment.