Vulnerability scanning is a process used to identify security weaknesses and vulnerabilities in computer systems, servers, networks, or applications. It is often performed as part of a vulnerability assessment, either broadly across an organisation or targeted at specific systems or applications.
By using specialised software tools, a vulnerability scan examines systems the target systems for known vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and/or potential security issues and then reports the results in one or more formats. These results can help organisations understand their security posture and take corrective actions to mitigate risks.
How Does Vulnerability Scanning Work?
Vulnerability scanners use databases of known vulnerabilities and security flaws to scan systems and compare various responses from servers or configuration files. They typically will:
- Discover Systems: Identify active devices, applications, and services within the network.
- Assess Vulnerabilities: Scan for known vulnerabilities and security issues based on the latest threat intelligence.
- Generate Reports: Provide high level “technical” reports of findings, including descriptions of vulnerabilities, their severity, and recommendations for remediation.
Why is a Vulnerability Assessment Important?
Performing a vulnerability assessment is a crucial activity for maintaining a secure IT environment and should be performed on a regular basis. Many new security frameworks and general best practices recommend implementing a vulnerability assessment program as part of standard business operations, such as the software development lifecycle.
Vulnerability scanning is important for several reasons:
- Identifying Weaknesses: Regular scans uncover vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.
- Prioritising Remediation: By highlighting critical issues, vulnerability scans enable organisations to focus on fixing the most significant risks first.
- Ensuring Compliance: Many regulatory standards require regular vulnerability assessments as part of their security compliance requirements.
- Preventing Data Breaches: Identifying and addressing vulnerabilities proactively helps prevent potential data breaches and reduces the risk of cyberattacks.
What Vulnerability Scanning Tools Are Available?
There are many tools available for vulnerability scanning, which range from open-source to commercial solutions. Some of the most commonly industry-recognised vulnerability scanning tools include:
- Nessus: A widely used commercial vulnerability scanner that provides an array of scanning capabilities.
- OpenVAS: An open-source alternative to Nessus that provides a wide range of scanning features.
- Burp Suite: Aimed at application security, and primarily used for web application and API vulnerability scanning.
- ZAP: An open-source alternative to Burp Suite, providing many of the same features for application security testing.
- Nmap: A network scanning tool that can also be used for vulnerability scanning in a more limited capacity by identifying open ports and services.
Who Should Conduct Vulnerability Scanning?
Vulnerability scanning can be performed by in-house IT or security teams, or by external cybersecurity experts. It is important to use reputable and up-to-date scanning tools to ensure accurate results. Some organisations opt to have scans conducted by third-party security providers for an additional layer of expertise and impartiality.
What Are the Different Types of Vulnerability Scanning?
Network Vulnerability Scanning: Focuses on identifying vulnerabilities in network devices such as routers, switches, and servers.
Web Application Scanning : Targets vulnerabilities in web applications, including issues like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and misconfigurations.
Host-based Scanning: Examines individual hosts or endpoints for vulnerabilities, including operating system flaws and missing patches. These are often used in conjunction with network scans as there is significant overlap with “hostname” based scanning and “IP address” based scanning.
How Often Should Vulnerability Scanning Be Conducted?
The frequency of vulnerability scanning depends on various factors, such as the size of the organisation, the complexity of its IT environment, and the level of potential risk and the organisation’s risk appetite. However, it is generally recommended to perform vulnerability scans at least quarterly, or more frequently if there are significant changes to the network or applications, such as new deployments or updates.
Importantly, many vulnerability scanners can provide near up-to-date information for missing security patches that can prevent the exploitation of known vulnerabilities, or in the case of zero-day software vulnerabilities they can provide recommendations for configuration-based mitigation.
Is Vulnerability Scanning the Same as Penetration Testing?
No, vulnerability scanning and penetration testing serve different purposes, although they are often performed simultaneously by pentest providers.
Vulnerability scanning identifies potential weaknesses and provides a high-level overview of security issues.
In contrast, penetration testing involves actively exploiting these vulnerabilities to assess the potential impact and effectiveness of security measures. Both are important for a strong cybersecurity strategy.
What Happens After a Vulnerability Scan?
For organisations that use vulnerability scanning tools, the process is typically automated and the results are provided in the respective vulnerability scanning tool, or as an export as HTML, PDF, or Excel.
When a third-party cybersecurity consultancy provides a vulnerability scanning assessment you would usually receive a similar report, with a more high-level executive focused summary included outlining the vulnerabilities discovered, their severity, and suggested remediation steps.
Here at Exploitr we focus more on providing penetration testing services, but we can also provide vulnerability assessment services either as part of a penetration test or separately. You’ll receive a fully detailed report alongside access to the Attack Surface Center platform, which can be significantly easier to manage and track remediation efforts collaboratively compared to more traditional PDF or spreadsheet outputs.
