Our clients often ask, “What is the difference between vulnerability scanning and penetration testing?” It’s a question that deserves attention, not only because of its frequency but also due to its critical role in shaping an organization’s cybersecurity strategy. Understanding the differences between these two assessments and when to employ each is essential in fortifying digital defenses and mitigating potential threats.
Vulnerability Scans
A vulnerability scan systematically examines IT systems, targeting known security weaknesses. There are two primary categories of vulnerability scans:
IT Infrastructure Vulnerability Scans: Typically conducted by IT or cybersecurity teams, these scans scrutinize internal IT systems. The scope encompasses networking equipment, file servers, individual computers, peripheral devices, IoT devices, critical applications, and internal processes.
Application or Website Vulnerability Scans: These scans are the domain of development operations (DevOps) or development security operations (DevSecOps) professionals. They focus on software libraries, APIs, and supply chain components to uncover known vulnerabilities.
Vulnerability scanning is an automated process that uses a vulnerability scanner tool to identify known vulnerabilities and missing patches within a network or application. It is an initial assessment of an organization’s vulnerabilities without actively attempting to breach its defenses.
Features and Benefits:
Systematic Scanning: Vulnerability scanning employs automated tools and methodologies to scan an organization’s entire digital infrastructure thoroughly. This systematic approach ensures that known vulnerabilities are identified.
Scoring Severity: Vulnerability scanners often assign severity scores to identified vulnerabilities based on industry-standard metrics like the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). These scores quantify the level of risk associated with each vulnerability, considering factors like exploitability, impact, and ease of remediation.
Quantifiable Metrics: Through vulnerabilit ..
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