Regular vulnerability scanning is an important part of an effective cybersecurity programme. It helps organisations to identify and mitigate potential security risk before they can be exploited by attackers.
Regular vulnerability scanning can help organisations identify and remediate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by cyber attackers, improving the organisations’ overall security posture. Many regulations and industry standards, PCI DSS for example, require vulnerability scanning to maintain compliance and ensure the controls implemented to mitigate risk are working effectively.
Vulnerabilities detected during a vulnerability scan are given a risk rating, allowing organisations to develop a prioritised approach to remediating any areas of concern.
Our Vulnerability Scanning service at a glance…
Vulnerability Scanning vs. Penetration Testing
Penetration testing and vulnerability scanning are both methods used to identify security weaknesses in an organisation’s systems, but they differ in several ways.
Vulnerability scanning is an automated process that identifies known vulnerabilities in an organisation’s systems and applications. It uses software tools to scan systems and applications for vulnerabilities and generates a report listing the vulnerabilities found. Vulnerability scanning is generally faster and less expensive than penetration testing, and it can be performed more frequently. However, vulnerability scanning only identifies known vulnerabilities and does not test the effectiveness of security controls or defences.
Penetration testing, on the other hand, is a manual process that simulates a real-world attack on an organisation’s systems and applications. It involves attempting to exploit vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the organisation’s defences to gain access to systems or data. Penetration testing evaluates the effectiveness of security controls and defences and identifies weaknesses that are not detectable by vulnerability scanning. Penetration testing requires more time and resources than vulnerability scanning, and it is generally performed less frequently.
Industries
Evolve North works across a wide range of differing industries throughout the UK and Europe in both public, private and voluntary sectors.