Penetration testing and vulnerability scanning are vital for enhancing an organization’s cybersecurity postures. However, most businesses are confused about differentiating the two services. For example, a vulnerability scanning process looks for existing security weaknesses and vulnerabilities, such as unpatched systems, lacking authentication schemes, misconfigurations, and weak password security, and reports them as potential exposures. On the other hand, a penetration test looks to exploit identified security weaknesses in the organization’s systems and IT network architectures to determine the extent to which an attacker would compromise your assets. Also, a vulnerability scan often utilizes automated software programs and tools, whereas a penetration test is a manual process carried out by a security expert.

Purpose

The purpose of vulnerability scanning is to scan your networks, systems, cloud deployments, and applications to identify exploitable vulnerabilities. Specifically, a security professional runs automated tools that scan for security weaknesses and reports them as possible exposures, which, when exploited, may compromise the system or lead to network intrusion and data breaches. A vulnerability scan does not attempt to exploit the detected security flaws but instead ranks and reports them to inform the prioritized vulnerability remediation measures. A vulnerability scan can be either internal, performed from inside the company, or external, carried out from outside the enterprise. 

In contrast, the purpose of a penetration test is to perform simulated attacks targeting an organization’s digital assets. In the simulated attacks, specialized professionals, often called ethical hackers, employ a hacker’s mindset and techniques to exploit discovered vulnerabilities, evade or bypass detection, and overthrow the security attributes of the targeted system components to gain access. A penetration test exploits known flaws to determine the organization’s risk levels. Although pen testing requires advanced tools, it is usually manual and requires an extremely experienced professional to perform it successfully.

When Should You Perform a Vulnerability Scan?

A combination of special and automated tools helps security professionals to perform a full vulnerability scan. The professionals then review the scan results to identify security weaknesses and determine the appropriate mitigation controls. Due to the constantly changing nature of the cyber threat environment, performing a vulnerability scan continuously or at least quarterly is recommended. Also, the scans’ cadence depends on the regulatory frameworks and laws your business should comply with. For instance, PCI DSS requires frequent vulnerability scans to ensure the identification and mitigation of security flaws that can impact customer patient information.

On the other hand, a white-hat or ethical hacker skilled at leveraging advanced techniques, tools, and technologies, performs a penetration test to determine how a hacker would compromise your networks and systems. But the cybercrime nature evolves continuously as attackers utilize emerging techniques, tools, and procedures to evade detection when launching attacks. Since penetration tests are time-consuming and often expensive, a security-conscious company should consider performing a penetration test at least two times annually. Moreover, some specific industry regulations and frameworks dictate the frequency of performing penetration testing. However, it is up to the organization to ensure early identification of exploitable weaknesses to ensure it stays ahead of the threat curve.

Importance of a Vulnerability Scan 

More than 8,000 vulnerabilities were discovered in the first quarter of 2022, representing a 25% increase compared to the same period in 2021. Also, unidentified vulnerabilities account for 75% of all attacks. Furthermore, a 2020 report revealed that 31% of organizations identified attempts to exploit security weaknesses. These numbers show that cybersecurity vulnerabilities can cause attacks and data breaches if not identified and mitigated accordingly. A managed security provider can perform vulnerability scans in your organization to provide you with the following benefits:

1. Early identification of security flaws: Cybercriminals targets vulnerable organizations since they provide an easy target. Therefore, when you perform frequent vulnerability scans, you identify existing vulnerabilities and implement the required mitigation measures to prevent hackers from exploiting them.
2. Determine your organization’s risk levels: If a vulnerability scan reveals that vulnerabilities inundate your organization, it is a sign that you are at a high risk of being attacked. Conversely, regular vulnerability scans can help lower your risk levels and strengthen the effectiveness of your implemented security measures.
3. Comply with data protection regulations: Regulations like the GDPR do not explicitly require organizations to perform vulnerability scans. However, the regulations mandate companies that process specific data types, such as personal and health data, to implement data protection safeguards, which require identifying vulnerabilities to determine the controls to implement.

Importance of Penetration Testing

The shocking reality is that it is not if attackers will hack your company but when it will happen. Therefore, organizations have two choices – hire a managed security provider to perform a penetration test to identify where you are most vulnerable and implement necessary measures to reduce the chances of being hacked or wait to be hacked and then hire a security provider to clean up the mess.

Fortunately, many companies will go with the first choice, which has the following benefits:

1. Test your cyber defences: A penetration test exercise tests your cyber defences’ ability to detect and stop attacks, informing where to improve.
2. Expert opinion: The expert opinion of an ethical hacker can go a long way in strengthening your cybersecurity preparedness to ward off attacks.
3. Ensure business continuity: A pen testing exercise shows how you can respond to a real-world attack scenario. The lessons drawn are critical to ensuring business continuity in case you are attacked.

Conducting Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing with Sentia

Cybersecurity continues to be a top priority for organizations, keeping business leaders up at night. However, the impact of a security breach can be detrimental, especially in a time of rampant digital transformation. A comprehensive, proactive security strategy is critical to protecting your business. Therefore, Sentia has partnered with leading industry providers to perform vulnerability scans and penetration tests on your behalf. They will review your infrastructure to identify exploitable vulnerabilities and tailor mitigation controls to address them. From understanding potential threats to ensuring the proper tools and processes are in place to safeguard your business, we are committed to helping clients keep their valuable data protected. Contact us to get the ball rolling.