Vulnerability Scan (Vulnerability Assessment)

WHAT ARE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT AND TESTING SERVICES?

The focus of cyber vulnerability assessment is to alert companies about the flaws and their location in the application code. An application security (AppSec) team identifies and diagnoses the vulnerabilities, plans the tests, and analyses the results.

Application vulnerability assessment is a regular task that involves periodic testing and isolating those that deserve immediate attention. This also includes network vulnerability assessment. During the development of an application, the team generally uses automated vulnerability management tools and/or manual tests at different stages of the software development life cycle.

The Static Application Security Testing (SAST) analyses the code line by line, taking a signature-based approach. Developers find and fix the problem before moving forward with the development. However, as organisations adopt Agile and DevOps approaches, halting the development cycle may not be feasible.

Security vulnerability testing services use Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) to compare the vulnerabilities with known application attacks, check for responses, and measure the risk without stopping the application development.

How can vulnerability scans enhance the security of your data?

Vulnerability scans, or testing can enhance the security of your data by identifying potential security weaknesses or vulnerabilities in your network, systems, and applications. These scans can help you identify and prioritise vulnerabilities that need to be addressed and provide detailed information about how to fix them.

Regularly performing vulnerability testing ensures data protection against known vulnerabilities and threats, and the scans also help identify and address any new vulnerabilities. Additionally, vulnerability scans can help you comply with industry regulations and standards, such as PCI-DSS and HIPAA, which require regular vulnerability assessments. Various methods exist to conduct vulnerability testing, including manual, automated, and penetration testing.

Protect your data from cyberthreats

A vulnerability assessment can help you protect your data from cyber threats. It identifies, analyses and prioritises security vulnerabilities in a computer, network or web application. Once identified, these vulnerabilities can be remedied or mitigated to reduce the risk of a successful attack.

A vulnerability assessment typically includes a combination of automated and manual testing methods, such as network scans, penetration testing and social engineering. These methods simulate attacks that a malicious actor might use to gain unauthorised access to an organisation’s systems and data.

It is important to note that vulnerability assessments are not a one-time process. It is a continuous process and should be done regularly, as new software, updates, and configuration changes can introduce vulnerabilities over time. 

Steps to Perform Vulnerability Assessment

Vulnerability assessment is a critical part of maintaining the security of any organisation’s digital infrastructure. The following key vulnerability assessment steps provide a structured and systematic approach to vulnerability assessment.

1. Identification: Determine which assets (e.g. servers, applications, databases, etc.) need assessment.
2. Prioritisation: Evaluate the identified assets based on their potential impact on the business and prioritise them.
3. Scanning: Use automated tools or manual techniques to scan the identified assets for vulnerabilities.
4. Report Generation and Remediation: The report helps develop the plan of action. Then, you can implement the plan and address the identified vulnerabilities, including patching, updating configurations, or implementing additional controls.
5. Continuous Improvement: Reassess the systems and applications frequently to ensure that the identified vulnerabilities have been properly addressed, and continue to monitor for new vulnerabilities over time. Regular vulnerability and risk assessments should be conducted to maintain the organisation’s security posture.

TYPES OF VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT

There are five types of vulnerability assessments:

• Network vulnerability assessment: Identifies vulnerabilities in the network infrastructure, such as firewalls, routers, and switches. 
  
  
• Host vulnerability assessment: Identifies vulnerabilities in individual systems or hosts, such as servers and workstations
  
  
• Wireless vulnerability assessment: Identifies vulnerabilities in wireless networks and devices, such as access points and mobile devices. 
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• Database vulnerability assessment: Identifies vulnerabilities in database management systems, such as SQL injection and privilege escalation. 
  
  
• Application vulnerability assessment: Identifies vulnerabilities in software applications, such as buffer overflows, cross-site scripting (XSS), and SQL injection. 

HOW CAN TÜV SÜD’S SECURITY VULNERABILITY TESTING SERVICES HELP YOU?

We offer assessments of pre-defined IT systems for existing vulnerabilities in the form of our TÜV SÜD Vulnerability Scan.

A vulnerability scan can be performed via the Internet in simulation of an external cyberattacker – but also via your company’s in-house network. We design our vulnerability scan in line with your needs.

Once the scope of the scan has been defined and your order has been placed, our IT security experts start the scan. The scan tests for approximately 30,000 known vulnerabilities. Our experts monitor the entire process of the scan.

When the vulnerability scan is complete, we document the results in a detailed report. Depending on the system tested, the report includes a list of the vulnerabilities detected, their classification as potential hazards, and recommendations on how to stop these security gaps.

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