

For example, imagine that scan results show your Apache framework is vulnerable. Vulnerability scan results save time and resources by identifying the areas a pen test should focus on most closely.
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As an example, if a pen tester is looking for an exploitable hole in a website, they could use a web application scanner to identify specific ways in which applications are vulnerable to attacks, such as cross-site scripting or SQL injections, and then explore those areas in greater detail (either with pen testing tools or manual methods). Active scanning is a core function of Nessus Professional, and for organizational users, it is the most direct method of searching for vulnerabilities and an excellent complement to any penetration test. Passive scans monitor network activity and wait to see indicators of vulnerabilities. Focus your penetration testing with active scanningĪctive scanning proactively searches for vulnerability signs at the time the scan is initiated. Think of it as the infosec version of criminal profiling: Only by imagining the mindset of a malicious hacker and mimicking their activities can a well-intentioned pen tester truly understand the risk an organization faces and adequately prepare to face it. 2 But a pen tester's manual skill and creativity are just as important to successfully find an exploitable system, map the network, gain access to other systems and test defenses. Pen testers use a well-known arsenal of "white hat" hacking tools to complete their sanctioned attacks, including the Social Engineering Toolkit 1 and Pen Testers Framework. The idea is to see how easy or difficult it is to overcome your defenses, testing the hypothetical risks found during a vulnerability assessment. The process is often automated, and in many organizations, can ultimately identify hundreds, if not thousands, of vulnerabilities.Ī penetration test, meanwhile, is an authorized attack on your own systems - a form of ethical hacking - that exploits vulnerabilities so that a pen tester can attempt to gain access to systems and data. This applies to everything from compromised IoT devices to applications with glitches in their source code. In the former, the key goal is to identify, quantify and analyze vulnerabilities within IT infrastructure, enumerating all of the hypothetical routes to a cyberattack. Vulnerability assessments and penetration tests both look for weaknesses in your network. There are important, fundamental differences that actually allow these two tactics to be used in tandem.

While similar - and sometimes confused for each other - penetration tests and vulnerability assessments are decidedly not the same thing. Penetration tests and vulnerability assessments make for an excellent tandem approach to cybersecurity.
