Why scanning for weaknesses important?
The number of vulnerabilities has nearly doubled in the past two years. But the number of vulnerabilities being exploited is only a small fraction of the total.
IT security systems are a complex network of devices that can often have weaknesses that attackers can exploit. To ensure all assets are protected, it is important to undergo a process of scanning for current weaknesses in the system.
Scans will detect and then prioritise any vulnerabilities in your IT security system. This includes computers, servers and other communications equipment either on-premise or in the cloud.
There are two ways of detecting weaknesses:
- Authenticated scans – tests internal security measures to see who has access to different elements of your systems. This can be based on whether it’s staff or those who have gained access through illegal means.
- Unauthenticated scans – this is essentially an ethical hack. The aim to be a hacker and attempt to find and exploit any weaknesses in your current security system.
Ongoing maintenance of your security systems is important as weakness can emerge when an operating system or software is updated.
Vulnerability scanning on a regular basis is recommended as an essential security practice or to meet operational compliance where required.
Predictive Prioritisation
Predictive Prioritization combines Tenable-collected vulnerability data with third-party vulnerability and threat data and analyzes them together with the advanced data science algorithm developed by Tenable Research. Each vulnerability now receives a Vulnerability Priority Rating (VPR) that incorporates the result of this analysis, updated on a daily basis including vulnerabilities that have yet to be published in the National Vulnerability Database (NVD).
Vulnerability Assessment
Here at Vectra, we provide vulnerability assessment services to ensure your systems are secure and also compliance with current regulations such as ISO27001, CPS234, PCI DSS, etc.
We undergo thorough testing and scanning of your current system to detect any weaknesses.
Our assessments include a few types of vulnerability scans, such as:
- Applications – detecting weaknesses in any internal or external software used by employees including configuration issues
- Databases – checking data governance and how information is exchanged between databases
- Networks – assess the policies and procedures governing how data is transferred and used
- Servers – testing security standard
Our penetration testing services are some of the best in the business. We pride our self on undergoing rigorous testing on your business now, to protect you from threats later on. These all occur via a combination of automated and manual security solutions – our vulnerability scanning tools.
Assessments are suitable for any business who require a more structured approached to mitigating cyber risks. Whether you’re a small or large scale organisation, Vectra is here to ensure your assets are secure.
Assessment Report and Remediation
Vectra provides a detailed report as a part of our managed vulnerability assessment services.
Our reports include:
- An overview of any vulnerabilities identified
- A risk rating for each
- Remediation advice on how these vulnerabilities can be addressed
As Australian cyber security leaders, we have offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Any tests we perform will happen right here in Australia and your sensitive data will not be transferred overseas.
Vulnerability Management
When updating systems or changing IT assets, you could be leaving your data exposed to a major breach. It is important to be aware of your security weaknesses all the time, rather than just a once off assessment.
While assessments have a defined timeline, vulnerability management is ongoing. In a dynamic environment such as cyber security, Vectra recommends to constantly be checking your system for the appropriate security controls.
Weaknesses can appear in your system quickly so it is important you’re continually checking your security systems.
For proper vulnerability management, a system needs to be undergoing measures to detect, assess, report and remediate any potential issues.
Vectra can help you maintain a high level of security for your business through ongoing management. In doing so we will continually be performing:
- Checks on assets and software to ensure the data we have is up to date. This will include an assessment inventory to ensure everything on premises or in the cloud is on file and secured.
- Checks on any global security alerts to ensure your system is not impacted
- Checks on your current security team. We will ensure current employees in the security team have up to date training and response management.
- Risk assessments to see where your organisation may be vulnerable. This will require internal cooperation to ensure a proactive approach.
- Assessments of your IT environment
- Undergoing remediation processes for any issues
Vectra’s Scanning Portal
Our customised assessment tools have made the process of finding and fixing any weaknesses easier for your business.
The tool enables you to:
- Add or remove your own dynamic or new IP addresses through your Perimeter Scan Portal.
- Enable mass upload scan targets and groups. For an organisation with a high volume of scan targets, keeping port scans organised can be a challenge.
Our vulnerability assessment tools allow you to group and label scan targets. This makes it easier to manage by location, network type, or unique circumstances at your organisation.
