Which of the following is the best way for a person to find out what security holes exist on the network?

What is a vulnerability assessment?

A vulnerability assessment is the process of defining, identifying, classifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities in computer systems, applications and network infrastructures.

Vulnerability assessments also provide an organization with the necessary knowledge, awareness and risk backgrounds to understand and react to threats to its environment.

A vulnerability assessment process is intended to identify threats and the risks they pose. They typically involve the use of automated testing tools, such as network security scanners, whose results are listed in a vulnerability assessment report.

Organizations of any size, or even individuals who face an increased risk of cyber attacks, can benefit from some form of vulnerability assessment, but large enterprises and other types of organizations that are subject to ongoing attacks will benefit most from vulnerability analysis.

Because security vulnerabilities can enable hackers to access IT systems and applications, it is essential for enterprises to identify and remediate weaknesses before they can be exploited. A comprehensive vulnerability assessment, along with a management program, can help companies improve the security of their systems.

Importance of vulnerability assessments

A vulnerability assessment provides an organization with details on any security weaknesses in its environment. It also provides direction on how to assess the risks associated with those weaknesses. This process offers the organization a better understanding of its assets, security flaws and overall risk, reducing the likelihood that a cybercriminal will breach its systems and catch the business off guard.

Types of vulnerability assessments

Vulnerability assessments discover different types of system or network vulnerabilities. This means the assessment process includes using a variety of tools, scanners and methodologies to identify vulnerabilities, threats and risks.

Some of the different types of vulnerability assessment scans include the following:

  • Network-based scans are used to identify possible network security attacks. This type of scan can also detect vulnerable systems on wired or wireless networks.
  • Host-based scans are used to locate and identify vulnerabilities in servers, workstations or other network hosts. This type of scan usually examines ports and services that may also be visible to network-based scans. However, it offers greater visibility into the configuration settings and patch history of scanned systems, even legacy systems.
  • Wireless network scans of an organization's Wi-Fi networks usually focus on points of attack in the wireless network infrastructure. In addition to identifying rogueaccess points, a wireless network scan can also validate that a company's network is securely configured.
  • Application scans test websites to detect known software vulnerabilities and incorrect configurations in network or web applications.
  • Database scans can identify weak points in a database to prevent malicious attacks, such asSQL injection attacks.

Vulnerability assessments vs. penetration tests

A vulnerability assessment often includes a penetration testing component to identify vulnerabilities in an organization's personnel, procedures or processes. These vulnerabilities might not normally be detectable with network or system scans. The process is sometimes referred to as vulnerability assessment/penetration testing, or VAPT.

Which of the following is the best way for a person to find out what security holes exist on the network?
How to conduct penetration testing

However, penetration testing is not sufficient as a complete vulnerability assessment and is, in fact, a separate process. A vulnerability assessment aims to uncover vulnerabilities in a network and recommend the appropriate mitigation or remediation to reduce or remove the risks.

A vulnerability assessment uses automated network security scanning tools. The results are listed in the vulnerability assessment report, which focuses on providing enterprises with a list of vulnerabilities that need to be fixed. However, it does so without evaluating specific attack goals or scenarios.

Organizations should employ vulnerability testing on a regular basis to ensure the security of their networks, particularly when changes are made. For example, testing should be done when services are added, new equipment is installed or ports are opened.

In contrast, penetration testing involves identifying vulnerabilities in a network, and it attempts to exploit them to attack the system. Although sometimes carried out in concert with vulnerability assessments, the primary aim of penetration testing is to check whether a vulnerability really exists. In addition, penetration testing tries to prove that exploiting a vulnerability can damage the application or network.

While a vulnerability assessment is usually automated to cover a wide variety of unpatched vulnerabilities, penetration testing generally combines automated and manual techniques to help testers delve further into the vulnerabilities and exploit them to gain access to the network in a controlled environment.

This was last updated in September 2021

Continue Reading About vulnerability assessment (vulnerability analysis)

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Which of the following is best used for vulnerability testing?

Explanation: White box testing provides the penetration testers information about the target network before they start their work.

What is the basic instrument for determining security vulnerability?

A security survey is the fundamental tool for collecting information used in the vulnerability assessment.

Which of the following is a vulnerability assessment tool John the Ripper aircrack ng Nessus Cain & Abel?

Which of the following is a vulnerability assessment tool? Nessus is a vulnerability assessment tool. Aircrack-ng is used to crack wireless encryption codes. John the Ripper and Cain & Abel are password-cracking programs.

Why would a security administrator use a vulnerability scanner *?

After you evaluate the product with various vulnerability scans you determine that the product is not a threat in of itself but it has the potential to introduce new vulnerabilities to your network.