Vulnerability Scanning

Even popular software can contain security flaws which put your whole network at risk.

As an example, a bug was recently found and fixed in the popular app Zoom. If it had been discovered by a hacker first, it could have allowed them to take control of the user’s device.

Never assume a piece of software is secure by default, always verify it with a vulnerability scan.

Vulnerability scanning makes use of automated software to look for security flaws and vulnerabilities in devices and networks. Undetected security weaknesses can put your entire network at danger.

Scanning can be performed manually or automatically, and it can take anything from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the complexity of the network being scanned.

These scans should be performed on a regular basis by every organisation. They are a cost-effective way to proactively defend your network. They allow you to discover security vulnerabilities and fix them before they are found by attackers.

The vulnerability scanner compares your systems and software to a database of known exploits and vulnerabilities. When it finds a suspected vulnerability, it will automatically alert our cyber-defence team who will then investigate it manually.

Vulnerability scans don’t just detect security flaws in computers, but also in…

• Firewalls
• Routers
• Servers
• Cloud Platforms
• Operating Systems
• Printers

• It Finds Vulnerabilities In Well-Known Applications
  Even some of the most widely used applications in the world, from some of the largest software companies, can still have vulnerabilities in them. It’s important to find these vulnerabilities and patch them before they can be exploited by cybercriminals looking to compromise your networks and data. This is vital, because if you get hacked as a result of one of these application vulnerabilities and your customers’ data is compromised, it will be your business they hold accountable – not the application developers.
• It Works At Scale
  The larger your business becomes and the more technology it uses, the task of checking and investigating each piece of software manually becomes untenable. Automated vulnerability scanning, combined with a managed IT service, allows these checks to be done at scale across your entire network and then followed up on by trained professionals.
• It’s Proactive
  Vulnerability scanning also lets you stay one step ahead of hackers. Cyber criminals are already using their own versions of vulnerability scanning maliciously, trying to identify security flaws that they can then exploit to steal your data or compromise your network. To keep up with these threats, you need to be proactively deploying your own scanners and addressing these vulnerabilities before the hackers have a chance to.
• It Can Help With Regulatory Compliance
  Vulnerability scanning is listed in the compliance requirements of the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) and other data protection regulations like the GDPR state that organisations must “implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures”. Vulnerability scanning is one such defence measure.