Vulnerability scanning and penet歌雪兒風ration testing are both importa煙朋看低nt measures for maintaining network security. How跳低間花ever, this doesn't mean that the數間間見re is no distinction between問道員事 the two. Vulnerabili她資商什ty scanning cannot replace 視聽呢但the importance of penetration testing街綠就妹, and penetration testing alone cannot我長吧這 fully secure the entire net女數農做work. So, how do we differentiate vulne業可快花rability scanning from pe刀站能喝netration testing?
Both vulnerability scann這我舊舊ing and penetration 森購醫喝testing are crucial at their respective lev志也這制els and are required by s大中月來tandards such as PCI, HIPAA, ISO 27001, etc. Pene麗上湖雨tration testing exploits vulnerabilities i技國黑計n the target system architecture, whi站得農腦le vulnerability scanning飛是區微 (or assessment) chec輛睡文弟ks for known vulnerabil能路技白ities and generates a risk assessment report.
The key factors to di上業員麗fferentiate between vulnerability scanni妹媽刀睡ng and penetration testing are:
- Scope
- Risk and criticality of assets
- Cost and time
Penetration testing is targeted and often厭計裡動 involves a human factor. There輛可房媽 is no such thing as fully autom我醫都暗ated penetration testing. Wh醫雜好會ile tools are used in penetration te機好師錯sting and sometimes multiple tools 跳風門城are employed, it still requires 們低員訊highly skilled experts to conduct the testing.
Experienced penetration testers often write北兒空錢 scripts, modify attack paramete麗藍家睡rs, or adjust tool settings during t技路就笑he testing process. Penetration test跳海科子ing can be performed at the appl說匠樹雜ication layer or network layer, targeting 遠地銀到specific functionalities, depar制機紙南tments, or specific asse文業微銀ts. Alternatively, it c厭機老報an encompass the entire infrastructure文道好電 and all applications. How音呢一綠ever, due to cost and time constr算男美家aints, testing the entire infr技內工廠astructure in its entirety is often爸木也鐘 impractical in the real wor厭男那到ld.
The definition of scope primarily depe章市能拿nds on asset risks and im醫問見我portance. It is not practical to spe路木子動nd a significant amount of time and money 空了歌票on penetration testing low-risk assets. 大舊內科After all, penetration testing requires hi喝花理在ghly skilled personnel, which contribut白舞跳多es to its high cost.
Furthermore, penetratio這信一綠n testers often leverage n用化唱票ew vulnerabilities o音新慢媽r discover unknown security flaws in normal bus畫女離紅iness processes, which may take s地動喝女everal days to weeks to complete計樂空裡. Given the cost and above-av鄉笑空就erage probability of service disrupt日姐到拍ion, penetration testing is typically condu窗美信海cted once a year. All reports are conc嗎中嗎黑ise and to the point.
On the other hand, vulnerability scanning i化有分我s the process of identifyi器技議嗎ng potential vulnerabilities in net又生醫哥work devices such as firewalls, routers, switch裡但爸那es, servers, various 輛議船民applications, etc. It is an au家爸多的tomated process that focuses on potenti著的討們al and known vulnerabilities at th月服上是e network or application layer. Vulnerability sca筆關答玩nning does not involve exploiting vulnerabil煙志草機ities. Vulnerability scanners only identify know醫綠務現n vulnerabilities and are 了信討到not designed to discover zero-day e票都問道xploits.
Vulnerability scanning is 站科體都conducted across the entire company and req秒近們月uires automated tools to handle a large num現件計校ber of assets. Its scope is broader tha中業錯們n that of penetration testing. Vuln靜雜鐵答erability scanning products are usually operate木男飛慢d by system administrat秒子高來ors or security person請匠讀笑nel with good network knowledge, requi但花議票ring specific knowledge of the 民科黃到product for effective use.
Vulnerability scanning can be performed o樹生兵冷n any number of assets to identify known vulnerab水上城外ilities. The scan re兒吧兵土sults can then be used in弟雜用鄉 conjunction with the vulnerabi討紅刀快lity management lifecycle to quickly address mo場讀媽森re critical vulnerabilities impacting importan歌從音熱t resources.
Compared to penetration testing, vulner兒子遠雨ability scanning has lower c但村老站osts and serves as a detective control ra雪學信靜ther than a preventive measure.
Both vulnerability scanning and penet計制日可ration testing are more effective 時匠紙南when used together, and using them separately嗎上務大 helps differentiate between the two. This ap林雨綠志proach allows for bet子用雨山ter maintenance of network security. Shangha他美笑歌i InsightSec Network Technology Co., Ltd時國視小. is a technology service c月坐麗信ompany specializing in providing 市紙可請information security solutions美事學電 for enterprises. Follow us to learn m站就藍你ore about information security knowle裡車自分dge.