Vulnerability scanner explained

A vulnerability scanner is a computer program designed to assess computers, networks or applications for known weaknesses. These scanners are used to discover the weaknesses of a given system. They are used in the identification and detection of vulnerabilities arising from mis-configurations or flawed programming within a network-based asset such as a firewall, router, web server, application server, etc. Modern vulnerability scanners allow for both authenticated and unauthenticated scans. Modern scanners are typically available as SaaS (Software as a Service); provided over the internet and delivered as a web application. The modern vulnerability scanner often has the ability to customize vulnerability reports as well as the installed software, open ports, certificates and other host information that can be queried as part of its workflow.

Vulnerability scanners should be able to detect the risks in open-source dependencies. However, since developers will usually re-bundle the OSS, the same code will appear in different dependencies, which will then impact the performance and ability of scanners to detect the vulnerable OSS.[2]

The CIS Critical Security Controls for Effective Cyber Defense designates continuous vulnerability scanning as a critical control for effective cyber defense.

See also

OpenVAS

Nessus

Metasploit Project

Snort

External links

Web Application [need link to legit site, old site was hoax]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Technical Guide to Information Security Testing and Assessment. National Institute of Standards and Technology. September 2008. NIST. en. 2017-10-05. 2021-10-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20211027092913/https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-115.pdf. live.
  2. Dann . Andreas . Plate . Henrik . Hermann . Ben . Ponta . Serena Elisa . Bodden . Eric . 2022-09-01 . Identifying Challenges for OSS Vulnerability Scanners - A Study & Test Suite . IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering . 48 . 9 . 3613–3625 . 10.1109/TSE.2021.3101739 . 238808679 . 0098-5589 . 2023-11-10 . 2024-06-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240606045547/https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9506931 . live .