5 Types of Scanning in Cyber Security

In this blog, you will learn about five different types of scanning in cyber security. There are several ways that cybercriminals hack into systems to gain access to sensitive data, and organizations are having to put more robust safeguards in place as a result.

Cybersecurity breaches are always going to happen. However, you can minimize the damage that they have on your company by being well prepared.

One of the most significant elements to being prepared to deal with cybersecurity threats involves running scans on your applications.

Consistent testing and scanning of your applications ensure that developers know where vulnerabilities are and how severe they are.

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5 Types of Scanning in Cyber Security

As a result, they can have an easier time prioritizing the threats and fixing them before
moving on with development. This post takes you through some of the main types of
cybersecurity scans that you can start using to keep your applications safe from hackers.

1. Vulnerability Scanning

Vulnerabilities within software code can provide hackers with entry points to exploit and gain access to your entire system. They can find weak spots in your code and alter the code to change how the software is meant to function.

A common approach that hackers take when exploiting vulnerabilities involves removing
update patches. This results in software code that isn’t being updated regularly, which
creates a larger attack surface for them to exploit.

Other hackers look for code that hasn’t been frequently updated. The more outdated your
code is, the more likely it is to be riddled with weak areas that hackers can use to their
advantage.

Vulnerability scanning tools help developers understand weak areas in
their code so that they can fix them. These tools often work with an automated system that
notifies you of vulnerabilities.

Docker security scanning is another method of vulnerability scanning that enables
developers to know more about security risks within their Docker images. This is an effective way to discover vulnerabilities before the Docker image is added to registries.

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2. Penetration Testing

Penetration testing involves hiring firms to hack into your network. The idea behind penetration testing is for these firms to approach attacking your network as a real hacker would.

As a result, they try a wide range of tactics to exploit weaknesses that you may have never
thought of. After the scan is over, you will discover critical issues and vulnerabilities in your network.

This enables organizations to put security measures in place in areas that they previously believed to be secure.

One of the giant red flags of an incoming cyberattack is finding bugs in your system.  Penetration testing is an effective option that organizations can use to gain details about where the bugs are located and the severity of the security risk that they pose.

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3. Rogue Port Scans

Rogue ports are elements that aren’t within your company’s network but are still connected in one way or another. These rogue ports can act as gateways for hackers to use to exploit and gain entry to your network.

Employees who use their laptops to connect to your company’s network could unknowingly create a rogue port for hackers to exploit. Since an employee’s device doesn’t feature the same security measures as your network. It makes an easy path for cybercriminals to hack into a system.

In addition, hackers may focus on attacking an employee’s laptop by creating malware or a virus. This gives them another point of entry into your company’s network when the employee connects to their computer.

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4. Network Scans

Carrying out network scans regularly is a must for organizations in today’s world. If you don’t scan your networks and IT assets often; you could be leaving yourself open to a whole host of security issues.

Many companies carry out network scans monthly. This is a great way to give yourself a
good idea about your software’s security level. You can look at the reports and focus your efforts on areas that are especially vulnerable to reduce the attack surface.

Open-source networks are more publicly available and can be more vulnerable to security risks. So, be sure to run monthly network scans and keep on top of your security.

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5. Authenticated and Unauthenticated Scans

It’s recommended that you perform authenticated and unauthenticated vulnerability scans more often. Authenticated scans enable testers to observe the scan and get insights into discovered vulnerabilities.

Unauthenticated scans provide you with a different perspective by putting you in the shoes of a hacker. Carrying out both types of scans helps to provide companies with a broader perspective about possible ways that hackers may try to infiltrate their network.

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Drawbacks of Vulnerability Scanners

There are some drawbacks to vulnerability scanners that you should know about to keep
your expectations in place. These drawbacks include the following:

• False positives – Automated scanning tools sometimes have difficulty identifying false
  positives. Therefore, developers will have to go through the list of vulnerabilities
  manually and disregard the false positives.
• Scanners don’t find everything – While these scanning tools effectively find security risks, there’s still the chance for vulnerabilities to slip through the cracks. So, it would help if you didn’t rely on it as the only security option.
• Frequent updates – You must update vulnerability scanners regularly to ensure that
  they’re well equipped to find vulnerabilities in your network.

While there are some downsides to vulnerability scanners, they’re still instrumental. Vulnerability scanning tools provide fast results and can monitor networks continuously. Above all, you can use them over and over again to identify loopholes in your network.

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Conclusion

In this article, you explore five types of scanning in cyber security. Now that you have a better idea about how organizations safeguard their networks from hackers, you can think about which security methods are best to implement in your company. We hope that the details found throughout our post have helped you to feel more assured about the main types of cybersecurity scanning.