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The Importance of vulnerability scans
In today’s digital age, it’s more important than ever to keep your business secure. Hackers are constantly scanning for vulnerabilities in order to access your business assets. And for businesses, various Acts and regulations require companies to take all reasonable actions to protect their business and customers from cyber crime.
A vulnerability scanner is one of the most powerful tools you can deploy to help you proactively defend against cyber threats and avoid becoming another statistic. But what is a vulnerability scan, and why do you need one? Keep reading to find out.
What is a Vulnerability?
A vulnerability is a flaw or weakness in the technology you use or the way it’s been configured; and these can be exploited by malicious hackers. Hackers often use automated tools (vulnerability scans!) to scan for these exact vulnerabilities. Once they find one, they can exploit the flaw to gain access to sensitive data or inject malicious code into the business’s operations. Because it’s so quick and efficient, this is one of the most common ways cybercriminals use to find soft targets for ransomware or other methods in which they can defraud a business or its customers.
What is a vulnerability scanner?
Anything connected to the internet is part of an organisation’s attack surface. A website domain (a company’s website address) is an entry point that can be used to identify various vulnerabilities, not only those that affect the website, but that may affect the company’s cyber security in other areas as well.
A website vulnerability scanner is a tool that uses your domain name to run the scan. It looks for a variety of issues, from common vulnerabilities to misconfigurations, expired certificates, and more. Some of these may be real cyber risk that needs immediate attention, while others may be an ‘acceptable risk’. The scan will collate the information it gathers into a report which can then be assessed by the company and its IT team – steps can then be taken to fix any findings which are deemed an unacceptable risk.
test.armd.digital provides businesses access to a powerful website vulnerability scan which companies can use as part of their armory of cyber risk monitoring solutions. In partnership with STORM Guidance in London, a specialist cyber risk and cyber incident advisory firm, test.armd.digital has made their service available through an online purchase portal. The comprehensive cyber security report will provide you with actionable Findings, Observations, and Insights to address any issues head-on.
Why Do You Need Vulnerability Scanning?
By having a trusted external partner scan for vulnerabilities, you can identify and fix security flaws before hackers have a chance to exploit them. Conducting an online cyber risk assessment and fixing vulnerabilities can help prevent data breaches, malware infections, ransomware, and other cyber attacks.
Because cyber criminals are using these tools for their own initial assessment and surveillance of a company, vulnerability scanning can be seen as the first line of defence against cyber threats. It is an essential component of your overall ongoing cyber security management.
The Value of utilising Multiple Vulnerability Scanners (getting a second opinion)
Many organisations employ multiple vulnerability scanners to ensure complete coverage of all their digital assets, resulting in a complete picture. Not all scanners look for the same things and some are better than others. If you’re already using a scanning service, getting a second opinion from a credible source can be very valuable – it will either provide you with peace of mind that your current service-provider is doing a great job or alternatively, it could alert you to vulnerabilities that were not picked up in their reports.
Data Protection Requirement to Keep Your Customers’ Data Secure
Data protection legislation requires businesses to take steps to keep personal information secure. This includes ensuring that information is not accessed or used unlawfully.
One way to protect your customers’ data is by regularly scanning your website for vulnerabilities and fixing any security flaws that are found. This will help you avoid becoming a target for cybercriminals. The cyber security report you receive when you use test.armd.digital’s innovative CyberProfiler Scan can be used to validate and document the measures taken by your organisation.
Vulnerability Scanner FAQ
How do I scan a website for vulnerability?
test.armd.digital’s CyberProfiler Scanis the simplest way to identify your digital vulnerabilities. By using a reputable, external partner, a vulnerability scan will help you spot cyber security flaws your developers or IT personnel might miss.
What’s the difference between a vulnerability scan and a penetration test?
A vulnerability scan is a high-level automated test that detects and reports potential known vulnerabilities. It’s a cost-effective, first step in an organisation’s assessment of its vulnerabilities. A penetration test (“pen” test) is a hands-on examination conducted by a real person to detect and exploit weaknesses in your system.
What’s the difference between web application and a website?
A web application (web app) is designed for interaction with end users. A website primarily contains static content. The user of a web application can read the content of the web app and also manipulate the data. The user of the website only can read the content of the website but not manipulate it.
Is there a tool that can scan vulnerabilities in web applications?
Yes, there is and CyberProfiler does this to some degree, but only very lightly. You would need a penetration test to assess web application vulnerabilities properly.
Which is the best vulnerability scanner?
test.armd.digital provides access to best-in-class vulnerability scanning solutions from STORM Guidance, a specialist cyber risk and cyber incident advisory firm. CyberProfiler provides ‘An Attacker’s Eye View’ of your cyber risks and is the only scan (we know of) that is informed by an in-house cyber incident response capability. The experts behind CyberProfiler see the coal face of breaches and so know precisely what attackers are looking for. They are trusted by some of the world’s top insurers and reinsurers who use the CyberProfiler tool for their clients.
How to perform a vulnerability scan - Secure cyber solutions at your fingertips
test.armd.digital makes it simple for a business to access its scan through an online portal. Contact us today to learn more about how to scan a website for vulnerabilities, and protect your organisation against cybercrime.
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