Understanding Vulnerability Assessment
However, to achieve a comprehensive report on vulnerability testing, the combination of both procedures is recommended. In this article the focus would be on understanding the concept and basics of vulnerability assessment along with a comparative analysis of both testing techniques.
How to use Vulnerability Assessment?
Vulnerability assessment is very important for the survival and security of organizations. It is a process which must be adopted at regular intervals by every business or commercial entity to protect its system from potential threats such as hackers. This process is usually deemed indispensable at workplaces where information technology is dominantly employed for running the system and storing databases. Employer’s first priority is to protect their data and information from falling into wrong hands. This is why it is important that a comprehensive vulnerability assessment procedure is conducted.
Vulnerability Assessment Procedure:
Vulnerability assessment is an extensive process of defining, identifying and classifying the weaknesses, vulnerability and holes that exist in a system. These threats/vulnerabilities are often detected in the computer systems of organizational and communication infrastructure of an entity. This procedure is also conducted for forecasting the efficacy of the defenses deployed within a system and to quantify their usefulness and effectiveness after installation.
Difference between Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessment:
Vulnerability assessment is like a tool used for discovering the prevailing weaknesses in a system. However, this tool cannot differentiate between the flaws which are exploitable and those which are not. This means, that vulnerability assessment can only detect or identify the flaws but cannot inform about which of them can be exploited by hackers. Exclusive vulnerability scanners are used for making this identification. These scanners alert organizations regarding the preexisting flaws within the system codes and determine their location.
Penetration testing, conversely, attempts to exploit the threats and vulnerabilities of a system for determining if any sort of unauthorized entry is possible or not. It checks the system for probable malicious activity and manages to identify salient flaws that pose threat to the security of an application.
The difference between both processes is that penetration testing, unlike vulnerability assessment, can determine which threat is exploitable and which isn’t. Moreover, penetration testing is powerful enough to measure the severity of an exploitable threat and the extent to which it can harm the system/application. Therefore, companies conduct penetration testing after the process of vulnerability assessment for understanding how severe and damaging a threat/flaw can be for the system if a real attack is made.
Vulnerability assessment when gets combined with penetration testing can provide a detailed and comprehensive picture of the issues and threats that exist in a system and the potential risks associated.
Advantages of Vulnerability Assessment:
The benefits that it entails for the organization are various and wide-ranged such as it makes it stronger and secure. This procedure helps an organization in identifying its assets and the real-risk that exist. Furthermore, it is an extensive network of procedures which also guides the management towards the appropriate risk mitigation plan. It ensures protection of assets and reduction in liability. Lastly, and most importantly, it ensures that the entire system is protected from outside threats and the administration enjoys peace of mind.
