07 Apr 2022 Vulnerability scanner: the new essential tool for your IT security team!
Vulnerabilities are part of digital life. They are the result of the increasing complexity of code and system, coupled with gaps in the cybersecurity practices of designers and users. While it is impossible to completely eradicate vulnerabilities in code and system, improving their processing offers an important opportunity to reduce security risk.
by: Eloïse Gruber
Most incidents are caused by actors exploiting vulnerabilities. Addressing these vulnerabilities before malicious actors take advantage of them is an effective way to reduce the likelihood of incidents.
Computer code is never perfect and almost always has vulnerabilities. Information systems have vulnerabilities related to the implementation, configuration and updating of software. Hackers try to discover these vulnerabilities and develop malware to attack businesses, healthcare facilities and governments. That’s why IT teams need to be able to detect these vulnerabilities through a vulnerability manager or vulnerability scanner, in order to deal with them effectively.
What is a vulnerability manager or vulnerability scanner?
A vulnerability manager or vulnerability scanner makes it possible to highlight the weaknesses of the different components of your information system (systems, network, application) through automatic scans. The purpose of a vulnerability scanner is to constantly monitor and test your systems for vulnerabilities. It will check that the versions of applications and other systems are up to date with the latest security patches. If not, it triggers alerts with severity levels based on different criticality parameters.
To ensure that the systems and applications in operation are up to date, the vulnerability scanner will consult a knowledge base of security vulnerabilities and compare versions.
How does a vulnerability scanner work?
A vulnerability scanner scans different assets, such as desktops, servers, network equipment, containers, websites, mobile devices, applications, etc. Some comprehensive vulnerability scanners allow IT teams to proceed in different stages, from the detection of vulnerabilities to their resolution, all while having decision support to prioritize the vulnerabilities to be addressed.
- Mapping of targets and active services of the information system
- Vulnerability detection
- Identification of exposed assets
- Decision of the actions to be carried out according to an assessment and prioritization of the most dangerous vulnerabilities
- Remediation and control of vulnerabilities, then restitution of results
Vulnerability scanner: discover the innovative Cyberwatch solution
Cyberwatch is an application solution that allows you to continuously monitor the vulnerabilities of your assets (workstations, servers, network and industrial equipment, web applications, etc.) and ensure compliance with your PSSI. Installed on your infrastructure, Cyberwatch preserves the confidentiality of your data by not transmitting any information to the outside.
Identify vulnerabilities and prioritize corrective actions to be taken based on the CVSS vulnerability score, the maturity of exploit kits and your own criticality criteria, in accordance with your risk management strategy.
Cyberwatch is designed to integrate as well as possible into your IS, both at the technical and managerial level: interface with a safe, an internal ticketing tool, Active Directory, etc.
The Cyberwatch knowledge base is effective and relevant thanks to an hourly update based on the crossing of different data sources such as ANSSI, NVD, RENATER, Microsoft, Adobe, etc. and identifies the most recent flaws and vulnerabilities.
Cyberwatch integrates with current security practices. The software solution can be used in addition to penetration testing/auditing to continuously verify the security and compliance of a perimeter.
Discover two Cyberwatch modules:
- Cyberwatch Vulnerability Manager to help you continuously detect, prioritize, remediate vulnerabilities, and apply security updates.
- Cyberwatch Compliance Manager will help you measure the level of compliance of your information system and add security rules to strengthen your PSSI.
If you wish to learn more about how BlueFinch can help your organisation protect its sensitive data and about our Data Security Suite? Please contact sales@bluefinch.com and take a look at our solutions