The use of scanless assessment to recognize vulnerabilities has numerous benefits, including minimizing network interruption. 

Therefore, it can provide up-to-date vulnerability information and meet the stages of vulnerability identification frequency.

When joined with other automated analytical capabilities in vulnerability control systems, organizations can minimize their level of exposure.

Benefits of Scanless Vulnerability Assessment

1. Identify Vulnerabilities Before Cyber Criminals Do

Many cyberattacks are automated, and they involve crooks looking for and exploiting known vulnerabilities. In other words, they are not producing a vulnerability or looking for an obscure weakness through their good hacking skills.

They are simply searching for vulnerabilities in the same direction as anyone with the correct scanning software could. So when organizations use the same tools, they are able to recognize their weaknesses and fix them before anyone gets the opportunity to exploit them.

2. Decrease Disruptions

No target host is ever touched or probed since the vulnerability detector gets all of the data about the host from existing system management solutions. This non-invasive vulnerability finding technique does not interrupt the network or any business services.

3. It Can Be Deployed Easily

Gaining access to a few centralized information depositories already deployed is easier than deploying active scanners throughout a network and getting approvals to scan vital areas. 

These differences mean that deployment of the vulnerability finding approach can take a few days, whereas deployment of active scanning can take weeks or months in a big organization with a difficult network.

4. Continuous Monitoring

Scanless assessment is an analytical vulnerability discovery technique and up-to-date source of information that can be gathered and analyzed in a matter of seconds or minutes at any time. Vulnerability control systems can be used to discover, analyze and manage vulnerabilities on a daily basis, as opposed to a cycle of weeks or months to carry out full scanning of the enterprise network.

5. Define the Level of Risk on Your Systems

Carrying out vulnerability assessment regularly will assist you in determining the effectiveness of your security measures. If you are awash with vulnerabilities, that is a signal that your software or system are seriously flawed and need to be reconsidered.

6. Save Time and Money

It will save you money in the long term as they are easier to repeat. That's because scanless vulnerability assessment reduces the risks of the information being breached, which will come with a remediation, including the loss of customers as a result of reputational damage.

Also, if you have cyber insurance, you will need to conduct vulnerability assessment regularly to show that you are addressing your cybersecurity duties and to collect your payout. 

7. Meet Data Protection Requirements

Scanless vulnerability assessment is not directly required by the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), but the Regulation does require organizations that process individual information to ensure that they have enforced appropriate technical and organizational security measures, which includes discovering vulnerabilities. 

The international standard for data security, ISO 27001, also needs organizations to take a likely step, and the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) includes vulnerability assessment in its requirements list.

Here are the five rules for making a positive outcome certain with vulnerability scanning:

1. Scan All Network Assets

Make sure to scan every device and access point inside your network ecosystem. Assessing all assets in the system helps to reveal several loopholes inside the infrastructure and helps you to provide solutions accordingly. Ensure you provide an inventory list including all network assets no matter their function and determine which targets to scan from your inventory. 

2. Scan Frequently

The space between the scans is vital because this time interval leaves your system exposed to new threats. Scanning can be carried out weekly, monthly or quarterly. If done regularly, not every network device needs to be scanned, minimizing the period and effort while getting the layered network coverage. Your network architecture and device impact are factors that help in discovering scanning intervals.

3. Set Accountability

Make asset supervisors or owners accountable. For instance, roles can be designed to shield some particular devices and carry out actions in the event of a data incident. Therefore, asset owners should not be restrained by tech professionals. Business owners can also look over some systems.

4. Run Patching Process

Patching internet-enabled equipment for all ascertained vulnerabilities is more vital than patching likely devices that have been blocked already by settings or firewalls. This is a time management practice that can be required due to limited resources, and it is important to pay attention to assets that give the highest risk levels to the organization. 

5. Document All Scans and Their Results

It is very important to make sure all scans and their outcomes are documented. All vulnerability scans should be planned by using the management approved timetable with an audit process set to give a detailed reporting. 

The organization can supervise vulnerability problems and trends, discover susceptible systems and provide accountability by documenting the scan run according to a timetable. 

Are you interested in learning more about how scanless vulnerability assessment can create vulnerability scanning solutions for organizations of all levels? Contact us at Vicarius! Vicarius is a vulnerability management software that’s designed for cybersecurity officers as well as IT operators and managers from the U.S market.

Photo by Haley Phelps on Unsplash