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Security Intermediate

What is Vulnerability Scanning?

Automated testing that identifies known security weaknesses in systems, applications, and network infrastructure.

Vulnerability scanners check systems against databases of known vulnerabilities (CVEs). They test for missing patches, misconfigurations, default credentials, outdated software, and known exploits. Scans can be authenticated (with credentials) or unauthenticated.

Tools include Nessus, OpenVAS, Qualys, and Trivy (containers). Regular scanning is required by PCI DSS, HIPAA, and other compliance standards. Scanners report findings with severity ratings (CVSS scores) and remediation guidance. Integrate scanning into CI/CD pipelines for continuous security.

Related Terms

Firewall Rules
Configuration entries that define which network traffic is allowed or blocked based on source, destination, port, and protocol.
Webhook Signature Verification
A security mechanism that verifies webhook payloads are authentic and unmodified using cryptographic signatures.
SOC (Security Operations Center)
A centralized team and facility responsible for monitoring, detecting, analyzing, and responding to cybersecurity threats 24/7.
Security Headers
HTTP response headers that instruct browsers to enable security features like XSS protection, framing prevention, and content type enforcement.
Session Hijacking
An attack where an adversary takes over a legitimate user session by stealing or predicting the session identifier.
OWASP Top 10
A regularly updated list of the ten most critical web application security risks, published by the Open Web Application Security Project.
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