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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 They test for missing patches, misconfigurations, default credentials, outdated software, and known exploits.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

CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery)
An attack that tricks authenticated users into submitting unwanted requests to a web application they are logged into.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
A strategy and set of tools that detect and prevent unauthorized transmission of sensitive data outside an organization.
SOC (Security Operations Center)
A centralized team and facility responsible for monitoring, detecting, analyzing, and responding to cybersecurity threats 24/7.
SAST (Static Application Security Testing)
Automated analysis of source code to find security vulnerabilities without executing the application.
Supply Chain Attack
A cyberattack that targets less-secure elements in the software supply chain to compromise downstream users and organizations.
Brute Force Attack
An attack method that systematically tries all possible combinations of passwords or keys until the correct one is found.
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