Congratulations! Simply by contemplating a vulnerability scan, your organization is more prepared than a majority of organizations. A recent study by Tenable shows that only 48% of companies perform any kind of regular vulnerability scan whatsoever – and only 5% conduct rigorous practices. If you want to become part of that 5%, however, you have to do more than consider a vulnerability scanning program – you have to commit.
Here’s what you need to know:
A Vulnerability Scan is Not a Virus Scan – Or a Penetration Test
In a virus scan, an application scans your system looking for viruses. In a penetration test, an information security professional assumes the role of an attacker and attempts to breach your network and files. Both terms are often thrown about and conflated with a vulnerability scan, but a vulnerability scan is its own thing – distinct from both.
A vulnerability scan crawls through your network and finds areas where files have been unpatched or misconfigured – areas where an intruder might gain a toehold. Since your network changes often, companies should run vulnerability scans often as well. This prevents complacency.
Cyber Security Doesn’t End at the Vulnerability Scan
What if you knew that your network was vulnerable – but didn’t do anything about it? This happens more often that you might think. About 60% of hacked organizations have reported that they knew about the vulnerability that resulted in the breach and hadn’t gotten around to fixing it yet.
Patching a network is complicated – a single application may have multiple dependencies. In other words, patching one application may render it unable to pass data to other applications that help the network function. Other times, the application needs to deliver a customer experience 24/7 – there’s no good time to take it offline for a patch. Either way, vulnerability scans can reveal problems that it may be hard to reckon with.
Work with a Third Party to Augment Your Scans
If you run a vulnerability scan and can’t find a fast fix, it may be time to work with a partner who can help. At BIOSME, our BIOS Secured offering starts with a vulnerability scan, but it doesn’t end there. We suggest immediate remediation strategies for vulnerabilities that we find, and our considerable resources can give companies the space they need to eliminate problematic dependencies or provide fail over services for mission-critical applications during an update.
Contact BIOSME today and learn how you can become one of the most secure companies in your industry!
