How often should I scan for vulnerabilities?

Scan critical systems weekly, all systems at least monthly. Run additional scans after deploying changes or new systems. Continuous scanning is ideal for internet-facing systems. PCI-DSS requires quarterly external scans by an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV). Internal scans should be more frequent than external scans.

What vulnerability scanner should I use?

For most mid-market businesses: Qualys or Tenable (Nessus) for network scanning, Snyk or GitHub Dependabot for code dependencies, and cloud-native tools (AWS Inspector, Azure Defender) for cloud environments. Open-source OpenVAS is a good starting point for businesses with limited budgets.

How do I prioritise vulnerability remediation?

Prioritise by: 1) CVSS severity score, 2) Whether the vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild, 3) Exposure level (internet-facing vs. internal), 4) Data sensitivity of affected systems, 5) Availability of a patch or workaround. Focus on critical and high vulnerabilities on internet-facing systems first. Do not try to fix everything at once.

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Vulnerability Scanning

Also known as:vulnerability assessmentsecurity scanningweakness identification

Automated assessment of systems, networks, and applications to identify known security vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and weaknesses that could be exploited by attackers.

In-Depth Explanation

Vulnerability scanning uses automated tools to systematically examine systems, networks, and applications for known security weaknesses. It identifies vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and missing patches that could be exploited by attackers, enabling proactive remediation.

Types of vulnerability scans:

Network scanning: Identifying vulnerable services, open ports, and misconfigurations
Web application scanning: Finding web vulnerabilities (SQL injection, XSS, CSRF)
Cloud configuration scanning: Identifying misconfigurations in cloud environments
Container scanning: Finding vulnerabilities in container images
Dependency scanning: Identifying vulnerable libraries in application code
Compliance scanning: Checking systems against security standards

Vulnerability scanning vs. penetration testing:

Scanning: Automated, identifies known vulnerabilities, broad coverage
Pen testing: Human-driven, exploits vulnerabilities, deeper analysis
Scanning tells you what is wrong; pen testing tells you what an attacker can do with it
Use both together for comprehensive security assessment

Popular vulnerability scanners:

Qualys: Cloud-based vulnerability management
Tenable (Nessus): Industry-standard vulnerability scanner
Rapid7 InsightVM: Vulnerability management with remediation tracking
OpenVAS: Open-source vulnerability scanner
Snyk: Developer-focused dependency and container scanning
AWS Inspector: AWS-native vulnerability scanning
Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management: Azure and endpoint scanning

Vulnerability management process:

Discover: Identify all assets in the environment
Scan: Run vulnerability scans across all assets
Prioritise: Rank vulnerabilities by severity and exploitability (CVSS score)
Remediate: Patch, configure, or mitigate identified vulnerabilities
Verify: Re-scan to confirm remediation
Report: Track vulnerability trends and compliance

Vulnerability severity (CVSS scores):

Critical (9.0-10.0): Immediate remediation required
High (7.0-8.9): Remediate within 30 days
Medium (4.0-6.9): Remediate within 90 days
Low (0.1-3.9): Remediate within next maintenance cycle

Business Context

Regular vulnerability scanning reduces the attack surface and identifies weaknesses before they are exploited. Organisations that scan regularly are 60% less likely to experience a successful breach targeting known vulnerabilities.

How Clever Ops Uses This

Clever Ops implements automated vulnerability scanning programs for Australian businesses, configuring regular scans across networks, applications, and cloud environments. We build vulnerability management workflows that prioritise remediation by risk, track progress, and generate compliance reports.

Example Use Case

"An Australian software company implements weekly Qualys scans across their cloud infrastructure and Snyk for code dependencies, identifying and remediating 45 critical vulnerabilities in the first quarter, including a critical SQL injection in their customer portal."