Episode 41 Demystifying Vulnerability Scans

Welcome to Episode 41 of the Cyber Security Happy Hour Podcast.

 

In this podcast, your host, Christie, explores the critical facet of cyber security vulnerability scanning. Decode the myths, understand what vulnerability scans encompass, and why their role within an organization is of paramount importance.

Firstly, begin with an overview of vulnerability scans, which are systematic system and network evaluations that identify potential security weaknesses.

The focus is on how these scans are employed using specialised tools to unearth vulnerabilities such as outdated software, weak passwords and non-security flaws that cyber attackers could exploit.

Understand how they form proactive measure that organizations could use to stay ahead of these threats.

Next, delved into varied types of vulnerability scans that focus on specific areas like network vulnerability and web application vulnerabilities.

Explored the step-by-step process involved in carrying out a scan - from scanning and analysing to reporting.

Consider how the findings like the presence of unpatched software or misconfigurations in networks, which pose significant risks, are addressed.

After that, the categorization of vulnerabilities based on severity- critical, high, medium, low, and informational, provides an understanding of how companies prioritize risks and strategise their remediation efforts.

Understand how organizations can follow through continuous improvements that aid in the identification of vulnerabilities and prompt remediation of them.

Furthermore, gain insights into the tools used in vulnerability scanning like Nessus, OpenVAS, and Qualys.

Learn how IT security teams, network administrators, third party security providers, audit teams and compliance teams play a vital role in conducting vulnerability scans.

A recap on the significant points discussed in the episode. Remember, Cyber Security is a journey, not a destination. Stay vigilant, proactive, and committed to addressing these vulnerabilities with regular vulnerability scans.

Thank you for tuning in and be sure to join for the next episode for more insights into the ever-evolving world of Cyber Security. Until next time, stay safe, stay secure, and keep defending Cyber Security.

Enjoy!

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Music.

(00:07):
And welcome to the Cybersecurity Happy Hour podcast. I'm your host,
Christy, and this is episode 41.
And the topic for this podcast is demystifying vulnerability scans.
Now to kick off, let's define what vulnerability scans are.
At the core, vulnerability scans are systematic and assessments of systems and networks.

(00:35):
And this could also be applications. And the purpose of this is to identify
potential security weaknesses.
Now, what does that actually mean? What does that entail?
Well, during a vulnerability scan,
a specialised tools such as Qualys, Nessus, to mention a few,

(00:58):
are used to scan your digital environment.
And what exactly are you looking for when you scan using these tools are vulnerabilities.
Now, these vulnerabilities could include software that's outdated, misconfigured,
that possess weak passwords or non-security flaws.

(01:22):
And the purpose of these scans is to uncover these weaknesses that could be
exploited by cyber attackers.
Now, why does vulnerability scan matter to an organization, to us generally?
Now that we know what vulnerability scans are, let's explore why they matter
in the realm of cybersecurity And what makes them a critical component of any

(01:45):
organisation's security strategy?
Well, vulnerability scans serve as a proactive measure and is used to identify,
to mitigate any potential security risks before they can be exploited by these malicious actors.
So as an organisation, when you appoint a professional, a cybersecurity professional,

(02:09):
to conduct these regular vulnerability scans,
your organisation can stay ahead of emerging threats and they can minimise the
attack surface and help to boost your overall security posture.
What are the types of security scans?
There isn't one site that fits all approach to vulnerability scans.

(02:31):
So there are different types of vulnerability scans and each type of vulnerability
scans depend on the purpose of the scan.
So they have a specific purpose. One example is a network vulnerability scan.
And a network vulnerability scan will focus on identifying vulnerabilities within
a network infrastructure.

(02:52):
So you'll be looking at your routers, your servers, and your switches.
Then we also have web application scans, which target web application vulnerabilities.
Such as SQL injection and cross-site script.
Conducting vulnerability scans. Now, we've covered the basics.
I've discussed, I just talked about the basics.

(03:15):
So let's dive into how vulnerability scans are conducted.
What are the steps involved with vulnerability?
The vulnerability scan process. So typically, vulnerability scans involve several
stages, including scanning, analysis, and reporting.
And during the scanning phase, you can use automated tools to scan your digital

(03:37):
assets for vulnerabilities.
And then once these scans have been completed, then you can run a report and
analyze the vulnerabilities and they are categorize into levels.
So typically, ideally, it'd be good
to use a CVSS scoring system and this categorize it into the severity.

(03:59):
So the severity and also the potential impact.
And then finally, a comprehensive, as I mentioned before, you would generate
a report that would detail the findings and also recommendations for remediation.
So So within that report, you tell you this is what's wrong and this is how you can fix it.
Now, as I've mentioned, one prevalent findings that you may find in your scan

(04:24):
results is the presence of unpatched software.
This is typically common and unpatched software obviously can introduce vulnerability
into your infrastructure.
And these vulnerabilities pose a significant risk as they can be exploited by
attackers and they can use that exploitation to gain unauthorized access or

(04:46):
they can compromise sensitive data.
Additionally, if you have misconfigurations in your network devices and servers,
these can also be identified. And this is typically a quite common issue.
And this misconfiguration and potential, well, there could potential expose
your organization to security breaches, server disruption, if less unaddressed.

(05:10):
So you find these findings, these vulnerabilities, you need to fix them. You must fix them.
So once again, first and foremost, I'm going back again just for you to have a clear understanding.
Prioritises vulnerabilities based
on the severity and how easy it is to exploit. That's quite critical.

(05:32):
Then again, if you have identified software that hasn't been patched,
ensure that you patch to critical vulnerabilities, especially those that pose
the highest risk to your organisation's security.
Now, you can also, well, definitely implement robust security,
well, change management.
So you have a change management process within your organization.

(05:55):
And with this change management, what this can do is to ensure that the patches
are deployed in a timely manner.
And not just in a timely manner, it covers any updates across your infrastructure. structure.
So regular reviewing and updating the security configuration is also essential
for mitigating the risk associated with misconfiguration.

(06:18):
Now, how are vulnerability scan results categorized?
So again, they're typically categorized, I said, depends on the severity,
based on severity and impact of the identified vulnerabilities.
So let's start with the first one, critical. Critical vulnerabilities are the
most severe and they pose a significant risk to security of your system or network.

(06:43):
And these critical vulnerabilities have the potential to be exploited remotely
by attackers to gain unauthorized access and they can execute arbitrary arbitrary code.
They can compromise sensitive data and immediate remediation is usually required
to mitigate the risk associated with these critical vulnerabilities.

(07:07):
Then a second category which comes after critical is high.
High severity vulnerabilities are serious security flaws that could lead to
a breach or it could lead to a compromise if it's exploited.
It might not be as As severe as the critical vulnerabilities.
However, they still pose a considerable risk and should be addressed promptly

(07:30):
to prevent potential security incidents.
Then the next category below high is medium.
Again, they're less severe than high as severe vulnerabilities,
but again, they still possess potential security risks that can be exploited
by attackers. And again, they may require remediation within a reasonable time frame.

(07:55):
So the time frame could be, let's say, 48 hours, depends on the risk that's been identified.
Then we have low. Low severity vulnerabilities are considered less critical
and have a likelihood of being exploited.
And they can also cause significant harm.
They may not pose an immediate threat, but addressing low severity vulnerabilities

(08:18):
is still important because sometimes if they're ignored,
they have a potential to increase from a low to a medium.
And then obviously, the attack surface changes. And then lastly, we have informational.
And with this, informational findings include non-security related issues.

(08:43):
This could be configuration setting. And it doesn't really possess post-direct
security risk, but they must be relevant and not to be ignored.
So it gives you the information and also gives information of improving the
overall security pressure or
could also do with compliance, aligning with organization best practice.

(09:06):
Now, now that you have an understanding of how vulnerabilities are categorized
based on severity, then what does this information help organization do?
Then it gives you an understanding on how to privatise the risk and remediation.
And so that if you can privatise, then you can allocate the necessary resources

(09:30):
to address the most critical risks first.
And this approach helps minimise the potential impact of security vulnerabilities
and then strengthens your organisation overall security posture.
Now, once that's kind of completed and it's been remediated,
then, of course, we don't just go sit down.

(09:51):
We have to, well, the organization have to implement continuous improvements.
You must have continuous improvement cybersecurity practice.
So what does this mean as in regards to vulnerability scanning?
It's an ongoing process. It's not a one time event.
It must be something that is conducted regularly and promptly to address security

(10:14):
vulnerabilities. so that an organisation can stay ahead of any emerging threats
and minimise the exposure to cyber risks.
I'm going to mention again, tools used. Nessus is one of the widely used vulnerability
scanners that helps identify vulnerabilities.
A tool is OpenVAS, Open Vulnerability Assessment System. Again, this one is open source.

(10:37):
Is an open source vulnerability scanner and provides a
range of scanning functionalities again for detecting vulnerabilities in network
and host it has a user friendly interface and supports various vulnerability
feeds because it stays up to date it is updated to the signature with the latest
threats then I mentioned Qoales vulnerability scanning you have,

(10:59):
the community edition, and you have obviously the paid edition.
So Qualys Voluntary Scanning Management System is a cloud-based solution.
And again, it offers automated scanning and assessment capabilities as well.
And also gives remediation information, how to remediate these vulnerabilities has been identified.

(11:21):
For web application testing or Burp Suite, you have two editions.
Web applications, Burbs with Community, I would say, which is a free version,
Burbs with Professional.
So these are the tools commonly used for vulnerability testing by security professionals.
So it does manual testing and automated testing for web applications.

(11:43):
So it does scanning, crawling and fuzzing to identify security weaknesses.
So these tools I've just listed or just discussed. A few examples.
There are many, many, many on the market.
So in order for you to choose a tool, you can contact these companies and they'll

(12:03):
give you a period of evaluation.
So then you decide which one you want to go for, which best suits your organization requirements.
So you can choose the one that best suits your needs and features.
And budget, budget, because obviously the paid-for version could be quite pricey
and they could be, They offer different features.
You can have a cloud base. You can have one installed in your network.

(12:26):
Now, who may conduct these vulnerability scans, you may ask.
You may have an IT security team.
That's a team of security professionals within an organization that may be tasked
with conducting these vulnerability scans as part of your job,
part of your role and your responsibility. Those, these teams have the expertise
in these cyber securities.
They would have been trained in these tools to fully understand these tools.

(12:50):
And obviously they can identify and help mitigate the security risk once they've
been identified within the organization.
Others are system admin or network administration can also conduct vulnerability scans as well.
Third party security providers can engage in security scanning.
So, for example, myself, I use Nessus or Qualys for scanning at Intex IT.

(13:17):
So when do we use this? When we're conducting Lesser Cyber Essentials Plus or
we are conducting a pen test as part of a pen test project.
We use either of these tools for scanning.
Vulnerability scanning. So it could be a third-party consultant.
So we will scan ourselves, obviously, then we will scan our clients as well.
Other teams could be audit teams, compliance teams within the organization,

(13:41):
again, that have the expertise in carrying out these scans, understanding them again.
Now, remember, cybersecurity is a journey, not a destination.
So as cybersecurity security professionals, we have to stay vigilant,
proactive, and also committed to addressing these vulnerabilities to enhance

(14:02):
our organizations or our clients' resilience to cyber security threats.
As I wrap up this episode, I'm going to just kind of recap on what I just discussed
on vulnerability scans.
Once again, there is systematic assessment of our digital environments to identify
potential potential security weaknesses, and it helps to play a crucial role

(14:24):
in proactively mitigating cyber risk.
And again, they come in various, various types, and it's tailored to different
aspects of cybersecurity.
Thank you for tuning in today's episode, Demystifying Vulnerability Scans.
I hope you found the discussion insightful and informative.

(14:46):
Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, for future episodes where I will continue
to explore the latest strange strategies and technologies in cybersecurity.
Until next time, stay safe, stay secure, and keep defending cybersecurity. Goodbye.
Music.