UNIT IV VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT AND

PENETRATION TESTING
Vulnerability Assessment Lifecycle:
As stated in the introduction, risk and vulnerability assessments are vital
building blocks in your integrated risk management program. Let’s make it clear
and show how these two concepts are linked
Vulnerability assessment or vulnerability analysis is a series of activities a
company should perform regularly to identify, quantify, and prioritize the risks
and vulnerabilities in order to keep its information security posture effective
Risk assessment identifies recognized threats, threat actors, and the probability
that these factors will result in an exposure or loss. In simple words, risk
assessment is a process of looking for bad things that can happen, who can
cause them, and what will their impact be on important pieces of the
company’s information if they rise up
Vulnerability and risk assessments represent, respectively, step 2 and step 3 in
the vulnerability management life cycle
Vulnerability management life cycle starts by defining the effectiveness of the
current security policies and procedures. If a company has already set up an
information security management system, it is important to establish any risks
that may be associated with the implementation of current security procedures
and what may have been overlooked.
Try to see what the organization looks like from an outsider’s perspective, as
well as from an insider’s standpoint. Work with management to set goals with
start dates and end dates. Determine which systems to begin with, set up
testing standards, get approval in writing form, and keep management
informed on the progress: what you are doing, how you will do it, and the
timing for each phase of the project. The following steps describe the
vulnerability management life cycle that security professionals use to find and
remediate security weakness before any attack and/ or implement security
controls
Creating Baseline
In this phase,the following activities take place:defining the effectiveness of the
current security measures and procedures, ensuring that nothing in the scope
of information security management system is overlooked, working with
management to set goals with a timeframe to complete them, and getting
written approval prior to beginning any assessment activity.
Vulnerability Assessment
In this phase, a vulnerability scan will be performed to identify vulnerabilities in
the OS, web application, webserver, and other services. This phase helps
identify the category and criticality of the vulnerability and minimizes the level
of risk. This is the step where penetration testing begins.
Risk Assessment
In this phase,risks are identified, characterized, and classified with risk control
techniques.Vulnerabilities are categorized based on impact level (like Low,
Medium, High). This is where you have to present reports that identify
problems and the risk treatment plan to protect the information
Remediation
Refer to performing the steps that are used to mitigate the founded
vulnerabilities according to impact level. In this phase, the response team
designs mitigation processes to cover vulnerabilities.
Verification
This phase helps verify whether all the previous phases were properly
employed or not. It is also where the verification of remedies is performed.This
Vulnerability assessment tools are based on the type of system
they scan and can provide a detailed look into various
vulnerabilities. These automated scans help organizations
continuously monitor their networks and ensure their
environment complies with industry and government regulations.

Hacker-powered testing uses a combination of automated and

manual techniques to scan applications more thoroughly. Ethical
hackers are security experts who help organizations discover and
remediate vulnerabilities before bad actors exploit them. These
hackers use their expertise to find bugs and critical vulnerabilities
missed by automated scans. Let’s look at a few different types of
vulnerability scanning tools used during an assessment.

Network-based scanners identify vulnerabilities on both wired

and wireless networks, and they include features such as network
mapping, protocol analysis, and traffic capture. Network-based
scanners map out a network in the early stages of a vulnerability
assessment and identify vulnerabilities in services, open-ports,
and network infrastructure.

Host-based vulnerability scanners focus on identifying network

weaknesses in different host machines, such as servers or
workstations. These scanners identify misconfigurations,
unpatched systems, and improper permission settings.

Database vulnerability scanners find weaknesses in database

systems and development environments. These scanners discover
vulnerabilities in database architecture and identify areas where
attackers could inject malicious code to illegally obtain
information without permission.

Many of the available vulnerability assessment tools are free and

open-source, and they offer integration with other security suites
or Security Event Information Management (SIEM) systems. Let’s
look at a few of the available tools.

Burp Suite offers automated vulnerability scanning tools for

internal and external testing. Over 14,000 organizations actively
use Burp Suite to automate web vulnerability scanning.

Pros

 A large and active community

 Simple interface and user-friendly design

 Supported automated scanning and simulated threat scenarios

Cons

 The community (free) edition provides limited features compared

to the enterprise edition

Nessus is software that offers in-depth vulnerability scanning

through a subscription-based service. Hackers use Nessus to
Intruder.io provides a combination of penetration testing and
vulnerability scanning tools. Organizations can use Intruder.io to
run single assessments or continuously monitor their
environments for threats.

Pros

 Easy to configure

 Responsive support

Cons

 Offers little in-depth reporting

Web Application Attack and Audit Framework, or w3af, is a free,

open-source framework that discovers vulnerabilities and helps
ethical hackers exploit them on the application layer. The
framework is written entirely in Python and is one of the easier
vulnerability tools to use, thanks to its intuitive interface.

Pros

 Free

 Simple installation in Linux® environments

Cons

 Offers less support than paid tools

 Windows® version might be difficult to install

One of the more popular open-source network scanning tools,
Network Mapper (Nmap) is a staple among new and experienced
hackers. Nmap uses multiple probing and scanning techniques to
discover hosts and services on a target network.

Pros

 Free

 Includes stealth scanning methods to avoid IDS

 Offers GUI functionality through Zenmap

Cons

 Is not updated as frequently as paid tools

OpenSCAP is another open-source framework providing

cybersecurity tools for Linux platforms. OpenSCAP offers an
extensive suite of tools that support scanning on web
applications, network infrastructure, databases, and host
machines.

Pros

 Focuses on automating assessments

 Free and open-source

Cons

 Steeper learning curve than similar tools

When developers deploy a patch, they’ll have the option to
request a retest. Retesting is a manual process where the hacker
will attempt to find the same vulnerability post-patching. Retests
are a quick way for developers to receive validation that their
patch is working as intended.

HackerOne Assessments provide on-demand, continuous security

testing for your organization including new capabilities for AWS
customers including AWS Certified hackers, HackerOne
Assessments: Application for Pentest, and AWS Security Hub. The
platform allows you to track progress through the kickoff,
discovery, testing, retesting, and remediation phases of an
engagement. Whether you’re looking to meet regulatory
standards, launch a product, or prove compliance, we’ll help your
security teams find and close flaws before cybercriminals exploit
them.

HackerOne delivers access to the world’s largest and most diverse

community of hackers in the world. Contact us to learn how you
can start leveraging hacker-powered security today.
Vulnerability Assessment (VA) tools are essential for identifying and managing
security vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, and applications. These tools
help organizations proactively identify weaknesses in their IT infrastructure before
malicious actors can exploit them. Here are some popular Vulnerability Assessment
tools:

1. Nessus:
 Nessus is one of the most widely used vulnerability assessment tools. It
scans networks for vulnerabilities and provides detailed reports. It
supports various platforms and offers both free and commercial
versions.
2. OpenVAS (Open Vulnerability Assessment System):
 OpenVAS is an open-source vulnerability scanner that is part of the
Greenbone Security Manager (GSM) solution. It's designed to detect
vulnerabilities in networks and applications.
 3. Qualys:
 Qualys is a cloud-based security and compliance management
platform. It provides a suite of tools for vulnerability management,
including vulnerability scanning, policy compliance, and web
application scanning.
4. Nexpose (Rapid7 InsightVM):
 Nexpose, now part of Rapid7's InsightVM, is a vulnerability
management solution that helps organizations prioritize and remediate
security risks. It offers advanced scanning capabilities and reporting.
5. Acunetix:
 Acunetix is a web application security scanner that helps identify
vulnerabilities in web applications. It checks for common web
vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and
more.
6. Burp Suite:
 Burp Suite is primarily known as a web application security testing tool,
but it also includes features for general security testing. It's widely used
for manual and automated testing of web applications.
7. Retina (BeyondTrust):
 Retina is a vulnerability management tool that provides comprehensive
scanning and assessment of network vulnerabilities. It helps
organizations prioritize and remediate security issues.
8. IBM Security AppScan:
 IBM Security AppScan is designed for testing web applications and
mobile applications for security vulnerabilities. It offers dynamic
analysis (DAST) and static analysis (SAST) capabilities.
9. OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy):
 ZAP is an open-source security testing tool for finding vulnerabilities in
web applications. It's maintained by the Open Web Application Security
Project (OWASP) and is often used for manual and automated security
testing.
10. Tenable.io:
 Tenable.io is a cloud-based vulnerability management platform that
provides vulnerability scanning, assessment, and reporting capabilities.
It offers a centralized view of an organization's security posture.

Scanning for cloud-based vulnerabilities is an essential cybersecurity practice in the

tech world.
  Scanning systems and networks for security vulnerabilities
 Performing ad-hoc security tests whenever they are needed
 Tracking, diagnosing, and remediating cloud vulnerabilities
 Identifying and resolving wrong configurations in networks

Here are the top 5 vulnerability scanners for cloud security:

Intruder Cloud Security

Intruder is a Cloud Vulnerability Scanning Tool specially designed for scanning AWS,
Azure, and Google Cloud. This is a highly proactive cloud-based vulnerability scanner
that detects every form of cybersecurity weakness in digital infrastructures.

The intruder is highly efficient because it finds cyber security weaknesses in exposed
systems to avoid costly data breaches.

The strength of this vulnerability scanner for cloud-based systems is in its perimeter
scanning abilities. It is designed to discover new vulnerabilities to ensure the
perimeter can’t be easily breached or hacked. In addition, it adopts a streamlined
approach to bugs and risk detection.

Hackers will find it very difficult to breach a network if an Intruder Cloud Security
Scanner is used. It will detect all the weaknesses in a cloud network to help
prevent hackers from finding those weaknesses.
The intruder also offers a unique threat interpretation system that makes the process
of identifying and managing vulnerabilities an easy nut to crack. This is highly
recommended.

Aqua Cloud Security

Aqua Cloud Security is a vulnerability scanner designed for scanning, monitoring, and
remediating configuration issues in public cloud accounts according to best practices
and compliance standards across cloud-based platforms such as AWS, Azure, Oracle
Cloud, and Google Cloud.

It offers a complete Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform.

analysis, Kubernetes security, serverless security, container security, virtual machine
security, and cloud-based platform integrations.

Aqua Cloud Security Scanner offers users different CSPM editions that
include SaaS and Open-Source Security. It helps secure the configuration of
individual public cloud services with CloudSploit and performs comprehensive
solutions for multi-cloud security posture management.

Mistakes are almost inevitable within a complex cloud environment, and if not
adequately checked, it could lead to misconfiguration that can escalate to serious
security issues.

Hence, Aqua Cloud Security devised a comprehensive approach to prevent data

breaches.

Qualys Cloud Security

Qualys Cloud Security is an excellent cloud computing platform designed to identify,
classify, and monitor cloud vulnerabilities while ensuring compliance with internal
and external policies.

This vulnerability scanner prioritizes scanning and remediation by automatically

finding and eradicating malware infections on web applications and system websites.
Qualys provides public cloud integrations that allow users to have total visibility of
public cloud deployments.

Most public cloud platforms operate on a “shared security responsibility” model,

which means users are expected to protect their workload in the cloud. This can be a
daunting task if done manually, so most users will rather employ vulnerability
scanners.

Qualys provides complete visibility with end-to-end IT security and compliance with
hybrid IT and AWS deployments. It continuously monitors and assesses AWS assets
and resources for security issues, misconfigurations, and non-standard deployments.

It is the perfect vulnerability scanner for scanning cloud environments and detecting
vulnerabilities in complex internal networks.

It has a central single-panel-of-glass interface and CloudView dashboard that allows

users to view monitored web apps and all AWS assets across multiple accounts
through a centralized UI.

Rapid7 Insight Cloud Security

Rapid7 InsightCloudSec platform is one of the best vulnerability scanners for cloud
security. This vulnerability scanner is designed to keep cloud services secure.

It features an insight platform that provides web application security, vulnerability

management, threat command, bug detection, and response, including cloud
security expert management and consulting services.

The secure cloud services provided by Rapid7 InsightCloudSec help to drive the
business forward in the best possible ways. It also enables users to drive innovation
through continuous security and compliance.
This vulnerability scanner will create less work for cloud security and DevOps teams
because cloud deployments are automatically optimized with unified protection.

Its features include automated cloud vulnerability discovery, detecting and

preventing threats, and continuous runtime protection, including EDR for cloud
workloads and containers.

Furthermore, it allows web developers to build and run web applications knowing
they are fully protected from a data breach. As a result, when threats are hunted and
eradicated, cloud applications will run smoothly and faster while working with the
utmost efficiency.

Conclusion

Vulnerability scanners are essential for cloud security because they can easily detect
system weaknesses and prioritize effective fixes. This will help reduce the workload
on security teams in organizations. Each of the vulnerability scanners reviewed in this
guide offers excellent benefits.

These vulnerability scanners allow users to perform scans by logging into the website
as authorized users. When this happens, it automatically monitors and scans areas of
weakness in the systems.

It also identifies any form of anomalies in a network packet configuration to block

hackers from exploiting system programs. Automated vulnerability assessment is
very crucial for cloud security services.

So, vulnerability scanners can detect thousands of vulnerabilities and identify the
actual risk of these vulnerabilities by validating them.

Once these have been achieved, they then prioritize remediation based on the risk
level of these vulnerabilities. All five vulnerability scanners reviewed are tested and
trusted, so users do not need to worry about any form of deficiency.

Finally, it is essential to note that vulnerability scanning is different from penetration

testing.

Vulnerability scanners discover vulnerabilities and classify them based on their threat
level. They correlate them with software, devices, and operating systems that are
connected to a cloud-based network. Misconfigurations are also detected on the
network.
However, penetration testing deploys a different method that involves exploiting the
detected vulnerabilities on a cloud-based network. So, penetration testing is carried
out immediately after vulnerability scanning has been done.

Both cloud security processes are similar and focused on ensuring web applications
and networks are safe and protected from threats.

Cloud-based vulnerability scanners offer the advantage of scalability, flexibility, and

ease of management, as they are hosted and maintained in the cloud. These tools
are particularly well-suited for organizations that operate in cloud environments or
have a distributed infrastructure. Here are some popular cloud-based vulnerability
scanners:

1. Tenable.io:
 Tenable.io, the cloud version of Tenable's Nessus, provides vulnerability
scanning, assessment, and management capabilities. It offers features
like asset discovery, prioritization, and integration with other security
tools.
2. Qualys Cloud Platform:
 Qualys is known for its cloud-based security and compliance platform.
The Qualys Cloud Platform includes various modules for vulnerability
management, policy compliance, and web application scanning.
3. Rapid7 InsightVM:
 Rapid7's InsightVM is a cloud-based vulnerability management solution
that helps organizations identify and remediate security risks. It
provides real-time visibility into the security posture of your assets.
4. Acunetix (Acunetix 360):
 Acunetix offers a cloud-based version, Acunetix 360, which is designed
for web application security testing. It includes features such as
automated scanning, vulnerability assessment, and integration with
CI/CD pipelines.
5. Detectify:
 Detectify is a cloud-based web application security scanner that focuses
on detecting vulnerabilities in web applications. It offers continuous
monitoring and integrates well with development workflows.
6. CloudMapper:
 CloudMapper is an open-source tool developed by Duo Security (now
part of Cisco) for visualizing and assessing the security of Amazon Web
Services (AWS) environments. It helps identify potential
misconfigurations and security issues.
7. AWS Inspector:
 AWS Inspector is a security assessment service provided by Amazon
Web Services. It automatically assesses applications for vulnerabilities