What Is Vulnerability Scanning? Does Your Small Business Need It?

As per GetApp’s 2022 Ransomware Impacts Survey*, 30% of business leaders say software and remote desktop vulnerabilities are one of the top reasons for ransomware attacks on their business. The good thing is that vulnerability scanning can help fight these attacks.

In fact, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends regular vulnerability scans, as they help identify and resolve potential security weaknesses in IT systems before attackers exploit them [1].

If you own or manage a small or midsize business and are looking for ways to secure your company resources, vulnerability scanning is a great place to start. Read on to understand what vulnerability scans are, how they work, and why your small business should use them.

Vulnerability scanning is the process of identifying and assessing weaknesses, such as missing software updates, unsecure network connections, outdated antivirus, weak passwords, and unauthorized access points, in a computer system or network.

A vulnerability assessment or scan is like a checkup for your IT systems to ensure everything is secure and running smoothly. By identifying and fixing issues, vulnerability scans help protect your IT resources from potential cyberattacks and keep your business data safe.

Vulnerability scans can be divided into two main categories: credentialed scans and non-credentialed scans. Let’s understand their meaning and differences.

Vulnerability scanning can also be classified based on specific use cases, which include:

• Website vulnerability scan checks your website for potential vulnerabilities such as forceful injection of malicious codes that would allow intruders to access sensitive information or take control of your website.

• Network vulnerability scan checks your online networks for security weaknesses such as open firewall ports and unpatched software.

• Database vulnerability scan checks your company’s database for security-related issues such as data leakage and unvalidated input.

• Device vulnerability scan checks your in-house devices (e.g., laptops, smartphones, IoT devices, WiFi routers) for potential vulnerabilities such as insecure network communication, inadequate device authentication, and easily guessable passwords.

• Cloud vulnerability scan checks if your cloud-based infrastructure and software tools are running safely without any misconfigured settings, unsafe extensions, or unupdated (outdated) operating systems.

For many small companies, vulnerability scanning is the first step toward cybersecurity. Investing in a security vulnerability scanner has various benefits, including:

• Improved security: Better protection always starts with better precaution. Save your business from cyberthreats, such as data breaches and ransomware attacks, by running regular vulnerability scans on your IT systems to identify and fix any problems.

• Better compliance: Depending on your industry, you’re required to comply with certain security standards. With a security vulnerability scanner, you can generate reports to identify systems or processes that are not compliant with industry-specific security regulations and avoid potential fines or penalties.

• Increased efficiency: With a vulnerability scanner, you can identify and resolve performance bottlenecks or issues within your IT systems, such as slow processing, unnecessary memory consumption, and unstable internet connections. This helps improve the efficiency of your business apps as well as boosts employee productivity.

Carly Cambell [3], a full-time homeschooling mom who runs a six-figure blog about new mom life, shares her experience of using a vulnerability scanning tool.

"I used a vulnerability scanning tool to protect my blog and was able to identify and fix vulnerabilities, giving me confidence in its security and reducing my concerns about potential threats. The vulnerability scan revealed several issues that could expose weaknesses in my site's security, which I was able to address. However, some vulnerabilities will inevitably slip past the scan, especially if the website code or new plugins are regularly updated, and the scan doesn't pick up on the latest changes."

Carly Cambell, Full-time blogger

While investing in vulnerability scanning is a good security precaution, there are some challenges to consider. Vulnerability scanning might not be the right fit if your business is:

• Time-sensitive: Conducting a thorough vulnerability assessment of your entire IT systems is a time-consuming process. To overcome this challenge, instead of scanning your entire IT system in one go, focus on the most critical assets first to address the most severe vulnerabilities. Also, set your vulnerability scanner to run at specific times such as overnight or during periods of low network usage to minimize the impact on network performance.

• Price-conscious: Vulnerability scanners can be costly, especially if you use a commercial tool or service. Check out these open-source vulnerability scanning tools that are free to use. These are just as effective as commercial vulnerability scanning tools and can save you significant costs. You can also leverage the free trials that many commercial vulnerability management scanners offer.

• Accuracy-driven: False positives generated by vulnerability scanners can be frustrating and a waste of time. Therefore, keep your scanner updated with the latest vulnerability patches to get accurate results and minimize the chances of false positives. Also, fine-tune your scanner's settings by increasing its CVSS score threshold (CVSS is a scoring system that measures the severity of a vulnerability on a scale of 0 to 10).

According to our 2022 Data Security Survey**, small businesses commonly face the following top five vulnerabilities: careless employees, programming bugs, unencrypted data, web application errors, and insufficient network security.

Adopt vulnerability scanning, as part of your regular workflow, to mitigate these risks and protect your business from cyberattacks. We also recommend educating your team on the importance of vulnerability scanning and its role in enterprise security.

Set clear goals for every scan, gather the required information in advance, and allocate dedicated time for scans considering your team's availability. Follow these best practices, and your business is good to start its vulnerability management journey.