The Ecosystem of Vulnerability Scanning

Regular vulnerability scans are standard for all systems managed by CONVOTIS. Find out how automated scans detect security vulnerabilities and help to fix them to protect your network and applications.

What is a vulnerability scan?

A vulnerability scan is an automated scan that systematically searches for vulnerabilities and security gaps in a network or application. It can help prevent attacks by detecting vulnerabilities that need to be fixed at an early stage.

How do vulnerability scans work?

Vulnerability scans identify potential vulnerabilities in computer systems and networks through vulnerability checks by looking for characteristics that could indicate known vulnerabilities. The scanner assesses the severity and priority of the vulnerabilities and provides recommendations for remediation or risk mitigation.

What can a vulnerability scan detect?

A vulnerability scan detects and categorises potential vulnerabilities in:

• System configurations
• Network configurations
• Software and middleware

How long does a vulnerability scan take?

The duration of a scan can range from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the scope and complexity of the scan and the systems analysed. The average duration of a scan at CONVOTIS is around 20 minutes.

Is there any danger in running a vulnerability scan?

Normally, the impact on performance is negligible. However, special care must be taken with low-performance or unstable systems, where the scan must correctly assess the situation and adapt its behaviour so as not to endanger the target system. Our scans are able to do this.

Which scans do we perform?

• Internal Network Scans, which analyze our networks from the inside, and
• Agent Scans, which scan locally on the host systems.

These scans are set up as standard for all systems. Additional scans can be ordered according to customer requirements:

• Compliance scans, which can check PCI DSS guidelines, for example,
• Web application scans, which perform specific scans for web applications,
• External Network Scans, where we perform scans from the internet.

A regular vulnerability scan is a central element of modern IT security. Automated checks allow security vulnerabilities to be identified at an early stage and prioritised for rectification. In this way, attack surfaces can be minimised and compliance requirements better met. At CONVOTIS, we use vulnerability scanning as standard to guarantee our customers a permanently high level of security. Our experienced teams are happy to support you in the integration and operation of efficient vulnerability management processes — customised to your IT landscape.