Exploring vulnerabilities: why is vulnerability testing important?
The rapid development of digitalisation is creating new challenges for companies and organisations. Protecting IT systems is key, as a potential vulnerability could allow attackers to gain access to sensitive data, causing severe financial and reputational damage. According to a report from 2023, 80% of data leaks and cyber-attacks could have been avoided with proper vulnerability testing. But what exactly is vulnerability testing and how can it help maintain security? In this article we'll take you on a tour!
What is a vulnerability test?
A vulnerability assessment is a process whereby experts identify critical vulnerabilities and weaknesses in an IT system. This can include identifying vulnerabilities in software, hardware and human factors. The aim is to identify risks that could be exploited by attackers and develop recommendations to address them.
They use automated tools and manual testing methods to analyse the level of protection of the system to get an accurate picture of its vulnerability. This information enables organisations to take more effective defensive measures to minimise the risk of cyber attacks.
Vulnerability testing and penetration testing (penetration test or pentest)
In addition to vulnerability testing, there is an even more thorough and targeted method of analysis, the penetration test. While vulnerability testing identifies weaknesses in IT systems, penetration testing examines how these vulnerabilities can be exploited in a real attack scenario.
Penetration testing is carried out by ethical hackers who attempt to gain access to sensitive data or systems through simulated attacks. This method gives a realistic picture of the extent to which a system can be compromised and the damage an attacker can cause.
While the vulnerability assessment lists the weaknesses, the penetration test aims to determine how these vulnerabilities can be exploited in a real attack. A well-executed pentest will highlight the most critical vulnerabilities in your company and help you optimise your defensive measures.
How does the penetration test work in practice?
This is illustrated by a real-life example: during an investigation of a banking system, an ethical hacker successfully exploited the vulnerability of outdated software that allowed unauthorised access to customer data. The test showed that the lack of system updates could have made it easy for attackers to obtain sensitive information, causing significant damage to the institution's trust, reputation and finances.
Why is vulnerability testing important?
- Identifying risks: Identifies vulnerabilities in systems that could be exploited in a cyber attack.
- Prevention and proactive protection: Early detection of vulnerabilities can prevent data theft and system downtime.
- Regulatory compliance: Many industry regulations (e.g. GDPR, ISO 27001, PCI DSS) require regular security audits.
- Cost savings: Dealing with the aftermath of a security incident can be much more expensive than fixing vulnerabilities in time.
- Reputation protection: A hacking attack can cause serious reputational damage, which can affect business success in the long term.
Types of vulnerability testing
There are several types of vulnerability assessments, depending on the perspective and depth of analysis.
1. Examination by eligibility levels
Level of privilege testing reveals potential vulnerabilities in IT systems through different levels of access. This allows to assess the security level of the system based on the most common scenarios used by attackers.
Black-box Investigations
The experts do not have any prior information or access to the system under investigation, so they analyse its security entirely from the perspective of an external attacker. This method simulates how a malicious hacker could access information and resources without any internal privileges.
The scan uses the most common techniques used by attackers to map vulnerabilities, such as port scans, brute-force attacks or exploiting web vulnerabilities (SQL injection, XSS).
The purpose of the black-box scan is to identify external attack surfaces that an unauthorised person could use to penetrate the system and to identify weaknesses in the protection.
Grey-box Investigations
This is an intermediate approach between black-box and white-box tests, where experts have partial access to the system under test.
This method simulates the extent to which a user with privileges but not at administrator level can abuse system vulnerabilities or gain additional access.
The aim is to identify possible privilege escalation opportunities and risks of unauthorised access to the internal system that an attacker could exploit after a successful account compromise.
White-box Investigations
During the audit, experts are given full access to the system under audit, including source code, configuration files, network maps and internal documentation.
The method is not just a simulation of an attack, but a detailed security audit that specifically examines the internal structure and operation of the system. During the white-box test, experts can detect hidden flaws and vulnerabilities that would not be detected by an external or limited access attacker. The test is particularly useful for analysing the security of source code, verifying the correctness of cryptographic procedures, and assessing privilege management and access control mechanisms.
As a result of the white-box test, the organisation will have a comprehensive picture of the vulnerabilities in the system and their remediation options, ensuring maximum protection is in place.
2. Method by test directions
Vulnerability testing can be grouped along different lines, depending on the system components and technology areas that you want to analyse from a security perspective.
Here are the most common test directions!
Web application and API vulnerability scanning
This means checking the security of web applications, APIs and chatbots. The test identifies the most common vulnerabilities such as SQL injections or XSS attacks. This helps to make applications and APIs more secure, meeting industry standards.
Mobile application vulnerability scanning
It covers the testing of Android and iOS mobile apps to identify risks of data leakage, insecure data storage and mobile-specific vulnerabilities. This ensures that apps meet modern security requirements.
Infrastructure vulnerability assessment
Network devices, servers, Active Directory environments, firewalls and cloud solutions are audited against industry standards.
Focus on identifying infrastructure weaknesses, including misconfigurations and access problems. This helps organisations to improve the reliability and security of their infrastructure.
Thick client vulnerability testing
Thick client applications (e.g. Windows exe files) are tested according to development guidelines and industry standards. Applications are tested for vulnerabilities, such as mishandled data or code errors. This allows local applications to run more securely.
OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) test
This involves collecting data on the company from public sources to identify sensitive information that has been leaked or is easily accessible. This helps reduce the attack surface and identify and manage the risks of data leaks from public sources.
3. Based on methodology
Tests can be automated or manual.
- Automated tests:
They use specialised security software to perform a quick and comprehensive analysis that can identify the most common vulnerabilities, such as outdated software, weak configurations or known vulnerabilities. It is an effective method for quickly scanning large systems and detecting fundamental security problems. - Manual tests:
It is carried out by ethical hackers and security experts who focus on deeper analysis of the system. Manual testing allows the simulation of complex attack scenarios, manipulation of privilege levels, detection of specific vulnerabilities that are not always detected by automated tools.
The vulnerability testing process
A vulnerability assessment is a process of well-defined steps that provides a comprehensive assessment of the security of systems. Let's review the main steps of the assessment.
1. Clarification of objectives
First, the scope of the study is defined, including the objectives, the identification of the elements to be tested and the boundaries of the process. It is clarified which systems, applications or networks are to be tested and what results are expected from the test.
2. Checking access
Before starting testing, the necessary accesses should be checked to ensure that experts have the appropriate level of access to the system. This may include, for example, the creation of test accounts or access to the security protocol.
3. Investigation
The vulnerabilities of the system are identified according to the chosen methodology. This involves the use of automated tools, manual testing and simulation of different attack scenarios, such as SQL injections or brute-force attacks.
4. Report
The experts will then produce a detailed report that includes the vulnerabilities identified, their severity, and the recommended fixes. It is important for companies to act on the recommendations as soon as possible to improve security.
5. Retest
If necessary, the effectiveness of the corrected errors is checked again. This ensures that previously identified vulnerabilities have been successfully addressed and that the security level of the system is adequate.
If information security is important to you, please contact us! Our services include vulnerability assessment and comprehensive cyber security advice to protect your business against potential attacks.
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