What is Vulnerability Scanning?

Vulnerability scanning is the process of identifying, analyzing, and reporting any security flaws in computer systems, networks, or applications that attackers could exploit.

Once vulnerabilities have been identified, organizations can pursue the appropriate remediation path to protect their software. This could include patching vulnerabilities, closing risk ports, fixing misconfigurations, or changing default passwords.

How does vulnerability scanning work?

Vulnerability scanning employs various techniques and methodologies to identify weaknesses, including manual code reviews. However, automated scanning using specialized tools is by far the most popular method because it provides fast, accurate results.

SCA tools like Finite State scan and compare your code to a database of known vulnerabilities to detect potential security flaws in the proprietary code, open-source components, or third-party libraries used in the application.

If vulnerabilities are detected, the SCA tool compiles a list of those that need addressing, along with their risk score (from 1 to 10).

Finite State goes one step further, providing developer guidance that offers insights and suggestions on how best to remediate the vulnerability so teams can implement the fix quickly.

What are the benefits of vulnerability scanning?

There are many benefits to vulnerability scanning, the primary one being its ability to prevent security breaches by identifying vulnerabilities before they’re exploited, helping to enhance an organization’s security posture.

Vulnerability scanning can also save organizations from financial loss, either directly due to the attack or indirectly due to the reputational damage a cyber attack causes. It also supports effective risk management strategies, as vulnerability scanning enables organizations to prioritize high-risk vulnerabilities.

For many industries, vulnerability scanning is a key component of industry regulations and compliance, making it not only beneficial but mandatory for organizations to carry out.

What are the challenges and limitations of vulnerability scanning?

One of the biggest challenges teams face when implementing vulnerability scanning methods is false positives (and the resulting alert fatigue). False positives occur when security vulnerabilities are incorrectly identified, and the issue does not exist within the software.

These wild goose chases looking for non-existent vulnerabilities can be costly. While developers waste time looking for and trying to fix something that doesn’t exist, other real vulnerabilities sit unpatched, leaving organizations more vulnerable to attack.

To overcome this challenge, teams should choose an SCA tool with a high accuracy rate, like Finite State. 

Finite State offers industry-leading accuracy and, combined with regular scanning and internal collaboration between security and development teams, is an effective way to protect your organization from cyber threats.