A vulnerability probe, also known as a vulnerability assessment or scan, refers to systematically identifying security weaknesses or vulnerabilities within a computer system, network, or software application. It involves using specialized tools and techniques to scan and analyze the target system for potential vulnerabilities that malicious actors could exploit.
A vulnerability probe examines various aspects of the system, including the operating system, network devices, applications, and configurations. The goal is to identify potentially exploitable weaknesses, misconfigurations, or known security vulnerabilities that could facilitate gaining unauthorized access, cause system disruptions, or steal sensitive information.
Vulnerability probes typically involve automated scanning tools that systematically check for vulnerabilities based on a database of known vulnerabilities and attack signatures. These tools can identify common security issues such as outdated software versions, missing patches, weak passwords, open network ports, or misconfigured access controls. System administrators or security teams responsible for managing and securing the target system receive the probe results, which helps them prioritize and address the identified vulnerabilities by implementing appropriate security patches, configuration changes, or other remediation measures.
ThreatNG and Vulnerability Probes: A Complementary Duo
While vulnerability probes are a vital security tool, ThreatNG, with its EASM, DRP, and security ratings capabilities, complements them to provide a more comprehensive understanding of your organization's external attack surface. Here's how they work together:
Overlaps and Complements:
Vulnerability Identification: Both identify weaknesses but with different scopes. Vulnerability probes focus on internal systems, while ThreatNG scans the Internet for exposed assets like cloud instances or misconfigured DNS records.
Prioritization: ThreatNG prioritizes vulnerabilities based on context. It identifies exposed assets and combines that with threat intelligence to highlight those most likely to be targeted.
Handoff from ThreatNG:
Identification: ThreatNG discovers an internet-facing asset (e.g., a cloud server).
Risk Assessment: It analyzes the asset's criticality and potential exploitability based on threat intelligence.
Prioritization: ThreatNG prioritizes the vulnerability based on the risk score.
Vulnerability Scanner Integration: ThreatNG can integrate with vulnerability scanners. It sends the identified asset and prioritization to the scanner for a more profound internal scan.
Working with Complementary Solutions:
ThreatNG acts as a central hub, collaborating with other security tools:
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): ThreatNG shares threat intelligence and context, enriching SIEM data for better incident response.
Patch Management: It prioritizes vulnerabilities, allowing patch management tools to focus on critical issues first.
Penetration Testing: ThreatNG findings can inform penetration testers about attack vectors to prioritize during their tests.
Workflow Example:
ThreatNG discovers an exposed web server during its continuous scanning.
It analyzes the server type and detects an outdated version with a critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability.
ThreatNG checks its threat intelligence feed and discovers recent chatter about malware exploiting this vulnerability.
Based on the criticality, exploitability, and real-world threat, ThreatNG assigns a high-risk score to the vulnerability.
ThreatNG integrates with the organization's vulnerability scanner and sends the server details and risk score.
The vulnerability scanner performs a detailed scan of the internal server, confirming the presence of the RCE vulnerability.
The security team receives alerts from both ThreatNG (regarding external exposure) and the vulnerability scanner (regarding internal presence).
The team prioritizes patching the server due to the high-risk score and real-world threat identified by ThreatNG.
ThreatNG acts as a threat hunter on the Internet, identifying exposed assets and prioritizing vulnerabilities based on real-world threats. It then passes these findings to vulnerability scanners and other security tools for further investigation and mitigation.
