That’s because the configuration of your servers, routers, switches, and other network devices - along with the appropriate use of 802.1x, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), firewalls (with access control lists), and network access control - largely determine how secure your network will be.

Therefore, our security testing engineers check your system for the aforementioned security controls and their correct configuration.

We conduct both authenticated and unauthenticated vulnerability scans on your networks to identify potential entry points.

Here’s what we do when conducting these two scans on your networks:

This type of vulnerability scan focuses on areas of the network that a logged-in, authenticated user with internal knowledge of access to the system can exploit.

We use this scanning process to conduct a more detailed, widespread assessment, expose weaknesses, and determine the threat level of a malicious internal threat.

This testing method allows for the utilization of more network ranges, including VLANs, subnets, host systems, and other IP addresses usually associated with the purview of an authenticated user.

Going back to offensive security methodologies consisting of footprinting, port and vulnerability scanning, exploitation, and post-exploitation, authenticated vulnerability scanning allows our security experts to focus less on the discovery phase of the offensive security methodology.

Instead, it allows our engineers to focus on the vulnerability assessment and identification phase.

This type of vulnerability scan covers the portions of a network that an unauthenticated user such as an external cyber attacker can access.

Unauthenticated users can only access certain, basic areas of any corporate network. Cyber attackers utilize session hijacking, man-in-the-middle attacks, code injection, or malware such as rootkits and backdoors to access databases, information, resources, servers, and files.

Along with pivoting through different systems, these attackers can also use rootkits and tools for privilege escalation to gain access to other, more sensitive systems, all from initially being an unauthenticated user on the outside of your network.

Though unauthenticated users may be able to initially access only limited parts of your network, if they can get a foothold, they can represent a very real threat to your business infrastructure.

During an unauthenticated vulnerability scan, our security engineers start with little knowledge of the system being tested. We use normative footprinting methodologies to obtain information on the organization and to discover as much about the network as possible.

This usually entails using Google, Google Dorks, WHOIS, and other resources such as dig to obtain DNS information, emails, IP addresses, and policy information.

Along with a port and vulnerability scan, these steps offer a good simulation of what an attacker could potentially use to expose your business system and exploit it.

Conducting both authenticated and unauthenticated vulnerability scans enables us to provide a comprehensive security overview of how well your business network will stand up against an external or internal threat.

You can find out the different attack patterns associated with internal and external threats, and consequently, harden your systems to ensure complete data security with our detailed network vulnerability assessment services.