October 19, 2023 at 08:15AM
Organizations are realizing the importance of continuous vulnerability scanning due to the narrow time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation by hackers. One-off or periodic scans provide a point-in-time snapshot of vulnerabilities but may leave businesses exposed to new vulnerabilities. Continuous scanning allows for 24/7 monitoring and faster identification and resolution of issues. Legacy compliance requirements may not align with the need for continuous scanning. Attack surface management and prioritizing threats are also crucial. Traditional vulnerability management is no longer sufficient, and continuous scanning is the best approach.
Based on the meeting notes, here are the key takeaways:
1. The time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation by hackers is now just 12 days, highlighting the need for continuous vulnerability scanning.
2. One-off or periodic vulnerability scans, such as quarterly scans, provide only a snapshot of vulnerability status and are not sufficient for ongoing security oversight.
3. With over 25,000 CVE vulnerabilities disclosed last year, continuous scanning is necessary to catch vulnerabilities that may affect businesses between scans.
4. Continuous vulnerability scanning offers 24/7 monitoring and automation to reduce the burden on IT teams, enabling faster issue identification and resolution.
5. Compliance requirements often lag behind the evolving threat landscape, so organizations should go beyond compliance and prioritize continuous vulnerability testing and management.
6. Attack surface monitoring should cover all attack vectors and provide the necessary business context to prioritize vulnerabilities effectively.
7. Constant scanning can lead to alert fatigue, so tools like Intruder kick off scans when network changes or new external IP addresses are detected.
8. Compliance scanning frequency varies based on the standard, but businesses should aim for continuous scanning to ensure proper protection of their digital assets.
9. One-off vulnerability scans are no longer sufficient for rapidly changing technology landscapes, so continuous scanning is needed to keep up with the pace of change.
10. Continuous scanning reduces the time to find and fix vulnerabilities, provides valuable threat data and remediation advice, and prioritizes threats based on business context.
Intruder is a cyber security company that offers continuous vulnerability scanning and penetration testing services. They provide a powerful scanner and high-quality reports to help organizations identify and address security flaws. They also offer a 14-day free trial of their vulnerability assessment platform.