Description
What is it?
IP Vulnerability Assessment (IPVA) is a process of identifying and evaluating security weaknesses or vulnerabilities associated with your organization's public-facing IP addresses and the systems/services behind them.
It focuses on potential threats that could be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access, disrupt operations, or steal data.
Technical Data
How to do it? | |
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Identify Assets | Make a comprehensive list of all your public-facing IP addresses, including servers, routers, firewalls, and any other internet-connected devices. |
Scan for Vulnerabilities | Use vulnerability scanning tools to probe these IPs for known vulnerabilities. These tools often utilize a combination of techniques: |
Port Scanning | Identify open ports and the services running on them. |
Version Detection | Determine the software versions of identified services. |
Vulnerability Databases | Cross-reference discovered services and versions with known vulnerabilities. |
Exploit Attempts (Safe) | Some scanners might attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in a safe manner to confirm their existence. |
Analyze Results | Carefully review the scan results, paying attention to critical and high-severity vulnerabilities. Understand the potential impact of each vulnerability. |
Prioritize Remediation | Based on the severity and potential impact, prioritize which vulnerabilities to address first. |
Remediate | Take action to fix or mitigate the identified vulnerabilities. This may involve: |
Applying Patches | Install updates and patches from software vendors. |
Configuration Changes | Harden configurations to close security gaps. |
Firewall Rules | Adjust firewall rules to block unnecessary traffic. |
Security Upgrades | Consider upgrading outdated or vulnerable software. |
Software Used | |
Open-Source | |
Nmap | A powerful port scanner and network exploration tool. |
OpenVAS | A full-featured vulnerability scanner with a large vulnerability database. |
Commercial | |
Nessus | A popular and comprehensive vulnerability scanner. |
Qualys | Offers a cloud-based vulnerability management platform. |
Tenable.io | Another cloud-based platform for vulnerability management and risk assessment. |
Acunetix | Specializes in web application vulnerability scanning. |