4 Reliable Vulnerability Assessment Tools to Protect Your Security Infrastructure

Organizations with information assets are vulnerable to multiple forms of cyber threats. These potential threats need to be identified by the security professionals before they could harm the computer systems, applications, software, and other network interfaces of the firm. The team starts with the classification of the threats in different types, followed by prioritizing them based on their scope, and finally, resolving the issue, creating a safe cyber environment. To carry out these operations, cybersecurity experts need tools, accurately, vulnerability assessment tools, which can efficiently spot the threats before they can get to the security infrastructure.

What is a vulnerability assessment and what tools do you need? 

Vulnerability assessment is the process of identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing all the possible cyber threats on the security infrastructure. In brief, here is a list of the best vulnerability assessment tools –

1. Nikto

Nikto is a widely popular free, open-source web server scanner deployed to scan through web servers for outdated software, malicious files/CGIs, and other possible vulnerabilities.

◉ It also checks for problems affecting the server functioning.

◉ The tool conducts various tests on the targeted web servers to identify suspicious files and programs.

◉ It scans the web servers in the least possible time.

◉ Nikto allows scanning through multiple ports of a web server.

◉ This tool examines various network protocols, including HTTPS, HTTP, and numerous others.

2. Nessus Professional

Nessus Professional is a Tenable, Inc. developed tool that raises an alert whenever it encounters a vulnerability connected to a network. It also ensures to reduce the attack surface of an organization.

◉ With the help of this tool, professionals can perform high-speed asset discovery.

◉ Nessus Professional is capable of scanning vulnerabilities that can be hacked remotely.

◉ The tool can find loopholes in an extended range of operating systems, databases, applications, cloud infrastructure as well as virtual and physical networks.

◉ This tool can also perform configuration auditing.

3. Retina CS Community

This is a free vulnerability management tool that offers a centralized environment through a web-based console.

◉ A few of the critical features of the Retina CS Community are compliance reporting, application patching, and checking configuration compliance.

◉ This is a time- and cost-saving tool that helps the professionals to manage network security effortlessly.

◉ It is an open-source application that offers automated vulnerability assessment for databases, web applications, workstations, and servers.

◉ The tool also supports multiple virtual environments like vCenter integration and others.

4. OpenVAS

OpenVas (Open Vulnerability Assessment System) is a free software framework that offers features like vulnerability scanning and vulnerability management.

◉ It supports multiple operating systems with an intelligent custom scan.

◉ Most of its components are licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

◉ OpenVAS keep updating its scan engine with network vulnerability tests.

◉ This tool offers three scanning options, which are – full scan, web server scan, and WordPress scan.

Source: eccouncil.org