A network vulnerability scan is an automated tool that identifies Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), or publicly known vulnerabilities, in a company’s network, server, and operating systems. To break things down even further, network vulnerability scans fall into two general categories:

• External vulnerability scans run from outside of the network, looking for holes (e.g. open ports, configuration issues, etc.) in any public-facing asset (i.e. firewalls, servers, or web applications) that could be exploited by an inbound threat such as a malicious hacker or virus.
• Internal vulnerability scans start inside the company network to check individual devices for vulnerabilities that someone – or something – could take advantage of if they gain access to the internal network (e.g. unpatched software with security gaps, malware on an employee’s device, or a malicious insider).

Small and midsized businesses are often the target of cybersecurity attacks because they typically have far less data protection than large enterprises. And with that, it can be much easier for cybercriminals to exploit them as entry points into connections they have with large enterprises, government organizations, partner networks, or consumers.

That’s why it’s critically important that businesses of all sizes regularly run vulnerability scans, as vulnerabilities are numerous, constantly emerging, and hard to keep track of, making them fertile grounds for bad actors looking for new ways to exploit.

Network vulnerability scanning locates potential security holes in your assets. Once activated, it runs autonomously, freeing your IT team up to focus on other needs, including remediation efforts around findings.

Critical vulnerabilities will be marked as such so you’ll know where to locate and prioritize data security issues that might be taken advantage of in the wrong hands.