Penetration testing and vulnerability assessments are two important tools in the security arsenal of any organization. Both help assess security risks and vulnerabilities, but they are distinct activities with different goals.
A penetration test, also known as a pen test, is a simulated cyber attack on a system to check for vulnerabilities that could be exploited by real-world attackers. The goal of a penetration test is to find all security weaknesses and report them to the organization so they can be fixed.
A vulnerability assessment is a less intensive assessment of risks and vulnerabilities. The goal of a vulnerability assessment is to identify all security risks, but without trying to exploit them. This information is then used to prioritize security fixes and improvements.
Depending on the situation you will need to evaluate which one of these services will provide your company with the information that is needed. In this article, we’re going to go over some of the main pros and cons of each of these services and help you to decide which option is best for your given situation.
Pros and cons of a penetration test
Pros
More detailed information: One of the main benefits of a penetration test is that it provides the most information on how easy your systems are to exploit and the exact steps that the attacker took to compromise your systems. A penetration will generally result in a final report that will give exact details on how the attacker compromised your systems as well as detailed recommendations for fixing the issues that were found.
Potential to find hidden vulnerabilities: As the penetration tester is performing the attack and moving through the network there is a good chance that they will find vulnerabilities that are not obvious from the outside of the network or certain machines within the network.
Proof of concept: Penetration testers will always provide proof of concept for their vulnerabilities, which helps the security operations team to be sure that the issues they are fixing are real and worth investing time to fix. Compared to a vulnerability assessment that doesn’t always provide sufficient proof of concept regarding the vulnerabilities that it detects.
Less false positives: Penetration testing yields much fewer false positives than a vulnerability scan because only the vulnerabilities that are exploited will be included in the report. This means that you have confirmation that each of these vulnerabilities are real world issues that introduce risk to your business.
Cons
More expensive: Since penetration tests require more time and work to exploit the vulnerabilities it is often much more expensive than a vulnerability scan.
Requires more time: Detecting and them exploiting vulnerabilities is much more time intensive than simply detecting the vulnerabilities. This means that it will take a longer time to get a penetration test completed compared to a vulnerability scan.
Risk of downtime: As the researchers are exploiting vulnerabilities in your systems there is always the risk of downtime of your systems if they make a mistake on one of your production systems. This risk is significantly lower if you’re only running a vulnerability scan.
Pros and cons of a vulnerability assessment
Pros
Cheaper: Vulnerability assessments are typically much cheaper than a penetration test, which makes it a cost-effective way of improving your company’s security posture.
Faster: Vulnerability assessments focus simply on detection rather than exploitation of vulnerabilities which makes it much faster than going through an entire penetration test.
Safer: Since vulnerability assessments don’t require exploiting of systems it’s typically much safer for the business and provides a much lower risk of causing unexpected downtime for the company.
Cons
Less remediation advice: Without having a professional exploiting the vulnerability it can be very difficult for you to get detailed remediation advice from a simple vulnerability scan. The advice will be limited and sometimes the tool you use may not be able to provide any actionable advice on how to fix that issue and you will be required to do your research to find a solution.
More false positives: Vulnerability scans are more prone to false positives because they don’t require the researcher to get proof of concepts via exploitation of that vulnerability.
Less information on severity: Without having someone exploit the vulnerability and seeing how much damage they can cause it’s difficult to get accurate information on how severe the vulnerability is in that given environment.
How to decide between penetration testing and vulnerability assessment
When it comes to security, organizations have to choose between two main methods – penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, and the decision of which one to choose depends on the specific needs of the organization.
Penetration testing is a more comprehensive approach that simulates a real-world attack on the system. This allows organizations to see how their system would stand up to a real attack and to identify any vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. However, penetration testing can be more expensive and time-consuming than vulnerability assessment. It can also be riskier as it has a higher chance of affecting production systems and causing downtime.
Vulnerability assessment is a less comprehensive approach that focuses on identifying potential vulnerabilities in the system. This can be done through manual testing or automated scanning. Vulnerability assessment can be less expensive and time-consuming than penetration testing, but it may not identify all potential vulnerabilities in the system. It can also generate more false positives and less proof of concept than a penetration test would.
To make an effective choice it’s important to consider your organization’s priorities. This includes how quickly you need the work done, your compliance requirements, your risk tolerance, and how much information you need regarding each vulnerability.
Recap
In conclusion, there are a few key differences between penetration tests and vulnerability assessments. Penetration tests are more comprehensive and often involve more steps, such as social engineering and physical security testing. Vulnerability assessments are typically less expensive and can be conducted more quickly. To learn more about Oppos Penetration Testing Services, contact us.
