Penetration Testing vs Vulnerability Scanning:
What’s The Difference?

Blog posted on 7th May 2024

Introduction: two very different security assessments

Penetration testing vs vulnerability scanning; two different ways to test your systems for security vulnerabilities which are often confused for the same service. Many companies unaware of the differences purchase one when they really need the other, leaving them unprotected from complex vulnerabilities, and gaps in their compliance. So, what is the difference?

What is vulnerability scanning?

Vulnerability scanning is an automated scan used to identify potential security concerns of systems, networks, and applications. The vulnerabilities could range from out-of-date software to misconfigurations. It works similarly to an anti-virus scan; you press go and it runs alone to cross reference issues against a pre-determined set of known vulnerabilities to identify if they are present in each environment and outline them in a report.

The main goal of a vulnerability scan is to highlight security concerns in an IT environment. It is then left to the company to prioritise the issues and work on remediations.

What is penetration testing?

Penetration Testing on the other hand is a manually simulated cyber attack run by an ethical hacker in an authorised and controlled environment with the intended purpose of identifying, exploiting, and reporting vulnerabilities.

The manual testing goes beyond surface-level vulnerabilities, fully assessing the potential impact of a real-world attack. By emulating the same practises and tools used by cyber criminals a penetration tester can uncover critical security flaws that wouldn’t have been identified by an automated scan alone. The offensive approach allows companies to better understand their whole security posture to act accordingly.

Key differences and the benefits of each:

The depth of analysis, while vulnerability scanning provides a high-level overview of vulnerabilities present in a system, penetration testing offers a deeper analysis by tying one vulnerability to another to exploit the issue to fully understand the impact each vulnerability can have.

Vulnerability scanning is entirely automated, making it efficient for routine checks due to their efficiency in scanning large networks. Penetration testing involves manual testing, allowing ethical hackers to discover vulnerabilities that automated tools overlook.

Penetration Testing offers a thorough risk assessment by simulating a real-world hack which in turn allows companies to prioritise remediation efforts based on the risk associated which each vulnerability.

Both exercises play important roles in meeting different compliance requirements and offering assurance to the companies’ customers and stakeholders that the security posture is in good standing.

The combination of both practices:

While each serve different purposes, they can complement each other to provide a strong cyber security strategy. It’s typically recommended to run regular vulnerability scans monthly or as often as weekly and to conduct a penetration test at least once annually and or following any major changes to a system.

Regular vulnerability scanning allows you to keep on top of common threats while periodic penetration testing ensures that your security measures remain effective in the face of evolving threats.

Conclusion & Author:

The cyber security landscape changes each day with new technology being deployed and threats being found. Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing are two of the most effective ways to safeguard digital assets so it’s no surprise it’s considered a smart approach for companies to implement both security strategies on an ongoing basis.

Euan Cowan, Account Director

If you would like to discuss this topic further with Euan, have any questions, or would just like to connect in general, you can reach out to him in the following ways:

Mobile: +44 7383 636705
Email: Euan.Cowan@codeshield.co.uk