365 Computer Security Training

A vulnerability scanner is a computer program that searches for weaknesses in a computer application, network or the computer itself. Typically there are four types of vulnerability scanners:

1. Port scanner
2. Network scanner
3. Web application security scanner
4. Computer malware scanner

While it isn’t important to delve into detail about what each of these scanners does, it is extremely important that you understand the weaknesses in your system. The Internet is awash with suggestions about which security scanner would be best for your computer. But don’t worry, these are free! So you can try them all and choose the one you are most comfortable using.

• Let’s start with the Nessus Project. This program provides heavy Internet users a free, powerful, and easy to use remote scanner.  Nessus scanner can be used throughout an entire enterprise, inside DMZs and across physically separate networks.  It is available for a variety of operating systems including: Window, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris.

• Next comes the MBSA or Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer is a free tool to analyze a Window’s computer security configuration.  This tool points out the weaknesses in your system AND recommends how to fix them.

• GFI LANguard on the other hand analyzes and archives events logs of all machines in a network and alerts you in real time of a security breach.  This network and security scanner addresses patch management, network auditing, and vulnerability issues in one package.

• Next up is the Tripwire. This is software that checks for major changes in your system. It also monitors key attributes of all files that should not change including binary signature, size, expected change of size etc.

• Then there is the Nmap (Network Mapper), which even though is not a vulnerability scanner technically; it helps find potential vulnerabilities that are hiding in plain sight.  Nmap is able to fingerprint a network and tell what types of operating systems, applications, versions, firewalls, etc may be running on a network.

Just picking and running a vulnerability scanner is not enough. You have to take time to evaluate the results of the scan and always apply the appropriate remedies.  Keep in mind that as useful as these tools are for network administrators to assess the security of their systems, they are also useful for attackers.  An attacker uses vulnerability scanners to perform network reconnaissance on a potential target.  Their aim is to determine what weaknesses are present that they may be able to exploit and break-in.