Vulnerability Assessment vs Penetration Testing

INTRODUCTION TO VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT

Vulnerability assessment (VA) is the procedure for identifying and evaluating a system's vulnerability. discovers weaknesses and uses them to infiltrate systems and violate security restrictions.  The VA can be used as a tool for managing threats, or if you prefer, managing the risk that accompanies threats. Threats come in a wide variety.

Assessments are the first step in locating systems with security flaws and the effects they have on the organization's risk profile. In order to prioritize security issues, assessments uncover, define, identify, and prioritize the system and organizational vulnerabilities and security gaps.

INTRODUCTION TO PENETRATION TESTING

Penetration testing is a type of security testing that is used to test the insecurity of an application. It is conducted to find the security risk which might be present in the system. Creating a list of vulnerabilities prioritized by their severity helps in charting the path which will be taken by the attacker to take over the system(s)

When a business has an acceptable degree of security standards and wishes to find more vulnerabilities, a pentest should be carried out after evaluations. Through the use of pentests, vulnerabilities are found. They want to know how a cybercriminal might compromise a system or organization by taking advantage of a vulnerability.

 DIFFERENCE B/W VA & PT

While the PT process conducts a vertical deep dive into the findings, the VA process provides a horizontal map of the security position of the network and the application. The VA process shows how big a vulnerability is, while the PT shows how bad it is. Due to the nature of the work involved in each process, a VA can be carried out using automated tools, while a PT, in almost all cases, is a manual process. This is because PT essentially simulates what real hackers would do to your network or application.

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