What’s the Difference?
Vulnerability scanning checks every door and window is locked, every night. Penetration testing is hiring someone to try to break in. One keeps watch; the other proves whether it would hold.
Vulnerability Scanning
Automated checks of your computers, servers and internet-facing services against known weaknesses.
- Finds missing updates, outdated software and risky settings
- Checks every device
- Runs all the time, so new weaknesses are caught quickly
Penetration Testing
We try to break in the way an attacker would, to see how far we can get.
- Chains small weaknesses together, as real attacks do
- Finds what a scanner can’t, such as weak passwords in use
- Shows what an attacker could reach once inside
Side by Side
| Vulnerability Scanning | Penetration Testing | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Automated | Hands-on, done in-house |
| How often | Continuous for internet-facing systems, monthly inside your network | Every 6 or 12 months, and after major changes |
| What it covers | Every device and service, checked for known weaknesses | How far an attacker could actually get |
| What you get | Findings ranked by risk in your monthly briefing | A report of what we got into, how, and what to fix first |
Why You Need Both
Scanning Fills the Gaps
A penetration test is a snapshot. New weaknesses are published every day, so scanning keeps watch in the months between tests.
Testing Shows Real Risk
A scan lists what could be wrong. A test shows what an attacker could actually do with it, so you fix what matters first.
Inside and Out
We check your internet-facing systems, where attackers look first, and the computers and servers inside your network, where they go next.
Common Questions
Find Your Weak Spots First
Talk to us about vulnerability scanning and penetration testing for your business.