Automated Vs Manual Vulnerability Scanning – Which one is right for your business?

It is now essential for a business to invest in cybersecurity to safeguard its data from being compromised by cyber threats. Every day, there is a new security breach. Security breaches occur by exploiting various Weaknesses, such as Weaknesses in the web, systems, infrastructure, humans, etc. 

Suppose any businesses want to protect its system from a cybercriminal. In that case, the first step should be finding and remediating all possible vulnerabilities before any incident happens.

Vulnerability is an effective method to find a vulnerability in a system or infrastructure. There are two types of vulnerability scanning:

1. Automated Vulnerability Scanning
2. Manual Vulnerability Scanning

In this article, we will see the advantages and disadvantages of both scanning methods and which is the right choice for your business.

Automated Vulnerability Scanning

A scanner can quickly scan a large amount of data to find security weaknesses. Automated scanning is done by special software designed to send various network requests to the target system and monitor its behavior or output automatically. 

Below is the advantage and disadvantage of automatic vulnerability scanning.

Advantage:

1. Speed: Automatic vulnerability can scan a system in a short time. Two days for manual scanning may take only a few hours using an automatic scanner.
2. Cost-effective: Automated vulnerability scanner is often less expensive, which allows small business access. For example, the Nessus vulnerability scanner costs around 2390 USD to 5000 USD.
3. Reduce human error: Humans can miss analyzing some critical points, but the scanner checks every possible weakness.

Disadvantage:

1. False positive: Automated vulnerability scanning often generate false positive. As a result, it requires some extra verification to eliminate the false positive.
2. Limited scope: Automated scanning may not identify all vulnerabilities in complex systems. For more in-depth scanning, human interaction is required.
3. Lack of context: Automated scans might not find a weakness that poses little threat to the system or has already been fixed.

Manual Vulnerability Scanning

Professionals manually review the codes and configurations in manual vulnerability scanning to identify security weaknesses. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of manual vulnerability scanning:

Advantages

1. Comprehensive: It is possible to detect broader and more complex vulnerabilities.
2. Less False Positive: As it is manual scanning, all findings can be validated, so you get very few false positives.
3. Context: Manual scanning gives you more information to help you find vulnerabilities, and you can put them in order of severity and potential effect.

Disadvantages

1. Time-Consuming: Manual scanning can take days to weeks. So, Manual scanning may be an inappropriate method for some businesses.
2. Expensive: Manual vulnerability scanning is more costly than automated scanning, which could be a barrier for many small business owners.
3. Human Error: It is for a human to miss important vulnerabilities in complex systems or new vulnerabilities.

Choosing The Right Vulnerability Scanning Method

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to whether to use automated or manual vulnerability testing. Each method has pros and cons, and which one a business should choose will depend on its circumstances. But below are some key factors you should consider before selecting the right scanning method:

Size of Business: If you are a small business owner, automated scanning with some manual validation of high-risk vulnerabilities should be a good fit. But the more prominent organization should consider manual scanning for a complete result.

Complexity: Automated scanning may only find some vulnerabilities if your business has complex systems. Manual scanning is a more appropriate method in this case.

Time and Resources: The amount of time and resources that a company has available to devote to vulnerability scanning may affect the approach they choose.

In conclusion, vulnerability scanning is essential to a business if the business owner truly wants to protect them from cyber threats. It is better to consult security experts to choose suitable scanning methods. Combining automated and manual scanning is best for the best possible result.

We offer both automated and manual scanning services. We also can customize the scan as per business requirements. Our experts are OSCP and OSCE3 certified, but still, we make our service affordable so all sizes of businesses can access our solutions. If you have a concern, don’t hesitate to contact us.