What Is Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing? (VAPT)
April 1, 2019
Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) is a security testing method which identifies the security bugs in a software program, a computer network, a server or a system infrastructure. Since both tests serve a different purpose, they are often misunderstood as 2 different test. Albeit, the goals of both the tests are different, they serve a complementary purpose and in order to get the most out of it, they should be applied together for optimum results.
What is Vulnerability Assessment (VA)?
Vulnerability Assessment is the first stage in security testing where the objective is to find bugs in the entire software or the network. It is a rapid automated review of network devices, servers, and systems to identify key vulnerabilities and configuration issues that an attacker may be able to take advantage off.
In a nutshell, the vulnerability test answers the question – “What are the issues on my network?”
The incomplete side of this test is that it cannot differentiate between exploitable and non-exploitable vulnerabilities. And this is exactly where the second stage, Penetration Testing (PT) gets in.
What is Penetration Testing (PT)?
Penetration Testing is an in-depth expert-driven activity focused on identifying the exploitable vulnerabilities identified during VA. Penetration tests find exploitable flaws and measures the severity of each. Penetration test actually spots the possible routes through which an attacker can get through a network. Not stopping there, it will move further and also gauge the potential damage it can do once it gets a breakthrough.
Penetration Testing answers the question “What an attacker can do?”
VAPT – The Whole Picture!
Together, VAPT helps organizations get a more cohesive and detailed picture of their current security vulnerabilities, how exploitable they are, and how largely could it impact. When it comes to having flawless security, VAPT offers excessive benefits to the organizations.
Benefits of VAPT
- Provides the organization a detailed view of potential threats faced in a network or an application.
- Helps organization in identify the programming errors that could possibly lead to cyber-attacks.
- Provides intensive risk management system
- Safeguards the business from loss of reputation, money, and access to Intellectual properties
- Secures properties from internal and external attacks
- Protects the organization’s data from malicious attacks
Why is VAPT important?
Gaining deep insights in the smallest aspect of the software development life cycle (SDLC) is very crucial. Being aware of the vulnerabilities that exist, the weak elements get more apparent during the SDLC. No matter how talented the development team in your organization could be, the possibilities of bugs cannot be denied. Even the smallest ignorance can prove to be detrimental to your organization’s security posture as a whole.
NeoSOFT Technologies has a strong team of VAPT Testers and we provide you with a thorough VAPT report and regular VAPT audits and testing. With us, you can rest assured be that your organization’s data and IP is in safe hands.
