Lab 2 Answers Nessus Essay

We have been engaged in business for some time, and have been very successful, however we need to re-examine our network configuration and infrastructure and identify that our network defenses are still reliable, before we make any changes. We need to take a hard look at our current configuration of host, services and our protocols within our organization. Data from a large number of penetration tests in recent years show most corporate networks share common vulnerabilities. Many of these

Companies should develop a control that requires that routine vulnerability assessment of their customer facing web sites, network infrastructure, and associated systems (such as database systems). Vulnerability assessment can help identify potential weaknesses to systems and also provide a sort of feedback to the organization’s IT department on their current operational policy and security posture. The cost of performing a routine vulnerability assessment is considerably less than that of an actual data breach.

Our company is looking for security threats inside and outside their network. The best way to see what our network is vulnerable to is to use penetration testing (pen-testing) to find the leaks in and out of our network. Penetration testing is a network security approach that simulates an attack from an intruder trying to get unauthorized access to the infrastructure. With this type of testing the intent is to discover flaws in the security settings of the system before they can be exploited. Information Assurance Research Corporation (IARC) should conduct penetration testing on a regular basis, so we have the ability to locate weaknesses in the hardware and software, check the security controls currently established and determine if the

During the reconnaissance step of the attack, describe what task Zenmap GUI performs to do passive OS fingerprinting.

Utilizing two simple command switches, -O and -v, provided a wealth of information about the host system. Most notably, it listed all of the open ports, protocols, and the operating system of the target system. This quick gathering of information enabled the execution of more detailed commands against specific ports to expose specific vulnerabilities. This information can then be used to address any specific vulnerabilities that are

Penetration testing is the attempt to identify security weaknesses within the IT infrastructure of an

tools will help to detect intrusions and other suspicious activities on the network. The third challenge is to improve the

A vulnerability assessment is a risk testing process which finds, quantity and rank possible vulnerabilities to threats in as many security defects as possible in a given timeframe. Depend upon organization scope there are many way to conduct vulnerability assessment. This assessment may involve automated and manual techniques.

1. What are the differences between ZeNmap GUI (Nmap) and Nessus? NMAP is primarily a host detection and port discovery tool. Instead of using Nessus to look for specific vulnerabilities against a known quantity of hosts, NMAP discovers active IP hosts using a combination of probes. On the other hand Nessus takes the open ports into account and notifies you if these ports have potential security vulnerabilities attached to them.

Despite its impact ping sweeps and port scans are best understood as a huge security threat on today's company's network system.

Application development and use has been changing for several years. The growth of software-as-a-service as well as the move to cloud-based applications has created new challenges for security tools — challenges that legacy products are simply unable to meet in a world in which new threats appear almost daily. Relying on vulnerability scanners, web application firewalls and antivirus software can have disastrous consequences, but until recently, such tools were all that were available to help secure a network or system. One problem with all of the aforementioned security tools is that they cannot defend against a vulnerability that they cannot identify. Another issue is that they focus on

Nessus which is an architecture and infrastructure used in cybersecurity serves as a home for where servers can be centrally connected for the purpose of scanning and remote access by clients that have being given admin rights. In using Nessus, one of the most interesting benefits is that Administrators can make use of NASL descriptions solely for detecting vulnerabilities in order to develop customized scans.

This report contains an overview of the testing process and issues that were found, details of the testing process, results found, the risks associated with the vulnerability and recommendations for rectifying the vulnerability. The results of the test can be of assistance to Ernst & Young when making decisions regarding information security.

It provides modules for testing thousands of known vulnerabilities, is updated when new vulnerabilities are identified, and is one of the most used penetration testing tools used (Rapid7, nd).

In the three maintained products the threats and risks are to be identified. Such as the data base securing, user identification, authorizing proper managers, protections from hackers and updated firewalls and less vulnerable software.