Threat Center Security News REMOTE Assessment of Your Network Coming Soon
REMOTE Assessment of Your Network Coming Soon Print E-mail
Written by Rebecca Mints   
Tuesday, 08 April 2008 18:00

There is a new way of utilizing a tool available from HackerTarget.com that allows users to perform a full vulnerability scan on their internal network without having to have anyone on-site, making advanced open source security tools available in the cloud. The aforementioned tool from HackerTarget.com is their Nessus Scanning Service and it is now available online. The Nessus Vulnerability Scanner is the industry leader for auditing and analyzing security issues, according to Peter, Nessus's Director and lead consultant. With the new online version it can now be available to anyone, anywhere.


HackerTarget.com also offers some other open source tools like SQLiX, Nmap and Nikto, and when used in conjunction with the new Nessus, anyone in command of an internet server would have full access to these tools, and without any need for specialized administration and configuration of the tools in house. The people at HackerTarget have also taken steps to ensure low latency and high availability by spreading the within the cloud servers around the globe.


Attacks on servers are more often than not due to poor server configuration or out of date tools. Because keeping servers up to date and eliminating configuration errors are things that often get put on the back burner by many companies they are often the easiest thing for a hacker to exploit. These exploitations can be avoided with vulnerability assessments. Routinely assessing the security configuration as well as taking the time to look for software holes is the best way to find the errors that a hacker would attempt to exploit.


When it comes to the Cloud-based option for performing assessments, the open source tools are a better method to employ versus closed because with open source tools comes the review of peers; you really are getting the best available. If having someone onsite to perform vulnerability assessments on your network is something that often gets pushed to back of the line, this new option of remotely assessing your network is the next best thing.



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Remote Vulnerability Scanning from the Cloud

 

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