Company websites are the best platform nowadays to market products or services. Though websites offer various purposes, digital marketing is still the most prominent reason why you have one. However, these websites can develop problems over time, making it hard for users to access them. That’s the reason why it’s essential to scan website vulnerabilities. 

Website vulnerability scanning is one of the methods to determine your site’s weaknesses. Since it’s no secret that various web pages are susceptible to miscoding or misconfiguration, running a scan is vital to ensure that your website is secure for your users.

This article will discuss what website vulnerability scanning is. Aside from that, we will also cover the essential steps in scanning these problems. If you’d like to do these things like a pro, this one’s for you. 

Defining Website Vulnerability Scanning

Website vulnerability scanning is the act of detecting inconsistencies within your websites. When there are vulnerabilities on your site, it’s easier for hackers to exploit them. These misconfigurations can be the gateway for hackers or viruses to sabotage your business.  

You can avoid these threats by scanning website vulnerabilities. That means you are essentially preventing bad things from happening to your sites by using various scanning tools. Since cybercriminals have a knack for using tools, you should also have one of your own to combat theirs. 

These scanning tools can detect vulnerability issues like outdated or bugged softwares, weak or stolen credentials, misconfigured firewall or operating system, and unsecured APIs. Attackers use these vulnerabilities to essentially worm their way inside your website and do things they shouldn’t be doing. By early detecting these issues, you’re getting steps ahead of your infiltrators, preventing them from overtaking your website. 

6 Steps to Scan Website Vulnerabilities

As discussed earlier, scanning website vulnerabilities is a breeze if you have the proper tools. However, knowing how things work is vital to getting the most out of them. Following these steps will guarantee you don’t miss a beat and bring you closer to efficient security. 

Here are the steps to scan website vulnerabilities online: 

1. Observation

We can initially know that something is wrong through sheer observation. This is also the reason why visual tests are crucial. Sometimes, by merely observing a website, we can gather the necessary information to know if there are susceptible opportunities for vulnerabilities. 

One of the things you need to look for is potential entry points. You can already tell where these vulnerabilities are by conducting passive information gathering. It will also help if you have ample experience dealing with these things.

2. Scanning

While observation can tell you things you need to know, scanning will pinpoint these vulnerabilities more accurately. Your website security scan tool is handy in this phase since it will do the process for you. With just one click, you are on your way to getting to the heart of the problem. 

One of the most recommended tools is Securebrain’s GRED Web Security Verification Cloud. This helpful tool addresses and scan website vulnerabilities. But the best thing about this nifty program is that it performs daily website scanning automatically. Once it detects problems, it will also send you an email alert so you can address them immediately. 

3. Manual Testing

Manual testing addresses the issues your tools failed to pass through. Sometimes, your programs might indicate false positives, so combing through them manually is necessary. 

Manual testing also allows you to hone in on identified vulnerabilities. If you want to gather specific information about these problems, you can manually test them. Subsequently, you can identify issues like injection attacks or cross-site scripting through manual testing. 

4. Analysis

After subjecting your websites to multiple scans, the next step is analyzing the results. Your tools will tell you where to focus your efforts by prioritizing threats. However, it’s still up to you which ones you want to focus on. Identifying the potential impact of each vulnerability falls on your lap.

The analysis process will also allow you to strategize your next move. Sometimes, when your website faces multiple threats, knowing which one goes first can be challenging. Analyzing the threats will reinforce your plan of attack and improve your solution. 

5. Solution

All the previous steps have been building up to this particular procedure. You can devise a solution once you’ve gathered enough data through scanning website vulnerabilities. One of the solutions you can use is applying patches on your website. These updates will address vulnerabilities on your site and protect it from future threats. 

If you’re working with a technician or have ample knowledge about website security, you can also look into this. Sometimes, these problems are caused by miscodings, so you can correct these problems if you know how to code. The solution will depend entirely on your analysis and available tools and knowledge. 

6.Retesting

Retesting ensures that you’ve performed each step well. Sometimes, a single pass through your website isn’t enough. Furthermore, retesting allows you to see the changes made after the last scan. Nonetheless, leave it as it is if you’re already happy with the modifications or fixes.

If you’re unhappy with the changes or think it’s lacking something, you can always go through all these steps again. This process is also similar to refining something. Going through the process a second time finalizes everything and ensures that everything is spotless. 

Bottomline

Websites require regular maintenance and checks to ensure nothing gets past their security. Sometimes, a simple miscoding can differentiate a good website and a buggy one. You can perform these checks effortlessly using helpful tools and the knowledge from this article. 

We hope that we have helped you understand how to scan website vulnerabilities. If you follow the essential steps discussed, such as observation, scanning, manual testing, analysis, solution, and retesting, we can ensure smooth website operation for your business.

Websites aren’t just an avenue to market your products or services. These are also platforms to store valuable data. Protect these sites by getting high-quality vulnerability scanning tools. Our GRED Web Security Verification Cloud product is designed for daily vulnerability verifications for redundant security solutions.
We encourage you to contact Securebrain today to experience top-notch website scanning that will help bolster your website security!