What are the typical features offered by vulnerability scanner?

Vulnerability scanners are essential tools for identifying and mitigating security risks in computer systems and networks. They offer a range of features to help organizations uncover vulnerabilities and weaknesses in their systems. Following is brief: Vulnerability scanners can scan an organization's network infrastructure to identify open ports, services, and hosts. This initial step helps in understanding the network's attack surface. They identify known vulnerabilities in software, operating systems, and network devices. These vulnerabilities are usually cataloged in databases that are regularly updated to include the latest security issues. Some scanners are equipped to verify whether systems and configurations adhere to specific security standards, regulations, or best practices. This is crucial for ensuring compliance with industry-specific requirements. Users can define their scanning policies and parameters, allowing for customized scans to address their specific needs. This can help organizations focus on particular aspects of their environment. Many scanners provide asset discovery and tracking capabilities, which are essential for understanding the devices connected to your network and managing their vulnerabilities over time. Vulnerability scanners tend to generate detailed reports outlining identified vulnerabilities, their severity, and potential impact. Scanners often assign risk scores to vulnerabilities based on factors like their severity, potential impact, and exploitability. Many vulnerability scanners offer integration with other security tools and solutions, such as patch management systems or Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms, to streamline the vulnerability management process. They can be scheduled to conduct regular scans to ensure that new vulnerabilities are quickly detected as software updates or configurations change. Very important: A well-designed user interface makes it easier for security professionals to interact with and interpret the results of scans. Some scanners support agent-based scanning, which involves deploying lightweight agents on target systems to gather more detailed information about vulnerabilities. Moreover, paid vulnerability scanner solutions typically include access to support services and regular updates to vulnerability databases.