Hipaa penetration scan

October 11, Must we run internal and external vulnerability scans or penetration testing to comply with the HIPAA security rule? Vulnerability scans, which may be internal or external and are usually automated, are designed to identify known vulnerabilities such as viruses or outdated software in computer networks, firewalls, routers, and applications. Penetration testing is more targeted, is not automated, and attempts to find holes in security and gain network access—much like a hacker—by exploiting network vulnerabilities.

This appendix lists all built-in scan templates available in Nexpose. It provides a description for each template and suggestions for when to use it. The scan runs application-layer audits. Policy checks require authentication with administrative credentials on targets. Vulnerability checks are not included.

Although there is no regulation that explicitly requires vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, assessing the vulnerabilities of your network and IT assets is essential for understanding the risks posed to your organization. Q: What is the difference between penetration testing and vulnerability scanning? A: Penetration testing also called pentesting is a manual process that attempts to exploit any vulnerabilities identified in a network that can be used to gain access to the network, just like a hacker would. Vulnerability scanning is typically an automated, high-level process that identifies any possible security holes in a network, but generates many false positives that must be manually verified.

It amazes me how many people confuse the importance of vulnerability scanning with penetration testing. Vulnerability scanning cannot replace the importance of penetration testing, and penetration testing on its own cannot secure the entire network. Penetration testing exploits vulnerabilities in your system architecture, while vulnerability scanning or assessment checks for known vulnerabilities and generates a report on risk exposure. Both penetration testing and vulnerability scanning depend mostly on three factors:.