Host-Aware Vulnerability Scanning for Active Resource Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vulnerability scanning solutions require extensive manual configuration by administrators, which is time-consuming and heavily influenced by their expertise, leading to unreliable results.
Innovation Solution
A method and arrangement for vulnerability scanning that collects host-specific information on processes, ports, and protocols, builds a database, and performs scans based on this information, using security agents to automate configuration and focus on active resources, reducing the need for full scans and manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual configuration is used to define scanning parameters, then administrators can control scan scope, but the process becomes time-consuming and reliability depends on administrator expertise
Solution Approach 1:
The vulnerability scanning system automatically collects host information from multiple sources including security agents, process lists, network traffic data, and system registries without requiring administrator configuration. The system self-configures scan parameters based on detected host resources, eliminating manual setup while maintaining reliable scanning results.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts scan parameters based on collected host information. Instead of using fixed manual configurations, the scanning parameters are automatically modified according to the detected processes, ports, and protocols on each host, enabling adaptive configuration that improves reliability without time investment.
2Reliability
If full network scanning is performed to ensure comprehensive coverage, then all vulnerabilities can be detected, but scan time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs partial scanning by focusing only on active resources detected on each host. Instead of scanning all possible ports and services, it selectively scans only those resources that are actually in use based on collected host information, maintaining adequate vulnerability detection while significantly reducing scan time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system collects host information before performing the vulnerability scan. By gathering data on processes, ports, and protocols in advance and storing it in a database, the system can quickly retrieve this information during scanning, avoiding repeated full network scans and improving overall productivity.
3Reliability
If scanning is performed on all host resources, then comprehensive vulnerability assessment is achieved, but the complexity of managing scan configurations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically manages scan configuration by collecting host information from multiple sources and generating appropriate scan parameters without administrator intervention. This eliminates the complexity of manual configuration management while maintaining comprehensive vulnerability assessment through automated adaptation to each host's actual resources.
Data Source
AI summary
An arrangement and a method for vulnerability scanning in a network, the network comprising at least one host, such as an endpoint and/or a server. The method comprises collecting host specific information relating to resources of hosts in the network by detecting and/or analyzing processes executing at the hosts and/or network traffic at the hosts, the resources of the hosts relating to at least one of the following: processes being executed at the hosts, ports used by the hosts, protocols used by the hosts. The method further comprises building and/or updating a database comprising information relating to the hosts and resources of the hosts based at least in part of the collected host specific information and performing a vulnerability scan of the network by scanning the resources of the hosts at least in part based on the built database for the hosts.