Complete The Practice Lab Titled Inventory Assets On Network

Complete the Practice Lab Titled Inventory Assets On Network And Ident

Complete the Practice Lab titled "Inventory Assets on Network and Identify Vulnerabilities." Capture screenshots and place in a Microsoft® Word document as specified within the lab instructions. At the end of the lab, you will be asked to respond to the following in a 1- to 2-page response at the end of your Microsoft® Word document: Write a brief description of a vulnerability found in the scan, including the operating system on which it was found, its risk factor, and its CVSS scores. Are the results of default scans different than the credentialed scan? Why might that be? What types of vulnerabilities might an attacker without any credentials be able to identify and exploit?

This was a simple three computer LAN. How much more complicated would this process be for 100 computers? What about an enterprise with 10,000 computers on their LAN/WAN? Consider a cloud-hosted Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) environment with many new, internet-accessible systems regularly being built and brought online. What advantages or challenges might there be with regard to vulnerability management in the cloud?

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Paper For Above instruction

The process of inventorying assets and identifying vulnerabilities within a network infrastructure is a critical component of cybersecurity management. The practice lab titled "Inventory Assets on Network and Identify Vulnerabilities" offers hands-on experience with scanning, recognizing potential security weaknesses, and understanding the implications of various vulnerabilities discovered. This paper discusses the methodology involved, compares default versus credentialed scans, examines the challenges posed by increasing network sizes, and explores the specific considerations relevant to cloud-based environments.

Asset Inventory and Vulnerability Scanning

Asset inventory involves identifying all hardware and software components within a network. Accurate inventory management ensures organizations can monitor all devices and maintain proper security measures. The core activity in this process involves using vulnerability scanning tools such as Nmap, Nessus, or OpenVAS to detect open ports, outdated software versions, misconfigurations, and known vulnerabilities.

The initial step in the lab was to perform network scans on a small LAN consisting of three computers. These scans reveal details such as operating systems, running services, and potential vulnerabilities. The data collected enables security teams to prioritize remediation efforts based on risk factors and CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) scores, which quantify severity levels on a scale from 0 to 10.

Differences Between Default and Credentialed Scans

Default scans, or unauthenticated scans, operate without credentials, essentially simulating an attacker’s perspective. They tend to provide limited insight because they cannot access protected areas of the system, resulting in a less comprehensive vulnerability profile. Conversely, credentialed scans require valid login credentials, allowing deeper access into systems, files, and configurations. This comprehensive view enables more accurate identification of vulnerabilities such as weak permissions, missing patches, or misconfigurations.

The results of credentialed scans typically reveal more vulnerabilities and give a more accurate assessment of security posture. Default scans may underestimate vulnerabilities, potentially leading to false confidence in the security status.

Vulnerabilities Identifiable by Attackers Without Credentials

Attackers without credentials primarily rely on discovering open ports, services with known vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, or unpatched software. Examples include open SSH or RDP ports with weak passwords, services with default configurations, or outdated web servers susceptible to well-known exploits. Such vulnerabilities enable attackers to gain initial access, escalate privileges, or maintain persistence within the network.

Scaling the Vulnerability Management Process

While managing vulnerability assessments for a three-computer LAN is manageable with manual or semi-automated tools, scaling this process to 100 or 10,000 computers introduces significant challenges. Automating scans becomes essential, requiring robust tools and processes to schedule, execute, and analyze large volumes of data. Network complexity increases with size, demanding stratified scanning strategies to minimize network impact and false positives.

In enterprise environments with thousands of devices, central management systems integrate vulnerability data into dashboards for continuous monitoring. With such scale, resource allocation for remediation and patch management becomes critical, and prioritization based on risk levels is necessary to efficiently reduce attack surface.

Vulnerability Management in Cloud Environments

Cloud-hosted Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) environments introduce additional complexities. Unlike on-premises networks, cloud environments are highly dynamic, with new systems being provisioned and decommissioned frequently. This dynamic nature requires continuous asset discovery and real-time vulnerability assessments to keep pace.

Advantages include rapid deployment, scalability, and improved visibility, but challenges involve managing permissions, multi-tenant environments, and ensuring consistent security configurations across virtualized resources. Automated tools, API-based integrations, and cloud security posture management (CSPM) solutions are critical for effective vulnerability management. Furthermore, the shared responsibility model in cloud platforms emphasizes the need for organizations to secure their configurations and monitor for misconfigurations or exposed resources.

Conclusion

Vulnerability management is a complex, yet vital, process for maintaining network security. As networks grow in size and complexity—from small LANs to large enterprises and cloud environments—the approaches must evolve. Automation, continuous monitoring, and integrated security tools become essential for effective management. Understanding the differences in scanning techniques and the specific vulnerabilities accessible to attackers without credentials enables organizations to prioritize their security efforts and better defend against evolving cyber threats.

References

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