What does vulnerability scanning primarily assess?

Vulnerability scanning primarily assesses the ability of systems and applications to withstand potential attacks by identifying weaknesses that could be exploited by malicious actors. This process involves using automated tools to scan servers, networks, and applications to detect security flaws such as misconfigurations, outdated software, or known vulnerabilities.

By focusing on the identification of these weaknesses, organizations can take proactive measures to remediate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This is a crucial aspect of maintaining a strong security posture, as it allows for the timely addressing of potential entry points that attackers may use to compromise the system.

While evaluating physical security, hardware reliability, and the response times of security protocols are important aspects of overall security management, they do not specifically pertain to the role of vulnerability scanning, which is centered around uncovering vulnerabilities in software and system configurations.