Authenticated Vs Unauthenticated Scan: Which Offer Better Results?

Quick Summary: Scanning security threats and vulnerabilities in a system is performed following different assessment processes. These processes mainly fall into two categories: authenticated and unauthenticated scans. But there is a constant debate about authenticated scan vs unauthenticated scan. Read this blog to get a thorough idea about both concepts and learn which one is the best for you to use.

The process of scanning a system's or network's security is of utmost importance to ensure you are not accidentally leaving any objectionable source that looks for vulnerable areas to exploit. That's why organizations practice advanced scanning processes to remove potential vulnerabilities that are often difficult to assess otherwise.

The scanning process is divided into two parts: unauthenticated and authenticated scans. Whichever process organizations see fit, they go for it.

But there is a catch!

Selecting the one between unauthenticated and authenticated scans is a sweat-wiping process as there is a constant debate between unauthenticated vs authenticated scans.

However, you don't have to worry as this blog will guide you in detail about both authenticated and unauthenticated scans, classifying every point of difference meticulously. Also, it will give you comprehensive insights into every relevant aspect of these two concepts so that you can select the one that aligns well with your requirements. Let's get cracking.

Level up Your Scanning Process with an Advanced Scanning Tool for Iron-shield-like Security Check Your Plan for Assessment

What is an Authenticated Scan?

An authenticated scan is a security assessment technique in which scanning tools use valid login credentials to access and assess the system by operating it as a logged-in user. By logging in with these credentials, the scanner is eligible to inspect the different areas of the system, such as user-specific data, access controls, and internal configurations. These areas are not otherwise accessible to everyone because of their sensitive data.

With this approach, scanners can assess vulnerabilities that are only visible to or exploitable with authenticated access, like privilege escalation issues or improper permissions.

With an authenticated scanning process, the scanner gets a thorough idea of potential security weaknesses that an attacker can possibly exploit if he gets legitimate access to the system.

6 Advantages of an Authenticated Scan

Let's uncover the advantages of an authenticated scanning process in network and security risk assessments.

1. In-depth Vulnerability Assessment

With an authenticated scanning method, organizations can get access to sensitive areas of the system and capture hidden vulnerabilities with an advanced scan. Following the authenticated scanning method, a scanner can discover vulnerabilities that are only visible with proper credentials, such as those in the internal network or behind login forms.

2. Configuration Issues

With an authenticated scan, the scanner can capture security misconfigurations and other security issues that are only accessible with authenticated access. Detecting such vulnerabilities provides a clearer picture to the organization to create even more robust security measures.

3. Reduce False Positives

As authenticated scans are eligible to access more information and can interact with areas of the network or system that are otherwise inaccessible, they tend to produce quite a few false positives. Thus, with this approach, you can accurately identify potential vulnerabilities.

4. Better Context

With access to system internals, authenticated scans provide more context on identified vulnerabilities. It then becomes easier for organizations to understand its intensity and exploitability.

5. Internal Threats

Authenticated scans imitate the perspective of an insider or a compromised user account. This process helps discover vulnerabilities that cannot be recognized from an external viewpoint.

6. Access Control

Scanners can assess the potency of access controls and permissions. Authenticated scans can check whether users with standard privileges can escalate their access to higher levels, such as administrative or root privileges.

6 Disadvantages of Authenticated Scan

Let's discover what set of challenges and disadvantages the authenticated scanning process has to offer.

1. Configuration Requirements

Setting up an authenticated scanning process requires complex configuration. This includes the creation and management of accounts with proper permission. The entire process requires large amounts of time and effort because of its complexity.

2. Credential Management

Managing and securing credentials that are used for authenticated scans can be a complicated process. There is always a constant risk of credentials being compromised or mishandled if not managed properly.

3. Sensitive Data Exposure

If the credentials get compromised by any chance, the chances of unauthorized accessibility increase relatively, which leads to the exposure of confidential data and other security breaches. Moreover, this also highlights the need for rigorous security measures around credential storage and handling.

4. Impact of Scan

Authenticated scans can sometimes unintentionally create a bad impact on a system's performance or stability, especially when the scanning process covers performing in-depth intensive security checks or interacting with critical system components.

5. Limited Authorized Accounts

The authenticated scan's effectiveness is limited to the permissions and access levels that every standard authenticated account has. Assessing vulnerabilities and misconfigurations outside the account's scope is something it cannot perform.

6. Exclusion of External Threats

There is no doubt that authenticated scans are ideal for detecting hidden internal vulnerabilities. However, organizations cannot explore the perspective of external attackers who can exploit different attack vectors.

5 Use Cases of Authenticated Scan

Let's discover some significant cases of authenticated vulnerability scans that are used to intensify security measures.

1. Privilege Escalation

With an authenticated scan, the scanner can test for potential privilege escalation vulnerabilities by operating as an authenticated user to ensure users are not able to get unauthorized access to higher-level privileges.

2. Regulatory Requirements

Scanners can conduct authenticated scans to meet regulatory compliance requirements, such as PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or GDPR. With authenticated scans, scanners can ensure access controls and security measures are properly enforced.

3. Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment

Certain vulnerabilities are only visible through the authenticated scanning process. Especially those within internal applications or services that require login credentials. Thus, an authenticated scan helps you assess vulnerabilities that would otherwise be unable to be captured.

4. Internal Application Reviews

An authenticated scan helps you examine web applications, databases, or other software where extensive details into the application's internals are required to detect security issues that an unauthenticated scan could probably miss.

5. Access Control Testing

Authenticated scans help scanners verify whether access controls are properly enforced, eliminating the probability of broken access controls. Scanners can check if users' permissions and privileges to access the system are enforced as per the set requirements.

Minutes of Wait and Your Systems are 100% Vulnerability Free; Perform In-depth Scanning 0% Vulnerability Assured

What is an Unauthenticated Scan?

An unauthenticated scan is a security assessment technique where the scanning tool detects a network or a system without any login credentials. In an unauthenticated scanning method, the scanner imitates the perspective of an external attacker who does not have access to the system. Its primary purpose is to focus on discovering vulnerabilities that are only apparent from outside of the system, such as open ports, exposed services, or unpatched software. Since it's an unauthenticated scanning process, access is limited to identifying publicly accessible aspects of the network or a system.

5 Advantages of an Unauthenticated Scan

Here are some of the prime advantages of an unauthenticated scanning method in security assessment.

1. Simulate External Threats

Unauthenticated scans imitate the perspective of external attackers who don't have the credentials. With unauthenticated scans, a system's actual state of security is determined by the scanner, providing insights into how vulnerable a system is to external threats.

2. Quick Setup and Execution

Unauthenticated scans are comparatively easier to set up as they don't require configuring and managing user accounts or permissions. This makes them an ideal option for quick security overview and initial assessment.

3. Evaluate Perimeter Security

They help you assess the security of the network perimeter, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and other defensive mechanisms that safeguard against external threats or attacks.

4. Broader Coverage

With unauthenticated scans, organizations can cover a diverse range of publicly accessible aspects of a network or system. This includes web applications, network services, and exposed endpoints without needing specific user credentials.

5. Lesser Chances of Risk

Since unauthenticated scans do not involve logging with user credentials, there are quite a few chances of unintended alterations of system configurations or affected performance.

3 Disadvantages of Unauthenticated Scan

Let's learn about the disadvantages of the unauthenticated scanning process in security assessment.

1. Limited Visibility

With unauthenticated access, you can only capture vulnerabilities that are visible without logging in. This technique lacks detecting missing issues that are captured through authenticated scans, such as vulnerabilities within secured internal areas or user-specific data.

2. Higher False Positives

Unauthenticated scanning is more likely to generate false positives as it lacks the context that the authenticated scanning technique provides. Especially flagging issues that aren't actually exploitable.

3. False Sense of Security

Depending entirely on an unauthenticated scan is not a good idea as they may give a misleading sense of security sometimes. This happens because they cannot account for internal vulnerabilities or misconfigurations that attackers can misuse if they slyly obtain valid credentials.

4 Use Cases of Unauthenticated Scan

Here are some notable cases of unauthenticated scanning methods being used. Let's check them out.

1. External Threat Assessment

Unauthenticated scan simulates external attackers in order to learn how a system responds to potential attackers and to gain insight into the actual state of access controls, security, and ways of responding to potential vulnerabilities.

2. Baseline Evaluation

The unauthenticated scanning method is ideally optimized to obtain a preliminary overview of a system's security posture to recognize obvious vulnerabilities before conducting comprehensive authenticated scans.

3. Third-party Security

It's a preferable choice for evaluating the security of external services or applications that the organization uses. It ensures that they do not have vulnerabilities that could impact the organization.

4. Public Exposure Analysis

It helps you identify any accidental exposure of data or services that should be kept inaccessible, such as sensitive information or administrative interfaces.

Authenticated Vs Unauthenticated Scans: Which One Wins?

For External Security Assessment

Unauthenticated scans make for an ideal choice. They imitate an external attacker's perspective and are befitting choices for detecting vulnerabilities that could be exploited without any credentials.

For Comprehensive Security Assessments

Authenticated scans are preferable. They provide a deeper dive into the system's security posture. They help you unwrap vulnerabilities that require internal access and provide a broader picture of the security landscape.

What is the Best Practice?

Amalgamating unauthenticated and authenticated scans offer comprehensive insight related to security assessment. An unauthenticated scan helps to emphasize apparent external threats, while an authenticated scan offers an in-depth evaluation of internal security controls and configurations.

To sum up, neither scan type works as a one-for-all solution; rather, they complement each other by covering different respective aspects of security. For a holistic approach, the best practice is to optimize both authenticated and unauthenticated scan types to ensure that no stone is left unturned in identifying all types of vulnerabilities.

Conduct Smart Vulnerability Assessment at 10X Faster Speed and Uncompromised Accuracy Give it a Shot

Adopt ZeroThreat for 100% Vulnerability-Free Application

In this blog, we learned about two different methods of scanning. The conclusion is that optimizing both authenticated and unauthenticated scans for different requirements is the best practice. That way, you can meet the desired outcomes.

Using advanced scanning tools like ZeroThreat in the process is nothing less of a great idea to enhance your approach to assessing potential vulnerabilities. A tool that helps you uncover all types of vulnerabilities within 8 minutes with 91% accuracy.

So, you are no longer supposed to conduct the tedious process of pen testing and configuration set up as ZeroThreat offers detailed results for web app and API security testing without you having to put a penny of effort.

All you need to do is to JUST SIGN UP FOR FREE.