
Penetration testing exploits a vulnerability in your system architecture while vulnerability scanning (or assessment) checks for known vulnerabilities and generates a report on risk exposure.
Penetration testing or Vulnerability scanning depends mostly on three factors:
- Scope
- Risk and Criticality of assets
- Cost and Time
Penetration Testing Life Cycle

Vulnerability Scanning Life Cycle

Major Comparison
Standards | Penetration Testing | Vulnerability Assessments |
Scope | Determines the scope of an attack. | Makes a directory of assets and resources in each system. |
Resource | Tests sensitive data collection. | Discovers the potential threats to each resource. |
Behavior | Gathers targeted information and/or inspect the system. | Allocates quantifiable value and significance to the available resources. |
Output | Cleans up the system and gives final report. | Attempts to mitigate or eliminate the potential vulnerabilities of valuable resources. |
Depth | It is non-intrusive, documentation and environmental review and analysis. | Comprehensive analysis and through review of the target system and its environment. |
Environment | It is ideal for physical environments and network architecture. | It is ideal for lab environments. |
Target | It is meant for critical real-time systems. | It is meant for non-critical systems. |
Automation | Not Automated – Human Intervention required | Fully automated |
Frequency | Once or twice a year, as well as anytime the Internet-facing equipment undergoes significant changes | At least quarterly, especially after new equipment is loaded or the network undergoes significant changes |
Reports | Concisely identify what data was compromised | Provide a comprehensive baseline of what vulnerabilities exist and what changed since the last report |
Focus | Discovers unknown and exploitable weaknesses in normal business processes | Lists known software vulnerabilities that could be exploited |
Performed by | Best to use an independent outside service and alternate between two or three; requires a great deal of skill | Typically conducted by in-house staff using authenticated credentials; does not require a high skill level |
Value | Identifies and reduces weaknesses | Detects when equipment could be compromised |
Pricing | On higher side | On normal end , comparing to PT |
Conclusion
Both vulnerability scanning and penetration testing can feed into the cyber risk analysis process and help to determine controls best suited for the business, department, or a practice. They all must work together to reduce cybersecurity risk. It is very important to know the difference; each is important and has different purposes and outcomes.
Training is also important as providing a tool(s) to your security staff does not mean that the environment is secure. Lack of knowledge in using a tool(s) effectively poses a bigger security risk. In-depth knowledge of security tools will allow your teams to bring ROI in terms of quality, a good view of an organization’s security posture, and reducing cost and time spent on unnecessary troubleshooting.