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Stop Threats Before they Spread with Automated Website Scanning and Malware Removal

by Ritika Singh on June 8, 2021

In 2019, USD 2.9 million was lost to cybercrime every minute! The time taken to identify and stop threats affects the costs of a data breach; the longer duration to identify and mitigate threats, the higher the costs. So, businesses must stay ahead of threat actors and stop them from causing downtime, serious financial losses, and brand value erosion. Automated website scanning and malware removal are necessary to do so. By leveraging the best website security scanner in combination with a comprehensive and managed security solution, businesses can ensure effective and proactive protection against all kinds of threats.

In this article, we look into how specifically automated website scanning and malware removal help businesses in stopping threats.

How Does Automated Website Scanning Help Stop Threats?

The unsecured vulnerabilities present in the organization’s IT environment provide gateways for threat actors to orchestrate attacks. Website scanning enables organizations to identify vulnerabilities and fix them before attackers find them, thereby, minimizing risks.

While manual website scanning is an option, it is not cost-effective enough to be frequently executed as automated website scanning. Here’s how automated web scanners help stop threats. Also, though manual testing can provide better coverage and depth, automated scanning provides a quick overview of the risk areas an attacker can exploit as they too will be running automated scans to identify vulnerabilities before targeting an attack.

Mapping Out the Ever-Expanding Attack Surface

Automated web security scanners enable organizations to effectively map out their ever-expanding attack surface on a continuous basis. Why is it important?

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The attack surface is the sum total of all possible entry points (entry and exit into the applications, including third-party services and components, codes for data transfer, and data protection, etc.) that attackers could leverage to get into the organization’s networks and exploit applications. In modern-day IT architecture, the number of devices and endpoints is growing exponentially. Unless the organization is aware of the existence of entry points, it is impossible to test for vulnerabilities and secure them.

Wider Coverage and Intelligent Security Audit

The number of vulnerabilities, gaps, security weaknesses, and flaws in the organization’s IT environment are growing at a rapid pace. Automated website security scanners enable you to test comprehensively for thousands of potential flaws and gaps right from the development stages. The best scanners enable you to identify beyond the OWASP Top 10 and other known vulnerabilities. Through customization of security policies, they enable businesses to identify logical flaws.

When backed up by a managed Web Application Firewall (WAF), security analytics and pen-testing, the automated scanners automatically add new areas to crawl for vulnerabilities. The best online website security scanners like AppTrana are equipped with Global Threat Intelligence and self-learning capabilities which enable organizations to get extensive scanning and ensure that no vulnerability or malware goes unnoticed.

Malware, Defacement and Blacklisting Identification and Monitoring

The anti-malware software lacks in detecting the latest, mutated and lethal malware of today. The best website malware scanners like AppTrana provide ongoing monitoring for the latest malware deployed by attackers across the globe and enable you to protect your application from them. They also enable you to identify defacements on your website and track blacklisting on popular search engines.

By proactively identifying malware, defacements, and blacklisting, you can take corrective measures and prevent any serious damage to finances and brand value. Even sharing an IP address with a “bad neighbor” (for instance, a website listed on spam databases) could lead to your website being blacklisted. Automated website scanning, notifies you of such neighbors and enables you to take action before being blacklisted.

Further, by using external URL blacklisting checks provided by scanners like AppTrana, businesses can protect users from visiting hacked/ infected websites that could affect their applications.

Infusing Speed and Accuracy

Automation in website scanning enables organizations to infuse speed and accuracy in the process. So, you get the first-mover advantage in fixing vulnerabilities before attackers find them and removing malware before they spread. The best scanners like AppTrana assure zero false positives. So, there is no need to spend time validating detected vulnerabilities.

Why is Malware Removal Necessary to Stop Threats?

Malware increased by 358% and ransomware by 435% in 2020 as compared to 2019!

Identifying malware is just the first step. Unless the malware is completely removed, attackers will still have ways to exploit your application. By enlisting the help of security experts like AppTrana, you can remove even the most complex malware threats and protect your applications from future threats.

The Way Forward

The importance of automated website scanning and malware removal in preventing threats before they cause spread and heavy damage is well established. By choosing the best website security scanner equipped with self-learning capabilities, backed by a managed and intuitive WAF and the expertise of certified security specialists, you can ensure fortified and proactive website security.