Risky Bulletin Sponsored: HD Moore on why vuln scanners are awful and broken
Jun 1, 2025
In this engaging discussion, HD Moore, Founder and CEO of RunZero, shares his insights on the shortcomings of traditional vulnerability scanners. He highlights how these tools often fail to provide timely and accurate assessments, particularly for edge devices facing constant threats. HD dives into innovative solutions like integrating asset fingerprinting with the Nuclei vulnerability scanner, aiming to revolutionize detection capabilities. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes the need for organizations to adapt their strategies in the evolving landscape of cybersecurity.
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Vuln Scanning Fails on Edge Devices
- Vulnerability scanners often start with incorrect or incomplete data, missing significant vulnerabilities.
- Edge security devices remain top targets, yet scanning tools fail to effectively detect these vulnerabilities promptly.
Limits of Authenticated Scanning
- Authenticated scanning covers only about half of devices due to diverse credentials and configurations.
- Vendors enable only a small fraction of unauthenticated checks, causing many vulnerabilities to go unnoticed.
Tailor Scans to Asset Types
- Use precise asset fingerprinting to select only relevant vulnerability checks for each device.
- Combining targeted discovery with best-of-breed unauthenticated vulnerability scans improves accuracy and speed.