Types of Vulnerability Assessment - External Assessment External assessment examines the network from a hacker's point of view to identify exploits and vulnerabilities accessible to the outside world. These types of assessments use external devices such as firewalls, routers, and servers. An external assessment estimates the threat of network security attacks from outside the organization. It determines the level of security of the external network and firewall. (P.527/511) External assessment examines the network from a hacker's point of view to identify exploits and vulnerabilities accessible to the outside world. These types of assessments use external devices such as firewalls, routers, and servers. An external assessment estimates the threat of network security attacks from outside the organization. It determines the level of security of the external network and firewall.
The following are some of the possible steps in performing an external assessment:
o Determine a set of rules for firewall and router configurations for the external network o Check whether the external server devices and network devices are mapped o Identify open ports and related services on the external network o Examine the patch levels on the server and external network devices o Review detection systems such as IDS, firewalls, and application-layer protection systems o Get information on DNS zones o Scan the external network through a variety of proprietary tools available on the Internet o Examine Web applications such as e-commerce and shopping cart software for vulnerabilities