Dan Farmer wrote a white paper entitled, "How to Improve the Security of Your Site by Breaking into it." That paper was the basis for the very first vulnerability assessment scanner, Security Administrator's Tool for Analyzing Networks (SATAN).

  • Modern scanners can scan every node on your network and report back on their vulnerabilities.
  • It is easier and more reliable than searching manually.
  • Most provide a report about the vulnerabilities, their locations, and their fixes.