External Infrastructure Vulnerability Scanning
See exactly what attackers see — before they act. Quarterly expert-validated scans across your public-facing IPs, domains, services and certificates. Up to 100 live IPs per engagement.
- Quarterly scans
- Expert-validated findings
- Fixed annual cost
Illustrative sample — not real client data
Delivered by Techfident with our specialist cyber security partner — CREST & CHECK accredited experts
What is it?
Your internet-facing systems, seen through an attacker’s eyes
External Infrastructure Vulnerability Scans examine your public-facing systems from the internet — with no internal access — exactly as an attacker would. They identify weaknesses in exposed services, outdated software, misconfigured systems and certificate issues before they can be exploited.
Unlike a one-off penetration test, vulnerability scanning runs on a recurring quarterly basis. This means you catch new exposures between major security assessments — when new services are deployed, software falls out of patch, or configurations drift. Every scan is reviewed and validated by our specialist cyber security partner’s expert team before delivery, so you receive clean, prioritised findings — not raw scanner output.
What’s included
Full scope of every quarterly scan
Each engagement covers your complete internet-facing footprint — IPs, domains, services and certificates — validated by security experts, not just automation.
What’s scanned
- Public IP ranges and subnets (up to 100 live IPs)
- Domains and subdomains (including wildcard discovery)
- Web applications and portals — unauthenticated checks
- Network services exposed on the internet (RDP, SSH, SMTP, DNS, VPN)
- SSL/TLS configuration and expired or weak certificates
- Banner leakage and default credentials
- Risky or unnecessary exposed services
- Outdated software versions and known CVEs
Findings are risk-rated by
- Severity — Critical, High, Medium, Low, Informational
- Exploitability — how easily could an attacker leverage this?
- Business impact — what’s the real-world consequence?
- Remediation priority — what to fix first
Delivery format
- Expert-validated PDF report per quarter
- Executive summary and technical detail sections
- Plain-English remediation steps for each finding
- Year-on-year trend tracking across all four scans
Why quarterly matters
Continuous protection, not a once-a-year snapshot
Your attack surface changes constantly — new services deployed, software patches missed, certificates expiring. Running four scans a year means new exposures are caught within weeks, not discovered months later when someone exploits them.
January baseline
Establish your attack surface for the year. Identify any exposures carried over and set the benchmark for improvement.
Post-spring changes
Catch new exposures from infrastructure changes, cloud migrations or new services deployed in Q1. Validate Q1 remediation.
Mid-year validation
Verify that Q2 fixes held. Catch software drift, certificate changes and any new services added over summer.
Year-end assurance
Clean posture before year-end audits, insurance renewal and tender submissions. Evidence of continuous monitoring.
Choosing the right approach
Vulnerability scanning vs penetration testing
They’re complementary, not alternatives. Most organisations benefit from both — scanning for continuous coverage, penetration testing for deeper annual validation or compliance sign-off.
Vulnerability Scanning
Continuous & broad
Automated and expert-validated scans running quarterly across your entire external footprint — broad coverage, fast turnaround, lower cost per engagement.
- Runs quarterly — continuous coverage year-round
- Broad surface coverage across all IPs and domains
- Identifies known CVEs, misconfigurations, exposed services
- Expert-validated findings before delivery
- Faster turnaround — ideal for ongoing risk management
- Lower cost per engagement
Penetration Testing
Human-led & deep
CREST-certified testers actively attempt to exploit vulnerabilities — chaining weaknesses together to demonstrate real-world impact beyond what automation can find.
- Human-led, active exploitation attempt
- Finds chained vulnerabilities and logic flaws
- Annual or project-based engagement
- Required for Cyber Essentials Plus and PCI-DSS
- Fix validation included as standard
- Best for compliance sign-off or high-risk changes
Not sure which is right for your business? Talk to the team — we’ll recommend the right starting point for your risk posture and budget.
Key benefits
What quarterly scanning does for your business
Continuous visibility is the foundation of proactive security. Discovering issues once a year isn’t enough when your attack surface changes every quarter.
See what attackers see
Scans examine your systems from the internet with no internal access — the same view a threat actor targeting your business would have.
Continuous risk reduction
Four scans per year means new exposures are caught within weeks — not discovered months later when someone exploits them.
Compliance support
Regular scanning supports PCI-DSS, ISO 27001 and cyber insurance requirements. Expert-validated reports accepted by auditors.
Prioritised remediation
Findings are risk-rated by severity and exploitability — your team knows what to fix first without sifting raw scan data.
Detect outdated software fast
Identify unpatched software, weak TLS and exposed services as soon as they appear — before attackers find them first.
Expert-validated findings
Not raw scanner output — every report is reviewed by specialist security professionals to remove false positives and add context.
Our accreditation
CREST & CHECK accredited security experts
Validated by specialists, not just software
All vulnerability scanning is conducted and validated by our specialist cyber security partner — a CREST and CHECK accredited team in the top 1% of UK providers for accreditations and certifications. You receive expert-reviewed findings, not automated output, with over a thousand organisations tested and secured.
Check your area
Do we cover your business?
Pop in your postcode and we’ll tell you how we would support you, wherever you are in the UK.
We only use this in your browser — nothing is sent or stored.
Why Techfident
Why businesses choose Techfident for vulnerability scanning
One contact for the relationship
Techfident manages your relationship and writes up your initial project brief, and our specialist partner runs and validates the scans. One named director stays your point of contact and makes sure findings get acted on.
Not just a report
Expert-validated findings mean you receive clear, prioritised, actionable output — not hundreds of raw scanner alerts that need a specialist to interpret.
Part of a wider security stack
Scanning works best alongside penetration testing and Cyber Essentials. We can coordinate all three so your security posture is continuous, not fragmented.
Fixed cost, no surprises
All four quarterly scans are agreed upfront at a fixed cost. No variable pricing based on findings volume, no unexpected charges mid-year.
FAQ
Common questions
External infrastructure vulnerability scanning examines your public-facing systems from the internet — with no internal access — exactly as an attacker would. It identifies exposed services, outdated software, misconfigurations, weak SSL/TLS, and known CVEs across your IP ranges, domains, and network services. Unlike a penetration test, scanning is automated and runs on a recurring schedule to provide continuous visibility into your risk posture.
Vulnerability scanning is automated and broad — it identifies known weaknesses across all your external systems on a recurring basis. Penetration testing is human-led and deep — testers actively attempt to exploit vulnerabilities, chain weaknesses together, and demonstrate real-world impact. The two are complementary: scanning provides continuous coverage between pen tests, while pen testing provides the depth that automation cannot replicate.
Each quarterly engagement covers up to 100 live IP addresses, along with associated domains, subdomains, and network services. If your estate exceeds this, speak to the team — we can scope a tailored arrangement.
Every scan is reviewed and validated by our specialist cyber security partner’s expert team before delivery. This means you receive a clean, prioritised report — not raw scanner output full of false positives. Findings are risk-rated by severity and business impact so your team knows exactly what to address first.
Scans run quarterly — four times per year. This cadence is designed to catch new exposures between major security assessments: when new services are deployed, software falls out of patch, configurations drift, or certificates approach expiry. Quarterly scanning provides the continuous visibility that a single annual test cannot.
External vulnerability scanning is one of the most cost-effective security measures available. Techfident offers scanning packages based on the number of IP addresses in scope, with ongoing monthly or quarterly scan schedules available at a fixed annual rate. Pricing is agreed upfront with no hidden costs. Contact us for a quote based on your specific external footprint.
Every scan produces a prioritised findings report with each vulnerability categorised by severity — critical, high, medium and low. Techfident walks through the report with you, explains the real-world risk of each finding in plain English, and provides specific remediation guidance. For managed IT support clients, Techfident can action the remediation directly. Re-scanning after remediation confirms vulnerabilities have been closed.
No. Vulnerability scanning is an automated process that identifies known weaknesses in your external-facing systems. It is fast, repeatable and cost-effective. Penetration testing is a manual, in-depth process where a skilled tester actively attempts to exploit those vulnerabilities to understand real-world impact. Scanning provides continuous visibility; penetration testing provides deep assurance. Techfident offers both.
Keep exploring
Related services & reading
Related articles
External Vulnerability Scanning — UK Businesses
Know your attack surface. Every quarter.
Get a fixed-cost proposal for quarterly external vulnerability scanning — covering up to 100 live IPs across your public-facing infrastructure.