Why do scans take longer than previous run times?

Vulnerability assessment is a constant arms race against new exposures being released on a daily basis.

Alert Logic® is constantly balancing detection accuracy against customers' needs for quick assessments. As we make these adjustments, you will see:

• Small fluctuations in vulnerabilities detected;
• Fluctuations in the time it takes for a scan to complete.

As new requirements are mandated for compliance or new vulnerabilities are released into the wild, the overall scan time will always take longer with everything else being equal. Additionally, internet load will experience both seasonal, weekly, and time of day fluctuations that affect speed.

On the other hand, as new and faster methods of detection are developed and the internet bandwidth of our customers increase and allow us to scan faster, it will always decrease scan times with everything else being equal.

As these two opposing factors are rolled out asynchronously, you will see scanning times suddenly get shorter or longer. This is a normal effect of our constant scanning improvements.