Scalable computer vulnerability testing

A computer-implemented method comprising the following acts:

• receiving, via a work scheduler, a plurality of computer-readable computer vulnerability testing tasks identifying a plurality of targets to be tested and a plurality of tests to be run on targets specified in the tasks, with each of the vulnerability testing tasks identifying an endpoint of a target and a test to be run on the target, with the work scheduler being a computer component running on computer hardware, and with each of the targets being a computer component running on computer hardware;
• distributing, via the work scheduler, the tasks to a set of test environments running on computer hardware, with each of the test environments in the set comprising a detector computing component;
• each detector component performing the following in response to receiving one of the tasks from the work scheduler:
• conducting a vulnerability test on an endpoint of a target, with the endpoint and the test being specified by the task;
• detecting results of the vulnerability test, with the results indicating whether behavior of the target in response to the test indicates presence of a vulnerability corresponding to the vulnerability test;
• generating output indicating the results of the vulnerability test;
• and
• sending the output to an output processor;
• dynamically scaling the set of test environments via the work scheduler, with the dynamic scaling comprising the following:
• monitoring, via the work scheduler, the set of test environments;
• determining, via the work scheduler, that the set of test environments is overloaded;
• in response to the determining that the set of test environments is overloaded, automatically activating, via the work scheduler, one or more additional test environments in the set of test environments so that the one or more additional test environments are then available to have vulnerability testing tasks assigned to those one or more additional test environments from the work scheduler;
• determining, via the work scheduler, that the set of test environments is underloaded;
• and
• in response to the determining that the set of test environments is underloaded, automatically de-activating, via the work scheduler, one or more test environments from the set of test environments, so that the one or more de-activated test environments are no longer available for assigning vulnerability testing tasks from the work scheduler.

One or more computer-readable memory having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause at least one processor to perform acts comprising:

• receiving, via a work scheduler, a plurality of computer-readable computer vulnerability testing tasks identifying a plurality of targets to be tested and a plurality of tests to be run on targets specified in the tasks, with each of the vulnerability testing tasks identifying an endpoint of a target and a test to be run on the target, with the work scheduler being a computer component running on computer hardware, and with each of the targets being a computer component running on computer hardware;
• distributing, via the work scheduler, the tasks to a set of test environments running on computer hardware, with each of the test environments in the set comprising a detector computing component;
• each detector component performing the following in response to receiving one of the tasks from the work scheduler:
• conducting a vulnerability test on an endpoint of a target, with the endpoint and the test being specified by the task;
• detecting results of the vulnerability test, with the results indicating whether behavior of the target in response to the test indicates presence of a vulnerability corresponding to the vulnerability test;
• generating output indicating the results of the vulnerability test;
• and
• sending the output to an output processor;
• and
• enforcing, via the work scheduler, an overall time-based limit on testing for a target, the time-based limit setting a maximum impact of testing that is managed by the work scheduler, the enforcing of the overall time-based limit for the target comprises imposing, via the work scheduler, a time-based limit on each of the set of test environments through which the tests are being conducted on the target to which the time-based limit applies.