Credentialed Scanning: The Accuracy Upgrade that Comes with a Loaded Gun
Credentialed scanning (also called authenticated vulnerability scanning) is a vulnerability scan that logs into the target system with valid credentials and inspects it from the inside. Instead of poking at open ports and guessing versions from banners, a credentialed vulnerability scan reads the installed package list, patch level, registry keys, and configuration files directly, the same way an administrator would. The payoff is accuracy.