Table of Content
What Is Penetration Testing
How Sophisticated Have Cyberattacks Really Become?
Why Do You Need A Penetration Test?
5 Top Reasons Why Penetration Testing Is Important
Types of Penetration Tests
Conclusion
FAQs
Cybersecurity and penetration testing have become all the more important in today's technologically evolving world. But what is penetration testing or pen-testing? How and why is it important? Let's get all your questions answered.
There was a time when keeping records of data or storing it was all done in a physical manner, in bundles of files. Today, a lot has changed and all critical data is stored and protected in computer devices, software, and clouds. This has given rise to the need for cybersecurity as there is a threat of data breaches, cyber threats, and unauthorized access to data centers and other computerized systems. malware, etc.
How Sophisticated Have Cyberattacks Really Become?
New threats emerge on a daily basis, and businesses of all sizes must take these risks seriously to mitigate potential damage from them. The process of breaking through a company's security measures used to take a lot of time and expertise. However, modern technology makes it simpler than ever for malicious actors to identify an organization's weakest areas.
A penetration test (also known as a red team test) is an in-depth analysis of your company’s cyber security standards. These tests simulate real-world hacking methods to uncover weak points that might not be obvious to human eyes. Penetration testing is the act of testing security to find out where vulnerable points exist. Penetration testers can use various techniques to uncover any weak points in an organization’s security measures. The process tests for weaknesses by simulating real-world attack scenarios and monitoring responses from the system.
Penetration testing's goal is to show organizations where they are most vulnerable to attack so they can take preventative measures to plug those holes before hackers can take advantage of them. In short, penetration testing is an essential part of any company’s cyber security strategy.
Why Do I Need a Penetration Test?
For every business, it is important to analyze the security of the IT infrastructure. It could be possible that one area of your system may be robustly secured. However, you might be lacking in the other aspects when it comes to security. This is your hidden vulnerability.
Have you heard of the phrase, “precaution is better than cure”? When it comes to the situation of cyberattacks and cyber security, there is no better way to put it. Do you know that one successful cyberattack can drain out all your dollars? So, word of wisdom, prevent any possibility of an attack. With penetration testing tools you can address and remediate all risks before they become liabilities.
5 Top Reasons Why Penetration Testing Is Important
Now that the security threats are becoming more sophisticated than ever before, it is important to protect your organization from them. With penetration testing, you can assess your vulnerabilities and find the gaps in your security systems. There are more benefits of getting pen tests done, here are a few -
1. Prioritizing cybersecurity risks to anticipate and prevent malicious attacks:
With a regular penetration testing service in place, you can frequently evaluate the internal/external network's security, assess weaklings, and evaluate web applications. With this, you can analyze the kind of security control needed by your organization. This can further help you decide the level of security you must maintain to protect employees and data.
2. Penetration testing is a proactive approach to evaluating your IT infrastructure security:
Penetration testing is also known as ethical hacking. Pen testers are themselves specialists in real-life hacking and they try to break into your systems and security to check its ability to fight against them. The procedure reveals any weaknesses in your security, allowing you the time to fix them before an actual assault takes place.
3. Maintain a competitive security advantage by continually maturing your security posture:
It is important to maintain a competitive edge over other businesses in your field. This can be done by continuing to develop the security posture inside your organization's environment. It indicates to your clients not just how important information security and compliance are to your company, but also how committed you are to pursuing maximum security.
4. Avoid financial damage from a data breach while preserving your brand and reputation:
The cost of recovering from a data breach is high. Organizations may incur expenditures of up to millions of dollars due to legal fees, IT cleanup, customer protection programs, lost sales, and annoyed customers. A proactive strategy to maintain your security is to plan regular penetration tests.
5. Avoid paying severe fines resulting from non-compliance by conducting penetration tests:
Penetration testing assists in meeting the compliance and security requirements imposed by laws and regulations in the industry, including PCI, ISO, HIPAA, GDPR, and NER CIP. Regularly conducting these tests demonstrates your commitment to information security and your diligence.
Types of Penetration Tests
Network Services Test - By deliberately employing malicious approaches to evaluate the network's security responses, network penetration testing is a security service that identifies security vulnerabilities in networks, systems, hosts, and devices. Network Services Penetration Testing probes deeply into your network to locate harder-to-find exploits.
Web Application Test - The Web Application Penetration Test looks for areas of an application where a hacker could exploit them. An entry point into corporate systems could be created by installing a fresh third-party component that permits accessing confidential information on a company website.
Remote Access Sec Test - Remote Access Security Penetration Test allows you to assess your security posture. It evaluates the security of your remote access systems and determines the weak points in your remote access infrastructure.
Social Engineering Test - In order to determine how vulnerable an organization is to exploit and where its weakest points are, the practice of performing Social Engineering Penetration Testing on employees of a corporation is done.
Physical Security Test - All physical security controls, such as locks, fences, security personnel, cameras, and other security measures, are evaluated during a Physical Security Penetration Test. The goal of a physical penetration test is to circumvent these safeguards in order to access networks, locate sensitive data, and physically enter locations that are off-limits.
Analyze & Fix Where Your Business Is At Risk - Book Penetration Testing Service
Partner with iBovi Strategic Security to obtain the security and technical know-how required to carry out successful penetration testing. Our security specialists have years of experience to assist corporations in protecting their information. We even have our very own Penetration Testing Service PwnUS which we came up with to combat the problem of differential results from Penetration Testers. PwnUS to provide organizations with 91% visibility on all vulnerabilities, remediating them efficiently.
FAQs
How Often Should Penetration Testing Be Done?
Regular penetration testing and vulnerability scans are necessary to ensure that any vulnerabilities, including recently disclosed ones, are identified and fixed before being used by cybercriminals.
However, many businesses either wait too long to perform a penetration test or only do so when a deadline is quickly approaching and it is mandated by law. Or, even worse, some only order a penetration test after the business has already been compromised. However, businesses should call penetration testers in the following situations -
Networking Infrastructure Expansion.
Installing Security Updates
Making applications or other infrastructure upgrades.
A change to end-user policy.
New office buildings.
How Long Does It Take For A Penetration Test To Complete?
It can take one to three weeks to complete a penetration test. The length of a penetration test varies on its kind, the kinds and numbers of systems it examines, and the quality of your current cybersecurity.
Call us at +1844 We iBovi right away to schedule a free consultation with one of our cyber security specialists and to book your penetration test today. Click here to know more about this service.