Article
Posted on
Vulnerabilities in your company’s digital systems can lead to devastating and costly cyberattacks. Unfortunately, many organizations don’t realize the weaknesses in their cybersecurity strategy until it is too late.
This is where penetration testing, or pen testing, can help. This is a process that simulates a real-world attack to help your team identify and fix security vulnerabilities.
Investing in pen testing now helps protect your systems, your intellectual property, and your customers from cybercriminals. Here’s a look at how pen testing works, why it’s important, and how to implement this strategy in your organization.
Key Takeaways
- Penetration testing simulates real-life cyberattacks and data breaches to help you identify vulnerabilities in your systems.
- These tests are conducted by ethical hackers using the same strategies that today’s cybercriminals use.
- Penetration testing gives you the opportunity to correct misconfigurations and security issues in your systems before they lead to a data breach.
- Conducting penetration tests on a regular basis can help you avoid costly cyberattacks, stay compliant with industry regulations, and maintain a positive reputation with your customer base.
What is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing is a type of simulated cyberattack. In this test, an ethical hacker designs and launches an attack using similar techniques that real-life cybercriminals use, although they won’t cause damage to your system.
Over the course of the test, the hacker will identify security flaws and vulnerabilities that need to be corrected. Ideally, your existing security measures will be so strong that the penetration testers cannot access your systems.
There are a few different types of penetration testing. In an open-box pen test, the hacker is briefed ahead of time about the company’s current security features and concerns. This is also sometimes called white box pen testing.
In a closed-box pen test, the hacker receives little to no information about their target. This is called gray box or black box testing, depending on the amount of information the ethical hacker receives.
Pen tests should be done by third-party hackers in collaboration with your internal security team. It’s very difficult for organizations to conduct pen tests on their own. This is because it’s very difficult to see your own security blind spots.
How Does a Penetration Test Work?
A pen test is a multi-step process that requires extensive planning, searching, and reporting. Ethical hacking professionals will configure the pen test to meet your organization’s needs.
Here’s a general breakdown of what to expect in a penetration test:
- Scoping and planning: Your team will start by specifying the scope of the attack, such as internal vulnerabilities or external vulnerabilities. You’ll also need to set goals and a time frame for the test.
- Gathering information: Once the test has been planned, the hacker gathers as much information as possible about the target organization and systems. This includes conducting research online as well as interacting with the system directly.
- Identifying vulnerabilities: After collecting information about their target, the hacker will use that information to conduct a vulnerability assessment. This will help them determine where to target their efforts during the attack.
- Exploitation: The next step is deciding which techniques to use and exploiting the vulnerabilities present. Hackers often use pen testing tools to simulate brute-force attacks, malware, or SQL injections. They may also develop attacks manually or even use social engineering techniques like phishing to gain access to target systems.
- Reporting and analysis: After conducting the attack, the hacker generates a report detailing their findings. They then work with the company’s in-house security professionals to analyze the findings and recommend improvements for their security controls
The pen testing process can take anywhere from a few days to a full month to complete, depending on the size of your network and the number of vulnerabilities present. It’s important that your penetration testers have adequate time to research and prepare.
Benefits of Penetration Testing
Penetration testing has many benefits for your organization. These simulated attacks give you an opportunity to correct security problems before they spiral out of control. Here are some of the reasons why this is so important.
Identify and Mitigate Risks
As technology improves, cybercriminals develop new strategies to gain access to their target systems. As a result, new security risks emerge, but your team may not be aware of them.
During a penetration test, ethical hackers will help you find risks deep in your systems that your team may not have been aware of.
You’ll have the chance to work with the testing team and find solutions to these problems, which helps keep cybercriminals far away from your systems.
Mitigating these risks has significant benefits for your organization in the future. Cyberattacks can result in extended downtime, damage to your systems, and extensive financial losses.
Compliance with Security Regulations
Your organization may be subject to cybersecurity laws and regulations, and regular penetration testing can help you adhere to them.
These regulations vary by location and industry, but usually focus on putting safeguards in place to protect consumer data. Many security regulations also require organizations to have a defined cybersecurity strategy in place.
Conducting regular penetration tests can help you comply with these regulations. When testers find security vulnerabilities, they often find compliance issues as well.
Identifying these compliance issues gives you the opportunity to correct them internally and avoid potential fines.
Protecting Customer Data
Most importantly, penetration testing helps you keep your customers’ data safe from hackers.
Many companies collect and store digital data from their customers in some form. For example, you may collect names, addresses, and credit card numbers to process and ship online orders.
This data needs to be stored very securely to keep sensitive data safe and maintain trust with your customers. One study found that 66% of consumers will not trust a company that has had a data breach in the past.
If this information is exposed to hackers, it could leave your customers vulnerable to identity theft.
How Can Tech Advisors Help Your Company?
Tech Advisors is a managed IT services provider. We offer a wide range of IT, cybersecurity, and compliance services on a third-party basis.
At Tech Advisors, we’re here to help you build a sustainable cybersecurity strategy. Our team can help you conduct various types of pen testing, including open- and closed-box tests using the latest penetration testing tools.
We’ll design a testing strategy based on your specific concerns and current systems. After the test is complete, you’ll get detailed reports on your system vulnerabilities.
We’ll also guide you through the remediation process, helping you implement new security strategies and tools.
Our team can also help with other essential cybersecurity tasks, such as system monitoring and employee training, and even provide support for your in-house IT staff.
