Penetration Testing
What is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing (or pen testing) is a security exercise where a cyber-security expert attempts to find and exploit vulnerabilities in a computer system. The purpose of this simulated attack is to identify any weak spots in a system's defenses which attackers could take advantage of.
Why Penetration Testing is Important?
Pen tests provide detailed information on actual, exploitable security threats. By performing a penetration test, you can proactively identify which vulnerabilities are most critical, which are less significant, and which are false positives.
How Does It Work?
A penetration test (pen test) is an authorized simulated attack performed on a computer system to evaluate its security. Penetration testers use the same tools, techniques, and processes as attackers to find and demonstrate the business impacts of weaknesses in a system.
Social Engineering
social engineering is the psychological manipulation of people into performing actions or divulging confidential information.
Web Application Testing
web app security testing, is the process of evaluating and assessing the security, functionality, and performance of a web application to identify vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and potential issues.
Vulnerability Scanning
Website vulnerability scanning is a specific type of vulnerability scanning that focuses on identifying security vulnerabilities and weaknesses in websites. It involves using specialized tools and techniques to scan the website's code, configurations, and interactions to uncover potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.
External Penetration Testing
External penetration testing, often referred to simply as "external pen testing," is a type of cybersecurity assessment that simulates real-world attacks against an organization's external-facing systems, networks, and digital assets. The primary goal of external penetration testing is to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by external attackers to gain unauthorized access, compromise sensitive data, or disrupt services.
Internal Penetration Testing
Internal penetration testing, also known as "internal pen testing," is a cybersecurity assessment that simulates attacks from within an organization's internal network environment. The primary goal of internal penetration testing is to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses that could be exploited by malicious insiders or attackers who have gained access to the internal network. This type of testing helps organizations understand their security posture from an insider's perspective and assess the effectiveness of internal security controls.
Wireless Penetration Testing
Wireless penetration testing, also known as "wireless pen testing" or "Wi-Fi penetration testing," is a cybersecurity assessment that focuses on identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses within an organization's wireless network infrastructure. The primary goal of wireless penetration testing is to assess the security of Wi-Fi networks, devices, and configurations, and to identify potential entry points for attackers.
5 reasons your business needs penetration testing
Penetration tests help determine how well an organization's current security measures could hold up in against a determined adversary armed with a variety of attack vectors. This lets you fix security holes before attackers find and exploit them.
1. Uncover hidden system vulnerabilities before criminals do
Finding and exploiting previously undiscovered security flaws before attackers do so is essential for maintaining safety, which is why security patches are so commonplace in modern applications. Penetration tests can reveal deficiencies in cybersecurity plans that were initially overlooked.
A penetration test focuses on what is most likely to be exploited to better prioritize risk and use your resources effectively.
2. Strengthen security processes and strategies
To know how secure your IT systems are, you need to look at the summarized results of a penetration test. Executives at your organization can benefit from their knowledge of the security holes and the possible damage they could cause to the system's efficiency and effectiveness. In addition to providing recommendations for their prompt remediation, a skilled penetration tester may assist you in building a solid information security infrastructure and determining where you should allocate your cybersecurity budget.
3. Lower remediation costs and reduce dwell time
The typical time needed to detect and stop a data breach is 277 days, according to IBM's Cost of Data Breach 2022 research. The longer sensitive data and harmful software are exposed to malicious hackers before being discovered, the more damage they can do, and the greater the repercussions are.
Losses from downtimes, poor network performance, loss of brand image, reputation, loyalty, and, most crucially, customers compound the financial implications associated with cybersecurity breaches and assaults. Your company may feel the repercussions of the breach for many years.
According to IBM’s analysis, the average cost of a data breach worldwide in 2022 is $4.35 million, up 12.7% over the average cost in 2020. Restoring normal operations will necessitate heavy financial investments, cutting-edge safety precautions, and several weeks of downtime.
However, fixing the flaws that a penetration test uncovers before a cyber breach allows for much less downtime and inconvenience for your business. And it costs a small fraction of what a successful breach would!
4. Adhere to regulatory compliance around security and privacy
Without question, penetration testing is an essential component of keeping your company and its assets safe from attackers. Although pen tests are primarily used to ensure the safety of networks and data, their value extends much beyond that. Consistent pen testing can help you meet the requirements of the most stringent security and privacy norms.
5. Preserve brand reputation and customer loyalty
Customers want to know that their information is secure while dealing with a business, especially in light of the frequent reports of data breaches in the media. A penetration test is one way to show them that a business is secure. As an added precaution, security reviews often include a discussion of penetration tests before major contracts like mergers or vendor arrangements are signed.
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