Penetration testing is an important component in cybersecurity
Penetration testing is a way to test and gain assurance in the security of an IT system by using the same techniques a cybercriminal might use to attempt to gain unauthorised access to a computer-based system. This could be a website, network, application or your complete computer environment.
Undertaken correctly, a penetration test by an external certified organisation ensures that your company’s systems and processes are sufficient, highlighting and categorising any necessary remediations to improve security.
In simple terms, your new website, portal, firewall or app might seem brand new, shiny and secure – but are you sure there aren’t any holes in your security just waiting to be uncovered by cybercriminals?
High quality, extensive, expert penetration testing using real world tools and processes can help you identify gaps in your system, bugs, misconfigurations and vulnerabilities before they become a risk and are exploited. Combined with additional layers of cybersecurity, it should systematically be part of your strategy to help you stay one step ahead of the cybercriminals.
Not all penetration tests are equal but a quality, in-depth penetration test led by a team of qualified testers will prove to be an excellent ROSI (Return on Security Investment) for organisations of all sizes and sectors.
Not only does a penetration test help to protect you against potential financial, operational and reputational risk, it can also make you better prepared for effectively containing a breach if it does happen. According to a recent IBM report, it takes on average 287 days to identify a data breach with a further 80 days on average to contain it. So, the question is, how disruptive would that be to your business?
Knowledge is power and a quality penetration test will clearly identify your strengths and weaknesses, informing your cybersecurity risk landscape and long-term strategy for the business.
From sole traders to multi-nationals, there is a constant stream of negative news around cyberattacks.
From a penetration testing perspective, however, an example of a vulnerability can be insecure default configurations, incomplete configurations, and misconfigured HTTP headers. There have been, for example, many examples of organisation’s S3 buckets (a public cloud storage resource available in Amazon Web Services (AWS)) being compromised due to incorrect configuration. In such cases, data has been accessed through brute force attacks or simply because of human error, where the configuration has been mistakenly set to public access.
In 2019, Attunity, a data management company, exposed customer and company data when three AWS S3 buckets were left exposed to the internet without a password. Among those affected were the likes of Fortune100 companies Netflix, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Ford.
If you have any internal or external infrastructure that is public-facing, then we suggest an appropriate level of penetration testing is a good investment for your business.
Penetrating testing is designed to identify vulnerabilities and risks before data is exposed, business continuity is affected and your business reputation damaged.
If you would like to discuss your needs for penetration testing or how this can combine with additional unique services such as Cyber Essentials, IASME Assured, ISO27001, EDR Solution, Vulnerability Scanning, Phishing Simulation and Employee Awareness Training for your complete cybersecurity solution then please email info@purecyber.com.