The Importance of Penetration Testing
Penetration testing (pen testing) can vary in importance depending on the organization. Some clients don’t meet basic cybersecurity requirements and haven’t faced breaches, while others, with strict regulatory oversight, have still been targeted. Cybersecurity, like many things, isn’t black and white—it’s nuanced.
Why Do Hackers Target You?
Hackers aren’t after your information because they think it’s valuable. They target it because they know how much it means to you and your organization.
What Is Penetration Testing?
Pen testing uses ethical hackers to simulate cyberattacks on your network, apps, or cloud systems. The goal is to identify weaknesses, show how they could be exploited, and provide a clear report with a list of vulnerabilities, ranked from critical to low. Most importantly, pen testing gives you actionable steps to fix those issues.
Who Are the Ethical Hackers?
When choosing ethical hackers, you might wonder whether to go with someone fresh out of school or a seasoned pro. Credentials like CISSP, CEH, OSCP, and CISM are common, but experience and focus also matter. With technology advancing rapidly, some wonder if automated tools can replace human testers altogether.
Two main perspectives on this:
- Crowd 1: Pen testing should always be done by a human.
- Crowd 2: A pen test is a pen test, no matter who conducts it.
Manual vs. Automated Pen Testing
At our company, we believe any effort to improve your cybersecurity is better than none.
With automated pen testing, you provide credentialing and IP ranges, and a script scans your systems for vulnerabilities. A team then reviews the findings to ensure accuracy. You’ll get a report detailing vulnerabilities and recommended fixes—just like you would from a manual pen test.
Why Would You Opt for Automated Testing?
Cost is a major factor. Manual pen testing can be expensive, while automated tests are much more affordable. Manual tests are labor-intensive and can take days or weeks to complete, while automated tests can often be done in a fraction of the time.
For smaller businesses with fewer than 100 IPs, automated pen testing is an excellent option, especially since this market segment is often underserved. Many smaller organizations don’t recognize the need for cybersecurity or don’t have the budget for traditional pen tests.
The Growing Need for Pen Testing
Penetration testing is becoming more critical than ever. Cybersecurity insurance companies now require proof of up-to-date antivirus, vulnerability scans, and pen testing. Plus, many regulatory bodies like HIPAA, PCI, FINRA, and the FTC mandate regular pen tests.
If you need help exploring your pen testing options, we can guide you. Some vendors even offer free pen testing, so don’t hesitate to ask!
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With decades of experience, we understand the process of procurement and how to make it work for your organization.