With the advent of the global digitization of businesses, cyber-attacks have significantly increased. According to the website Live Cyber Threat Map, which maps cyberattacks in real-time, on November 30, 2022; more than 8.3 million cyberattacks occurred worldwide. With an average cost of a data breach worth $9.44 Million in the US (reported by IBM in 2022). And a global average rate of $4.35 Million, the question is not whether a cyber-attack will happen but when it will hit your business.
Cyberattacks occur when your business data is compromised. This breach can affect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of data. It can make your business incur heavy financial losses besides a reputation disaster.
But there is a silver lining in the cloud. By putting preventative measures in place, you can safeguard data. Penetration Testing or PEN Testing is one measure that determines the vulnerabilities and loopholes in your business’s computer and network infrastructure.
With this insight, you can create a mitigation plan when it occurs and ramp up your infrastructure to avoid it in the first place. In this blog, we’d discuss what penetration testing is and why it is essential. So grab a cup of coffee and read on.
What is Penetration Testing?
A penetration test is a proactive solution to identify the significant areas of weakness in your IT systems and to prevent severe financial and reputational losses for your business.
Specifically, Penetration Testing is a deliberate and simulated cyber-attack on the computer systems and infrastructure, carried out by the organization or a third-party service provider to find weaknesses and vulnerabilities. The experts (and ethical hackers) have a set of penetration tests to find out the loopholes in your system.
Some of the techniques used in penetration testing are:
Now that you know what PEN Testing is and its importance let’s look at its benefits.
1. Compliance
Companies operating in a particular industry must adhere to compliance regulations and standards. Two prominent examples are HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Account) and PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). Specifically, HIPAA Evaluation Standard 164.308(a)(8) requires a thorough assessment of the member organizations’ IT Systems’ risks and vulnerabilities. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has directed companies to conduct penetration testing if required. Other countries have similar standards, e.g., GDPR in European Region.
2. Crisis training
PEN Testing can help your organization prepare for emergencies. It can help you in two ways. First, it can allow you to train for simulated scenarios by building a contingency plan. So, if a hacking or cyber-attack occurs, you can contain it successfully in less time. Remember that response time is crucial in minimizing loss. A study shows that organizations can save more than $1 Million if a data breach is contained within 30 days. Similarly, the network penetration testing will reveal the gaps in your IT Infrastructure so I can prepare in advance and prevent it from happening.
3. Building goodwill
Organizations that invest in the data security of customers have integrity and high customer trust. It is a strategic marketing technique that generates increased revenue for organizations. In the world of social media, a minor mishap can spread virally. It can cause a drop in share price and financial losses. Similarly, a ransom attack can leak precious user data. Penetration testing can help you avoid this catastrophe in the first instance. Likewise, instilling security awareness in employees would help reduce Phishing attacks, spoofing, malware installation, trojan horses, and virus transmission.
4. Testing new technology
The world of technology and computers is fast evolving. The technology used today became obsolete the following year. Successful companies must strive to keep up with the fast pace of technology. PEN Testing helps you adopt new technologies without compromising security and data integrity. Data Security is not a one-time job. Your organization needs to remain vigilant constantly. A preventative measure such as PEN Testing can help meet this need. You need to keep checking your computer systems from time to time. For example, you find that your intranet or LAN requires a new firewall after conducting a pen test.
5. Verify security protocols and SOPs
Besides compliance with national and international laws, intelligent companies have their own rigorous security protocols. For example, Google, in addition to these regulations, they have stringent protocols to add an extra layer of security. The security protocols or SOPs encompass email, website, hardware, network, software configuration, risk management/prevention, and smart device use. Then you need to check whether these protocols are working. Companies can use different assessment tools, including pen testing, to ensure effectiveness.
6. Malicious attacks/ransomware
Identity theft can jeopardize the company’s reliability and performance. Ransomware attacks have changed the cybersecurity scene forever, e.g., WannaCry hit 300+ organizations in 150 countries in 2017. An estimate showed that it caused damage worth $4 Billion. Tech giant Nvidia lost 1TB of company data in the February 2022 Ransomware attack. If big companies can’t escape ransomware attacks, small companies stand no chance. External and internal loopholes invite hackers. PEN test can visualize these vulnerabilities.
Not all organizations have the expertise and resources to implement these techniques. But there is good news. Penetration testing services such as CRES help you test your computer systems and whole infrastructure.
How can we help:
CRES offers a set of penetration testing options for pointing out cyber security weaknesses in customers’ corporate networks for remediation.
Understanding your current security posture is essential to protecting your business from adversaries, your staff, and hefty ransoms. Many of our clients were in danger of becoming victims of cyber security attacks. They needed an IT assessment to determine if they had any weaknesses in their corporate network. That’s where CRES Penetration Testing comes in.
CRES offers network penetration testing to prevent network exploitation. We have a set of penetration testing options for pointing out vulnerabilities and loopholes within their IT network and systems so that customers can close them.
Talk to us about how we can keep your network safe and healthy.
About Waqar Hussain
CRES Technology – Director of IT Services
A technology leader with outstanding knowledge, technical expertise, and a proven track record of leading complex infrastructure projects and managing help desk teams.
