When it comes to IT and cybersecurity it’s easy to get lost in the jargon, and given the various ways it might manifest, "pen testing" might be one of the most impenetrable. So what is pen testing?
Penetration testing an authorised simulated cyberattack on your computer systems where a trusted third party attempts to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in your system before bad actors get a chance.
This is different from your everyday vulnerability scans or security assessments. Pen testing goes beyond the surface, actively trying to exploit vulnerabilities to show you a realistic view of your system's resilience.
One of the confusing things about pen testing is the variety of ways it can manifest. Depending on your business and its threat model, and the products or services you provide. Some of the different types of penetration testing include:
- Network Pen Testing: The focus is on the vulnerability of your network infrastructure like servers and firewalls, and other networked devices.
- Web Application Pen Testing: Focusing on vulnerabilities of your web application, looking for things like SQL injection or cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.
- Mobile Application Pen Testing: Actively searching for security flaws like insecure data storage, and communication or authentication problems.
- Social Engineering Pen Testing: Testing your employee's resilience to phishing, pretexting, or baiting.
So how does it all work?
Generally, pen testing involves a planning stage where objectives, targets, and limits are decided on before any work is started. Then, once the scope has been established, both automated tools and manual techniques are used to scan your systems and pinpoint vulnerabilities, and when any are found, a simulated attack is launched that exploits the discovered vulnerabilities without putting your data or operations at risk.
This proactive approach means you're able not only to find out if vulnerabilities exist, but are able to accurately judge the severity of each due to the targeted but benign exploitation from a friendly third party.
Once the scans are complete, and all vulnerabilities have been tested for severity, a detailed report with any findings, possible consequences, and recommendations is sent through. From here, you'll know not only where the vulnerabilities are your IT systems, but also how severe they are, the possible impact if they are taken advantage of by a bad actor, and most importantly, how to address the vulnerabilities before they are exploited!
When was the last time your computer systems were analysed for vulnerabilities? Don't be caught off guard! Proactive cyber security is the best way to stay ahead of intruders. Need some help ensuring your IT infrastructure is secure? Contact Us Today!
