Let’s examine why pen tests are necessary, how they work, and what companies can do to get the most out of their pentesting efforts.
Experts predict that the global pen testing market will grow at 15.97% per year over the next five years. This is an intelligent investment.
This is because attackers find new vulnerabilities easier than ever, thanks to expanding attack surfaces and mobile device environments.
How To Leverage Pentesting Effectively?
Businesses of all sizes need to implement effective penetration testing to identify potential security risks before they become data breaches.
Let’s examine why pen tests are necessary, how they work, and what companies can do to get the most out of their pentesting efforts.
A case for complete pen-testing
Companies that report vulnerabilities are assigned a common vulnerability and exposure number (CVE).
Every CVE is assigned a number between 1 and 10 using the standard vulnerability score system (CVSS).
Higher values indicate a greater risk. CVEs that score 9 or more are considered “critical,” and those scoring 7 to 8.9 are “high.”
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Both types of vulnerability have the potential to cause significant damage if they are exploited.
Data from the National Institute for Standards and Technology.
Over 4,000 vulnerabilities (20.2%) were reported in 2021. These vulnerabilities were either rated “high” (or “critical”) by IT teams earlier than the rest.
How pentesting works
Penetration testing simulates cyberattacks on businesses to assess their defenses and find software vulnerabilities or weaknesses.
To provide more visibility into security practices and possible weaknesses, it’s often combined with intrusion detection systems (WAFs) and web application firewalls (WAFs).
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Four Common Types Of Pentesting Intern
Internal pen testing evaluates the potential impact of insider compromises.
Organizations are exposed to risk from staff who have access to critical applications, maliciously or accidentally. Internal pen testing gives real-time information about applications and systems at risk.
#1. External
External pen testing targets visible assets like company websites, email servers, and web and mobile apps. Pen testers target these targets to identify weak points and compromise sensitive data or services.
#2. Blind
Teams know what’s ahead in both internal and external pen testing. This allows them to see what’s happening in real-time and react as they wish.
Teams need to learn how or when pentesters might attack. Blind testing is not a method of testing. This pentesting simulates real risk better by forcing teams to see how effective current security measures are against cyberattacks.
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#3. Targeted
Targeted pentesting can be used to evaluate a system or an application and identify its weak points. Let’s say that a company has just bought a CRM tool.
Teams can conduct targeted penetration tests to assess the tool’s security before it is released to everyone.
Making the most of pentesting processes
While it is one thing to acknowledge the importance of pentesting in cybersecurity, it is quite another to put this into practice. These three components are crucial to make the most of pentesting efforts.
#1. Solid strategy
Companies need to have a strategy before they begin the pen testing process. Companies need a strategy to ensure that they can achieve meaningful results.
Businesses are better served by choosing a few apps to assess or prioritize a goal, such as testing the response time for IT security teams to an unexpected attack.
#2. Skilled staff
The difference between successful pentesting and failure is made by skilled staff. A combination of education and in-situ experience is essential for the best pen testing personnel.
Some experience may be gained through handling security issues and creating security frameworks for organizations.
Others may have obtained certifications such as the EC Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker or the Infosec Institute’s Certified Expert Penetration Tester. Third-party testers can be a great help for companies to pinpoint issues.
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This is why: Although the internal staff has the company’s best interests at heart, they also have an intimate knowledge of internal systems.
They may need to be more familiar with current systems’ security because they are familiar with them. Third-party testers can, however, assess systems without bias.
#3. Security software
Companies need the right pen-testing tools to do the job. This is true regardless of whether pen testing is done in-house or by a third party.
Technology allows talent to spot problems in both cases. Depending on the business’s budget and use case, free and paid options exist.
Indusface WAS is a great place to start for free pen-testing tools. For-pay tools like Acunetix, Core Impact, and Invicti can be used to identify potential issues quickly.
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#4. Testing
For IT security, pen testing is a crucial component. It’s also an ongoing, evolving process. It doesn’t matter what pentesting tool or pen-testing method companies use.
The rapid growth of IT environments means regular pen-testing is essential to improve overall security and reduce risk.
