Penetration testing provides a robust and streamlined platform that can strengthen the security infrastructure of an organization, thus ensuring that potential breaches, cyber attacks etc., are firmly prevented. The key objective of penetration testing is to analyze and find the exploitable vulnerabilities that are the major cause of concern and hence need to be dealt with tactfully. In this article, you will get to know about the 5 must-know facts about penetration testing.
What is penetration testing?
Penetration testing (also referred to as "pen test") is a simulated cyber attack that is performed to exploit vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities are uncovered and exploited within the confines of an organization's environment so that weaknesses can be analyzed way before an actual cyber attacker might cause harm.
The security posture can be properly understood through the pen test method and it is also a crucial part of security audits. The same approaches applied by the cyber attacker are also implemented by the penetration test method so that their malpractices can be tracked and reversed. The tests may include planting malware, manipulating data, building backdoors, identifying open ports or phishing.
Visibility into the strength of an organization's security is properly provided by pen testing and that too from a cyber attacker's perspective. Those issues that have been overlooked by security professionals are uncovered by the pen testing method.
Following are the five must know-facts about penetration testing:
1. Security processes are made robust: The comprehensive results of a penetration test will let us know how secure is the IT system of an organization. Security professionals can be at an advantage, as they can gain knowledge of the security holes and the potential harm it can cause to the system's effectiveness. A robust information security infrastructure can be built with the tactical assistance of a skilled penetration tester.
2. Hidden system vulnerabilities can be discovered: The previously undiscovered security flaws are identified and exploited by the pen test method and thus safety can be maintained. Deficiencies in penetration testing are revealed by the penetration test method. What exactly can be exploited is focused on by the penetration testing method, so that risks can be properly prioritized and resources can be used effectively.
3. Brand reputation is given due importance: Pen testing providers provide assurance to their clients when it comes to safeguarding their business information and data, especially in times when data breaches and cyber attacks are being carried out. Business security is assured. A tactical discussion of penetration tests is included in security reviews before major contracts like vendor arrangements or mergers are signed.
4. The significance of regulatory compliance: The safety of data and networks is ensured by the pen testing method. The requirements of the most stringent privacy and security norms are met by carrying out penetration testing consistently. Organizations must comply with regulations like ISO 27001, SOC2, GDPR, PCI-DSS, HIPPA and others. Penetration testing is required by PCI DSS 4.0 in Requirement 5.
5. Remediation costs are lowered: According to a research report released by IBM, it takes approximately 277 days to identify and stop a data breach. The longer harmful software and sensitive data are exposed to cyber attackers before being uncovered, the more harm they can do and the greater the repercussions will be.
Loss of brand loyalty, customer trust, organization's reputation, poor network performance and losses from downtime are some of the factors that are caused due to a lack of improper implementation of security measures. Hence, a well-defined pen testing strategy should be tactically executed by the team.
Conclusion: If you are looking forward to implementing penetration testing for your specific project, then do get connected with a leading software testing services company that will provide you with a tactical testing blueprint that is in line with your project specific requirements.
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