Why Penetration Testing is Critical to Improving Cyber Security Defense

 

Penetration testing has long been a primary method for organizations to check their defences against cyberattacks. By hiring an outside company to pose as an attacker, organizations can identify weaknesses in their systems to forestall future breaches. During a penetration test, a CEH or certified ethical hacker simulates the techniques an attacker may use during an attempt to access systems, including password cracking, malware, and even social engineering. Cyber Security Hive offers the best Penetration testing as a service in India. Our penetration testing includes simulated cyber-attacks developed by highly trained information security experts. Not only will Cyber Security Hive pen-testing uncover and document cybersecurity problems, but the security assessment will also provide risk assessments and adequate security controls to eliminate vulnerabilities.

While traditional techniques still dominate marketplace offerings, penetration tests in 2018 are adopting new and improved ways of testing defences, including new attack techniques, red teaming, capture the flag and bug bounty programs.

 

Top Five Benefits of a Penetration Test

Penetration testing is necessary for any organizational application or company that values its reputation or existence. Cyber Security Hive offers the top Penetration testingservice in UAE to assess your network, application, wireless, and social engineering security. Penetration test benefits include the following.

Penetration tests facilitate organizations in identifying critical vulnerabilities that are troublesome or impossible to detect with an automated network or application vulnerability scan. Penetration testing is one of the only types of tests that permits a practical technique to gauge the actual risk to their systems. Vulnerability scanning can help to find some weaknesses. Still, an ethical hacker has access to networks and procedures which may not be compatible with scanning and can use a manual, organized method to verify the actual exploitability of weaknesses.

Penetrations tests are a method to assess the ability of defenders to detect and respond to attacks successfully. A frequent component of a test is to measure the ability of defensive tools and personnel to respond to attacks. The value of tools like antivirus, intrusion detection systems and firewalls becomes clear when organizations see them stop malware and attackers – or fail to do so. The ability of defenders to investigate alerts and logs to observe the current attack also provides a gauge of the defensive personnel in place.

Tests provide evidence to organization leadership to support investment in security program initiatives, personnel, and technology. Several organizations use penetration tests to assess the effectiveness of their security investments and cost-effectiveness as an IT security organization. They either assess after an initiative is complete or appraise the defensive strength of a new system.

  

Tests facilitate organizations to prevent future incidents by identifying vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them; tests can help organizations stop potential breaches. As mentioned earlier, vulnerability scanners are not intended to uncover weaknesses. Organizations will improve their cybersecurity posture by responding to the penetration test findings. Usually, the low-hanging fruit is found early during a penetration test, vulnerabilities that are simple to remediate but allow attackers access to the environment.

Penetration tests help organizations meet their compliance necessities, including Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPPA, 201 CMR 17.00. Some compliance frameworks – like PCI, require an annual penetration test as a compulsory activity.

Red Teaming

Organizations with advanced defences are progressively turning to red teaming to simulate attacks on their cyber systems. A red teaming exercise is more in-depth than a penetration test. Red teams are tasked to simulate cyber-attacks at a greater depth than a penetration test, without penetration tests' scope or time limits. Red teams can include:

•         Intelligence and physical breach specialists.
•         Phishing experts.
•         Penetration testers skilled in communications and IT.

Capture the Flag

Some organizations choose to turn their penetration test into a competition, inserting a 'flag' in a secure location on their network. The attacking penetration testers are given the task of accessing this file or "capturing the flag". A defending 'Blue Team', usually the incident response employees at the organization, is evaluated throughout the simulated attack, testing their ability to detect and respond to the attacker. This style of capture the flag penetration test permits organizations to test their defensive capability, focusing on protecting sensitive information rather than their entire network.