Cyberattacks are increasing every year. Your organization’s cyber safety requires a proactive approach. You would not wait until someone walks into your house and steals something to decide to put a lock on your door. Cybersecurity and its prevention tactics, such as Penetration Testing, can be looked at in a similar way. It is better to test your system for vulnerabilities before anything happens, so you can better prepare your system before someone else breaks in.
What is Penetration Testing?
Penetration Testing, (also known as Pen Testing), can involve a variety of different services, including Network penetration testing, web application testing, Mobile application testing, IoT testing, social engineering scenarios (user exploits), Red Team attack simulation and wireless network penetration testing. The goal is to identify security weak spots in an organization’s network. It also measures the compliance of your security policies as well as your staff’s awareness of security issues.
Who Needs It?
It is hard to avoid technology completely while operating your business. As Bill Gates famously said, “Information Technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don’t think anyone can talk meaningfully about one without talking about the other.” He is saying that organizations now rely on technology, meaning they can and are susceptible to cyberattacks. Any business can benefit from vulnerability assessments. Assessments should be performed on a frequent basis. Typically, organizations conduct assessments once a year. However, assessments can be more frequent, scheduled either daily, weekly, or quarterly. If you make a large change, add a server, replace a firewall you should perform an additional assessment and ensure you are protected.
Did You Have a Vulnerability Scan?
First thing’s first, before you get a Pen Test done you should do a vulnerability scan. A vulnerability scan identifies and catalogs all the systems connected to a network. Different than a Pen Test, vulnerability scans are often used as a first step to identify and report on all the possible vulnerabilities. The scan will then check each item against a database of known vulnerabilities to see if any of the items are susceptible. You will end up with a list of all the systems found and identified on the network, as well as any vulnerabilities that may need attention. While vulnerability scanning and penetration testing are often confused due to their similarities, they are actually quite different. Despite that, both are extremely important for ensuring your systems are safe and secure.
How Can Sierra Help?
Sierra has a Red Team of Ethical Hackers that will ensure we locate issues before someone else does. To learn more about the services we offer on cyber security, ranging from Vulnerability Assessments to Pen Testing, give us a call at 412.722.07047 or send us an email at Sales@sierr001-2.sierradevops.com – our team looks forward to being Proud to Have Your Back.
