Penetration Testing

Covert penetration testing can determine your company’s inherent vulnerabilities. That knowledge allows you to take action and sleep soundly at night.

Can Your Network Pass Full-Scale Penetration Testing?

The average small and mid-sized business owner lives with a certain degree of insecurity about their network’s cyber defenses.

Unless you are a technology expert, the IT infrastructure you rely on may suffer inherent vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Hackers work tirelessly to find business networks with flaws, so they can penetrate and turn your cybersecurity gap into their gain. To shore up system defenses, small and mid-sized organizations are enlisting the experienced expertise of managed IT services providers who conduct penetration testing. Also referred to as “pen testing” by industry insiders, the process uses methods cybercriminals might employ to breach your system. The elephant in the room is: Can your network pass penetration testing?

How Is Penetration Testing Performed?

Because pen testing is intended to simulate the nefarious activities of hackers, it garners the best results when employees are unaware. The first step is for a CEO or business owner to consult with an independent, third-party IT specialist off-site and discuss first steps. It’s essential not to leak information about the impeding pen test. Foreknowledge generally results in staff members having a heightened awareness about cybersecurity protocols.

In many respects, your IT expert will be acting as a type of “ethical hacker,” whose mission is to gain access through as many vulnerabilities as possible. The best third-party candidates to conduct the covert pen test are cybersecurity outfits that routinely secure networks against such incursions.

Common Pen Testing Methods

The so-called ethical hacker will conduct reconnaissance on your company, employees, and look to exploit cybersecurity deficiencies using a wide range of tools used by cybercriminals. These are common approaches used to assess your system’s vulnerabilities.

White Box

This approach provides ethical hackers with advanced knowledge about potential vulnerabilities.

Black Box

This is an entirely blind testing process in which the ethical hacker starts from scratch.

Covert Test

This is considered the purest testing method. A single or small number of business decision-makers are the only ones that are aware pen testing is underway. Some call this the “double-blind” approach.

External Pen Test

This usually pits an off-site hacker against the organization’s website and servers. It’s similar to the way a hacker in another municipality might attack your system.

Internal Testing

It may be a hard pill to swallow, but internal breaches by disgruntled workers or cybercriminals from within are a significant problem. Internal pen testing puts the ethical hacker in the midst of your operation. The results can provide top-tier value.

Following penetration testing, company leaders, department heads, and key stakeholders are provided with a report that outlines critical concerns. These can be addressed internally or in conjunction with a managed IT security specialist outside the organization.

Contact A Penetration Testing Expert and Secure Your Network

If you are unsure of your level of network exposure, professional penetration testing delivers an accurate assessment of your vulnerabilities.

If you would like to sleep more soundly at night knowing your systems are secure, contact LaScala IT and schedule a pen testing today.

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