Sometimes, in order to accomplish an end goal, you have to find ways to broaden your perspective and think like something other than yourself. Looking for your cat in the house? Think like a cat. Trying to sell a new product? Think like a customer. When you apply this concept to cybersecurity and try to think like a hacker in order to find better ways to protect your network and digital assets, what you come up with is called penetration testing.
Also sometimes referred to as pen testing or ethical hacking, this testing method is a comprehensive way to learn how your cybersecurity defenses actually perform under pressure. When you want to be sure that you’ve employed maximum protection and can rely on the safeguards you have in place, penetration testing will tell you what’s working and what isn’t, giving you valuable information that no other tactic can provide! Keep reading to learn more about what this testing method can do for you and your business.
What is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing is a type of security test that can be conducted on a cybersecurity system. In order to find flaws and vulnerabilities in the system that an actual attacker might be able to exploit, the tester simulates a real cyberattack, acting as malware or a hacker.
In the same way that you might pour water into a leaking container to figure out where the hole is, penetration testing identifies weak points by stressing them in the same way that a real attack would. This allows you to learn which parts of your system are performing properly, and which parts need more work in order to fulfill their goal of keeping hackers out and the system safe!
Why Use Penetration Testing?
Many companies perform regular pen tests on their security systems, sometimes as often as multiple times a year. There are many benefits to this frequent testing, not least of which being that they are a very comprehensive assessment of your cybersecurity, more so than other testing methods like vulnerability assessments. Most methods like this just scan for known weaknesses in a system and flag them. Penetration testing actually exploits these weaknesses the way a hacker would, providing detailed information about how the flaw creates the risk of a breach, and what can be done to shore up the system’s defenses.
Furthermore, penetration testing provides something that basic cybersecurity analyses can’t– insight into the minds and motivations of hackers. Hacking is a field that evolves fast, and with new methods emerging all the time, cybersecurity professionals can be left playing a game of catch-up. By taking a closer look at how hackers really operate and evaluating what they look for and how they work to gain access to a system, security teams can take a more proactive approach, using the input of a pen test to stop sophisticated cybercriminals in their tracks!
How Does Penetration Testing Work?
In basic terms, penetration testing involves someone actually trying to hack your system. The difference between them and an actual hacker is that once they get inside, all they’re going to do is provide your security team with information about how they did it!
A pen test usually begins with an assessment of your security system as it already is. Then, the process involves the tester attempting to collect data from unmonitored endpoints (devices like laptops or tablets) and servers, unsecured websites, and unsecured network connections, and trying to gain access to your system using this information as well as malwares, viruses, and many other methods that a hacker might use. Afterwards, the tester and the security team collaborate to assess the data about how your system responded to the attack, creating a plan for what needs improving in order to increase the safety of the entire system. Then, those proposed changes can be implemented to thwart any real attacks that could occur in the future!
Penetration testing uses hacking methods against hackers themselves, turning their tools of the trade into techniques to help you keep their attacks at bay and protect yourself, your network, your team, and your organization! If you’re interested in learning more about this testing method and how it can help your business, make sure to contact our team at Progressive Computer Systems today.
