In today’s digital age, the majority of sensitive information, such as intellectual property, personally identifiable information, governmental data, and protected health information, are stored virtually. This is why cybersecurity is one of the most important aspects that a business should have, to protect all confidential information and data.
One method that greatly improves cybersecurity is penetration testing services. However, there are some business owners who do not value their significance because of a lack of awareness. This leads to an increased risk of their businesses suffering from security breaches. To address this, here are some of the frequently asked questions regarding penetration tests.
Contents
What Exactly is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing, known as “ethical hacking,” is the process of examining and testing a computer system, business network, or web application to find vulnerabilities in its security structure, according to Tech Target. Penetration testing can either be done with automated software or performed manually by a group of professionals.
Pen testing is typically done by service companies which are composed of experienced individuals and competent IT professionals that are experts in the field of cybersecurity. Penetration testing allows you to find errors in your security system, and find ways on how to improve them; to prevent cyber-attacks from malicious individuals or groups.
Can Penetration Testing Prevent Data Theft?
Data theft—also known as a data breach—is the act of illegally acquiring digital information that is stored on servers, computers, and other electronic devices. According to reports, hundreds of data breaches occur every day, which leads to millions of data records stolen that costs businesses millions of dollars annually. Fortunately, penetration testing offers a solution.
Penetration testing that is done by service companies allows you to see the weaknesses in your security system. Weaknesses that can be exploited by hackers to steal information and data from your company. Through penetration tests, these weaknesses can be strengthened by IT professionals and prevent data breaches from occurring in your organisation or company.
What are The Different Penetration Testing Services?
There are different types of penetration tests done by security professionals, which include some of the following:
External Testing
This type of test targets an organisation’s externally visible devices or servers. This includes domain name servers, web servers, and e-mail servers.
Internal Testing
This test emulates an insider attack behind an organisation’s firewall that can be executed by an authorised user.
Blind Testing
Mimics the actions and procedures of which a malicious individual or group could do. This involves severely limiting the information given to the service company that performs the penetration test.
Black Box Testing
Much like blind testing, but the service company receives no information at all before the penetration test takes place.
Is Penetration Testing Expensive?
The price of penetration tests greatly differs depending on what penetration test is carried out, whether external, internal, blind, or black-box testing. The size of an organisation and how large their network systems are can also play a factor in the price. However, penetration tests are relatively inexpensive, thanks to the advancement of technology cybersecurity.
With all the cybercrimes and malicious individuals that aim to attack networks, applications, and databases that are present in today’s digital age, organisations should prioritise cybersecurity. This is why penetration tests are of the utmost importance. Check out a reputable security company today, and start improving your security systems.