penetration testing

What is penetration testing?

Penetration testing is a security process that simulates real-life attacks on your IT systems to find weaknesses that could be exploited by hackers.

Whether you’re trying to comply with regulations like ISO 27001, build trust with customers and suppliers, or just want to be sure your IT infrastructure is secure, penetration testing is a proven method to strengthen your cyber security posture and prevent data breaches.  

Why would you use a penetration test?

There are several reasons why you could or should use penetration tests to evaluate your security, but here are some of the most common:

• Customers need proof of your security posture or accreditation with SOC 2 or ISO 27001
• You’re operating in a regulated industry such as finance or energy that require regular audits
• You want to reassure stakeholders that you’re secure from a specific attack 
• You’re responsible for the security of your organization, and you want to prove that an attacker can’t bypass current controls
• You’ve been breached and want to check the access vector has been closed
• You’ve implemented new security controls and want to check they’re working

What are the different types of penetration test?

1. Network penetration testing: The most common and crucial type of penetration test
2. Automated penetration testing: Also known as vulnerability scanning
3. Web application penetration testing: For uncovering vulnerabilities across websites and web applications
4. Cloud penetration testing: For testing the security posture of your cloud environment
5. Social engineering pen tests: For testing the resilience of your personnel to social engineering attacks (e.g. phishing assessments)
6. Red teaming: An advanced assessment that can take months to complete

The main difference between penetration testing vs vulnerability scanning

Penetration testing is a manual security assessment whereby a cyber security professional attempts to find a way to break into your systems. It is an in-depth test which evaluates security controls across a variety of systems, including web application penetration testing, network and cloud environments. This kind of testing could take several weeks to complete, and due to its complexity and cost, is commonly carried out only on an annual basis.

Vulnerability scanning, on the other hand, is automated and performed by tools which can be either installed directly on your network or accessed online (sometimes referred to as automated pen testing). Vulnerability scanners run thousands of security checks against your systems, producing a list of vulnerabilities with corresponding remediation advice. That being the case, it is possible to run continuous security checks even without having a full-time cyber security expert on the team.