Hacking is getting more common than ever before due to technological advancement. It no longer requires a team of people to hack into systems, basic skills are more than enough. Cybersecurity today has therefore become increasingly pertinent. But what is pen testing? Why is it stressed out so much? Well, read ahead to find out all about it.
Penetration testing is also called white hat attacks or pen testing. Numerous organizations today are at risk of being exposed to cyber-attacks. Pen Testing is a security process involving testing to evaluate the applications. Resultantly, it helps to identify its vulnerability or susceptibility to cyber threats and risks.
Through pen tests, organizations can identify the weak points in their system. A simulated attack helps in pen testing. Targeted, internal, external, blind, and double-blind testing are the five primary kinds of penetration testing. Companies gain a thorough understanding of the techniques used by hackers to access sensitive and personal data without authorization or carry out other types of malicious behaviour that could lead to a data breach.
Five Reasons Why Penetration Testing is Essential
Testing new technology before adoption – If an organization plans to adopt new technology, it should perform pen testing. Such security tests help expose the vulnerabilities and gaps the technology is susceptible to. Therefore, it will make it easier for them to launch a secure and reliable technology. Penetrative testing is usually initiated at the developmental stage to eliminate any vulnerabilities as soon as possible.
To adhere to different Legal Guidelines – Pen Testing is pertinent as it helps in risk assessment. Through such examinations, organizations can comply with the legal and other regulations imposed on them. For instance, the PCI-DSS standards call for an annual and consistent pen test in the payment card industry.
If an organization fails to comply with these criteria, then it might have to pay fines, face charges, or lose its license. So, performing such security assessments regularly is necessary.
To keep your company’s reputation intact – By conducting regular pen testing, organizations and companies can discern the strength of their security system. Pen tests will minimize threats and risks from hackers and help in detecting vulnerabilities in the system. So, they will be able to create a highly secure technology. Therefore, it will assist them in building goodwill and the customers will be able to trust their services better.
Assessing risks – One of the primary reasons it is recommended is to assess the risks a system is susceptible to. Organizations and security teams will be able to identify the shortcomings of their system and work on making them secure.
By evaluating the risks, organizations can easily avoid breaches of data. Moreover, it will mitigate any chance of revenue loss. Ethical hacking will give security teams access to the viewpoint of a hacker and assist in identifying potential security flaws. Additionally, pen testing builds a custom-tailored method to address the vulnerabilities while maintaining everyday operations.
Checking the reliability of security configurations— Even if you have a full-proof security configuration, it is crucial to conduct assessments to cross-check its reliability. It will prepare security teams to detect and respond to such bugs and breaches quickly and efficiently.
Furthermore, penetration testing identifies gaps that are unknown to your security team. So, identifying the failure of your system is pertinent to making it perfect, and pen testing ensures the same.
