The Importance of Penetration Testing for Cyber Security

As a leading provider of IT Support and Cyber Security solutions in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow, IT Hotdesk knows first-hand how critical penetration testing is for robust cyber security.

Pen testing, short for penetration testing, is the practice of ethical hacking - testing a computer system, network, or web application to find vulnerabilities that a malicious attacker could potentially exploit. This is done by using the same tools and techniques as real-world cyber criminals to determine what impacts there could be and how to properly protect against threats.

The Penetration Testing Process

Professional pen testing follows a defined process with multiple key phases:

• Planning and Reconnaissance - Gathering information about the target systems to understand how they work and identify potential attack vectors.
• Scanning - Using a variety of security tools to find open ports, vulnerabilities, misconfigurations etc on the target infrastructure.
• Gaining Access - Skilled pen testers then attempt to exploit the discovered vulnerabilities to gain access, just like a malicious attacker would.
• Maintaining Access - After initial access, the testers see how far they can pivot and move laterally through the systems.
• Analysis & Reporting - All findings are compiled into a detailed report for the client to facilitate risk analysis and remediation.

Benefits of Penetration Testing

The main benefits of regular pen testing as part of a cyber security program include:

• Proactively identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses before criminals can exploit them.
• Providing evidence of actual exploitable flaws to prioritise patching and security hardening.
• Comprehensively testing the overall security posture, defence tools, and incident response processes
• Ensuring regulatory compliance in industries like finance, healthcare, energy etc.
• Reducing the risk and potential impact of real-world cyber-attacks and data breaches

While automated vulnerability scanners have their place, penetration testing with skilled human security professionals provides a much more comprehensive and accurate simulation of offensive hacking techniques and real-world attack scenarios.

Annual penetration testing, particularly after any major system changes, is a cyber security best practice. We provide in-depth pen testing and other cyber security services to help organisations improve their security posture and defend against threats. In today's landscape of increasing cyber-attacks, pen testing should be part of any organisation's proactive cyber security program to find and fix exploitable vulnerabilities before attackers can compromise their systems.

Schedule a call here with our cyber security experts to get started.