Cybercrime is increasing at an alarming rate. According to Statista, during the third quarter of 2022, approximately 15 million data records were exposed worldwide through data breaches. This figure had risen by 37 percent compared to the previous quarter.
Phishing attacks on business email continue to be the top threat. Over 80% of security breaches result from phishing attacks, with 94% of malware delivered through email.
Pentesting is one of the most effective ways for organizations to identify and address potential weaknesses in their IT infrastructure, including email, that cybercriminals could target. Pentesting, also known as penetration testing, is used to evaluate a computer system’s security by simulating an attack from malicious hackers. In this blog post, we’ll break down this testing methodology and how it can help keep your business safe.
What Is Pentesting?
It involves a simulated attack on your overall IT and OT systems. During this process, ethical hackers exploit weaknesses to gain access to sensitive data or networks. The goal is to identify vulnerabilities in your overall network that attackers could use as an entryway into the network.
Finding and fixing these weaknesses before malicious actors can target them can reduce the risk of a successful attack against your organization.
How Does Pentesting Work?
Pentesting begins with an initial assessment of your current security measures. This assessment typically involves scanning for open ports, running vulnerability scans on web applications and databases, analyzing user accounts and privileges, and reviewing logs for suspicious activity. After the initial assessment is complete, ethical hackers will attempt to exploit any weaknesses they find to gain access to sensitive data or networks. If they are successful in gaining access, they will work with your team to identify potential solutions that can help prevent current and future attacks from occurring.
Benefits of Pentesting
The primary benefit of pentesting is that it can provide peace of mind knowing that your IT infrastructure is thoroughly tested against potential attacks from malicious actors. Additionally, pentesting can help you stay compliant with industry regulations such as PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Finally, regular pentests can help you save time and money by identifying potential weak spots before they become serious issues that require expensive fixes later on down the line or, worse, costly Ransomware attacks.
Conclusion to A Comprehensive Guide to Pentesting
Pentesting is essential for keeping businesses safe from cyberattacks. Organizations can identify vulnerabilities in their IT systems by simulating attacks from malicious hackers before attackers can exploit them. Pentesting should be conducted every quarter or more frequently if network or security system changes occur.
Regular pentests provide peace of mind knowing that their IT infrastructure has been rigorously tested against potential threats while being compliant with industry regulations like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR simultaneously. For CIOs looking for an effective way to protect their business from cyberthreats while staying compliant with industry regulations, this is a must-have tool in their cybersecurity strategy!
