Penetration testing may seem like an unorthodox way of ensuring that your company is safe but it is essential. We keep hearing about big companies that should have known better being hacked or leaking data. These companies spend millions on their security systems and policies only to end up with a system that can be exploited by hackers. This is because while their systems were perfect during the design phase, there are always things which aren’t detected in the design phase. You don’t want to find out about a weakness in your data security measures through the news of a hack at your company. Here are 4 ways penetration testing can help keep your company and its data safe.
1) Penetration tests are done as simulations
Penetration tests are carried out like the real thing. When you have a professional company doing the penetration testing they are going to attack just the way an actual malicious entity will. The only difference is that the professionals aren’t going to steal or corrupt your data – just show you what will happen if anyone tried to attack you. Your security team will not get a heads up – the attack will happen when discussed between you and the professionals.
2) Penetration tests show real world results
The most interesting part of a penetration test isn’t the fact that the penetration is mostly successful but what companies do once it is successful. It is important to keep the data safe and it is also important to have a plan in case there is a breach. Penetration testing puts your employees and security system to a real world test that gives you an idea about how much damage can be done to your company by a malicious entity.
3) Your vulnerabilities become clear
Companies with lots of sensitive data like banks and investment houses pay some of the best hackers in the world to perform penetration tests on their systems. This way they are able to patch up any vulnerability which the hackers are aware of and thus create a system that is more secure than ever before. Imagine that you had a safe and you hired the best safe picker to open the safe. Then you ask the lock picker how they managed to break the safe and make that method obsolete. This is what you do with your network after penetration testing.
4) You get an outsider’s view of your security systems.
Here’s a big problem; your security team probably thinks your data is secure, but they are the ones who created the security protocols and systems. It is hard to find faults in our own work. When you opt for a penetration test you get a fresh set of eyes looking for vulnerabilities in the system which is important. Once the penetration test is complete you will have a complete knowledge of how your system can be better protected. Once you have upgraded your security protocols and systems you can opt for another penetration test to find out if you are still vulnerable in some way. Remember, if the hackers know they cannot get in one way they will try a new way and if you keep shutting down the new ways you will become close to becoming impregnable.
