Penetration Testing Q&A
A vulnerability assessments refers to a high level scan that is used to uncover potential, common security issues. Its basically an overview of what could be a problem for your environment. A penetration test takes it to the next level.
Vulnerability assessments are used as a tool in a true network penetration test. The vulnerability assessment is used to uncover potential problems, while the penetration test shows what could happen in a real-time attack against a live system.
It’s the difference between reading about what could happen and seeing what happens. Additionally, the vulnerability assessment will generally only uncover technical issues and not any potential threats from the human component of managing security.
Cyber-attacks continue to bombard organizations at an ever-increasing rate. The Ponemon Institute estimates that in 2020 a data breach cost an average of 3.86 million dollars, and the expense is only rising.
Penetration testing offers your organization a chance to identify and mitigate your risks, before they become a liability. With penetration testing your business can:
- Identify your vulnerabilities before cyber criminals can
- Help enhance your overall security posture and lower overall risk.
- Ensure your organization meets government and compliance regulations
- Maintain the public’s trust by building your organization’s reputation of having good security practices
The short answer is Yes. While statistics show that larger organizations in specific industries like finance and healthcare tend to be higher-value targets to cyber criminals; research also shows that cybercriminals are opportunistic.
Any opportunity that may present itself for malicious actors to access or steal personal information, healthcare data, and financial data is a potential threat to your environment, regardless of your size.
Web application penetration testing is an in-depth series of steps targeted at collecting information about the target web application and locating weaknesses or flaws. It also involves analyzing the exploits that will overpower or compromise the web application due to any identified or pre-existing vulnerabilities.
Web application penetration testing is comparable to a typical penetration test, but its focus is to detect and exploit any existing vulnerabilities within a web application.
Most businesses will want to know how long testing their environment will take. Every project scoped is different. We have run simple engagements that have lasted only a few days, to more complex projects that have lasted several weeks. The complexity and location of the facility along with the sensitivity of the information, and size of the environment help determine the schedule. After scoping the project, our team can propose a detailed schedule and estimate before any testing work begins.
Wireless networks are vital for providing access to systems and data, but they can also act as an entry point for cyber criminals. Most wireless attacks can be done remotely, which makes them a preferred choice to attackers over social engineering or physical breaches.
Another misconception with wireless networks is that once they are set up, they are secure. Improperly configured environments can impact employees’ productivity, network security, or the data present in the environment.
A wireless network penetration test addresses these concerns by examining several key components to wireless security. Considerations such as your access point configuration, encryption key strength, proper network segmentation, and rogue access point detection capabilities are all examined during a wireless penetration test. In addition, heat mapping should be done to determine the proper placement of your access points to minimize exposure from external sources.