In an era dominated by technology, the security of our digital infrastructure is paramount. As businesses and organisations stove to protect sensitive data from malicious actors, the role of cybersecurity becomes increasingly crucial. One of the integral components in ensuring robust digital security is penetration testing services.
Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) represents a distinctive delivery framework, setting it apart from traditional systems.This approach provides organisations with more frequent and cost-effective access to the organisations. PTaaS establishes a collaborative platform between service providers and client organisations , empowering them to consistently identify and address vulnerabilities.
In the past, penetration testing services were constrained to one-to-two times annually due to contractual limitations. PTaaS revolutionises this landscape enabling organisations to conduct these tests daily or after each code change.
Types of Penetration Testing Services
There are two types of penetration testing:
- Manual Penetration Testing Services
- Automated Penetration Testing Services
Manual Penetration Testing Services
Manual penetration testing involves human security professionals actively and methodically probing an organisation’s systems, networks , applications or other digital assets to identify and exploit vulnerabilities. Manual penetration testing relies on the expertise and creativity of skilled ethical hackers to stimulate real-world cyber attacks.
Some of the key aspects of manual penetration testing include:
Human Expertise: Manual penetration testing is conducted by experienced cybersecurity professionals who possess a deep understanding of various attack vectors, security protocols and the latest cyber threats. Their expertise allows them to identify nuanced vulnerabilities that automated tools might overlook.
Stimulated Attack Scenarios: Ethical hackers conducting manual pentesting stimulate the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) of real attackers. This involves a combination of technical skills , creativity and the ability to think like a potential adversary to uncover vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
Customised Approach: Manual pentesting allows for a customised and targeted approach based on the unique characteristics of the organisation being assessed. This includes consideration of specific business processes, applications and potential areas of concern.
Real-World Stimulation: By replicating real-world cyber threats , manual penetration testing provides a more accurate representation of an organisation’s security posture. This approach helps organisations understand how well their defences can withstand sophisticated attacks.
Adaptability: Manual penetration testing allows penetration testers to adapt their strategies based on the evolving threat landscape and emerging vulnerabilities. This flexibility is crucial in addressing novel attack vectors and staying ahead of potential cyber threats.
In-Depth Analysis: Ethical hackers conducting manual penetration testing performs in-depth analysis of identified vulnerabilities providing detailed information about the potential impact and recommended remediation strategies. This helps organisations prioritise and address security issues effectively.
Traditionally, businesses have engaged ethical hackers or sought the services of security consulting firms for penetration testing services. Manual penetration testing , characterised by thoroughness and meticulousness, come with a significant price, tag and complexity.
As a result, these assessments are conducted sparingly, often occurring once in every quarter or even annually. Moreover, the outcomes of penetration testing services can be unpredictable, given variations in the skill levels among testers- some demonstrating high proficiency , while others may not perform as effectively.
Automated Penetration Testing Services
The concept of Penetration Testing has evolved with the introduction of a new approach called Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS)
In this innovative model , a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform equips organisations with automated tools to conduct penetration testing internally.
The penetration testing can be implemented in a fully self-service manner, empowering the organisation’s security or development teams. Alternatively, it can operate in a hybrid model where the penetration testing companies not only furnishes a technological platform but also collaborates with its own security experts. This collaborative approach involves guiding penetration testing efforts and providing valuable recommendations and remediation.
Automated penetration testing offers several key aspects that contribute to their effectiveness and efficiency in assessing cybersecurity.
- Efficiency: Automated penetration testing can rapidly scan and analyse large volumes of code, network configurations or applications , providing a quick and comprehensive overview of potential vulnerabilities.
- Consistency: Automated penetration testing ensures a consistent and standardised approach to security assessments, reducing the likelihood of human errors thus ensuring a thorough coverage of the testing scope.
- Scalability: Automated penetration testing is well suited for large-scale environments, allowing organisations to assess the security of extensive networks, numerous applications efficiently.
- Continuous Monitoring: Automated penetration testing can be scheduled regularly enabling organisations to perform security assessments continuously, helping identify and address vulnerabilities promptly.
- Cost-Friendly: Automated penetration testing can be more economical compared to manual penetration testing services, especially when dealing with routine or repetitive assessments. This allows organisations to allocate resources strategically.
- Speed: Automated penetration testing can quickly identify vulnerabilities, helping organisations meet tight deadlines and address security concerns pro-actively.
- Baseline Security Checks: Automated penetration testing often includes baseline security checks for known vulnerabilities, ensuring that fundamental security measures are in place.
- Regulatory Compliance: Automated penetration testing can assist organisations in meeting regulatory compliance requirements by systematically checking for known vulnerabilities and potential security gaps.
- Broad Coverage: Automated penetration testing tools can assess various layers of an organisation’s digital infrastructure including networks, applications, databases and cloud environments providing a holistic view of potential security services.
It is essential to note that while automated penetration testing offers these advantages ,it may not replace the need of manual penetration testing.
Especially when dealing with complex or unique vulnerabilities that require human expertise, creativity and a deeper understanding of the organisation’s specific context. Combining automated and manual penetration testing services provide the most comprehensive and effective security assessment.
Related Reading:How often should you Perform Penetration Testing?
Types of Penetration Testing Services
Penetration testing services can be applied to several facets of the IT infrastructure. Pentesting is a strategic approach to identify vulnerabilities and enhance the resilience of the security posture. However, the efficiency of these penetration testing lies not only in their application but also in their alignment with the unique needs of an organisation’s IT ecosystem.
Depending upon the purpose and objectives, there are various types of penetration testing services that a company can use to audit the security of a business’s infrastructure. It is best to conduct these pen tests on your applications as part of your security regime. The most common ones are as follows :
Network Security Testing
In this kind of penetration testing, businesses pay for , in order to discover their weakest points. In doing so , they allow the ethical hackers to attempt to break into their network by using any means necessary. This helps in evaluating vulnerabilities in the network infrastructure including servers, firewalls, routers and printers.
Network Security Testing serves several benefits to your business like
✅Preventing Network & Data breaches
✅Understanding your network benchmarks
✅Identifying security flaws
✅Assessing risk
Related Reading: How to Perform a Comprehensive Network Security Audit
Web Application Test
Web application penetration testing focuses on discovering weaknesses of web apps or API’s.
The web application testing should include :
👉Unit Penetration Testing : Testing parts of the code base through unit tests in Java and Python.
👉System Penetration Testing : Testing the workings of the website at the level of user interface and features like login, sign-up which validate parts of the website working together
👉Acceptance Penetration Testing : This is usually the final stage of testing in which the fully assembled application with data is tested in a live or pre-production environment. This involves testing with actual or mock users.
Client Side Penetration Testing
This type of penetration testing focus on the vulnerabilities in the front-end of the organisation such as Email Clients, Web Browsers , Microsoft Word , Adobe Acrobat, Macromedia Flash and others. Client Side security assessments are tedious if done manually.
Wireless Network Testing:
Wireless penetration testing analyses the security of the connections between devices connected to a business wifi including :
✅Smartphones
✅laptops
✅Tablets
✅Bluetooth Devices
and any other device that can connect to the internet. By putting the security of your wireless footprint to the test, penetration testers can evaluate your security and propose solutions to strengthen it.
API Penetration Testing
As Application Programming interfaces (APIs) become integral to modern information systems, API penetration testing emerges as a crucial layer. This involves meticulous examination of an API’s structure and commands, checking for vulnerabilities like weak authentication, code injection and potential data exposure.
Social Engineering
It is a technique used by ethical hackers to test and explore the security vulnerabilities from a cyber intruder practice. It includes both physical and remote testing .
Remote Penetration Testing tries to trick a user into giving sensitive information such as their logon credentials. Physical Penetration Testing analyses ways where someone can physically gain access to sensitive data, such as doors that have been left unlocked, financial files that have been left open on the employee’s desk.
The Bottom Line
With cyber-attacks increasingly sophisticated and forever on the rise, it is more important than ever that organisations perform regular penetration testing to identify their black holes and ensure that cyber controls are working as intended. Think of pentesting as regular medical check-ups. Consistently checking the robustness of cybersecurity measures is vital for any business. These tests help the organisation take a proactive stance in order to develop effective controls that are able to keep up with the ever evolving cyber threat landscape.
