You should continually assess your organization’s cyber security since threats are evolving rapidly. There are many types of penetration testing available, so choosing the right one can be confusing. This guide will help you understand what information pen test providers need to scope and price engagements.
The Basics
Penetration testing is an ethical cybersecurity assessment that identifies, safely exploits, and removes IT security vulnerabilities to reduce risks. In addition to regular pen tests, it is recommended that organizations conduct additional tests during major infrastructure changes, new product launches, mergers, and acquisitions, or in preparation for compliance.
Find Holes In Your Security To See What Can Be Improved
Your business can choose from a variety of penetration testing options. Below is a list of factors to consider when choosing a pen test.
The Outcomes
It’s important to establish your goals before choosing a type of penetration test. A system or application might be subject to vulnerability testing, or a real-world cyber-attack may be simulated to assess detection and response capabilities, or an insider threat scenario may be replicated.
Your Budget
Make sure you spend your security budget where it can help you most. It makes sense, for example, to focus testers’ attention on the areas most at risk if you only have a two-day budget for the assessment. Although penetration testing can save your business thousands of dollars you still need to work out your budget first.
Compliance
You may have to decide on the type of penetration test your business needs based on compliance regulations. Organizations that process card payments, for example, must perform internal and external pen testing to determine whether the environment is secure enough to store cardholder data.
Types Of Pen Testing
In the list below, pen test providers can find a list of the most popular types of penetration testing as well as information they commonly request. Considering the variety of pen tests available, it is important to ensure that any details you provide are correct to receive a proper quotation.
Network Penetration Testing
Evaluation of internal and external network infrastructures designed to test network hosts, firewalls, firewall rules, switches, and routers.
Wireless Penetration Testing
Testing the wireless local area network (WLAN) and/or wireless protocols, such as Bluetooth and ZigBee, of an organization. Provides an analysis of rogue access points, weak encryption, and WPA vulnerabilities.
Web Application Testing
Identifying problems resulting from design, coding, and development weaknesses through a test of web applications and websites.
Mobile Application Testing
A test that identifies issues with authentication, authorization, data leakage, and session handling for mobile applications running on mobile operating systems, such as Android, iOS, Windows, and Blackberry.
Build and Configuration Review
Identify and resolve misconfigurations across the web and application servers, routers, and firewalls in the network by reviewing network builds and configurations.
Simulation Testing
It is also important to decide if you need a white box or a black box penetration test before deciding on what type you need.
Whitebox testing involves sharing target network and system information before a breach with ethical hackers. Source code, details of infrastructure, diagrams of networks, or developer insight can be included as appropriate.
Blackbox tests, on the other hand, give the hackers no information about the environment they must test, so they must conduct reconnaissance to gather information.
Blackbox tests are more accurate representations of a real attack scenario, so they are preferred by organizations looking to mimic the approach of a genuine adversary.
Choosing A Penetration Test Provider
When hiring someone to conduct a pen test, you should look for a service provider whose expertise not only identifies vulnerabilities but enables remediation of those vulnerabilities as well.
With accredited pen testing services, an IT company can uncover and address complex vulnerabilities within your network, wireless networks, web apps, mobile applications, network builds and configurations, and more.