With the increasing cases of cyber-attacks, business owners and enterprises have been forced to take more robust measures in making their computer networks more secure. One of the common ways to avert possible cyber-attacks is to perform regular penetration testing, which requires you to hire a penetration testing consultant to look for weak points in your network.
As you look for a penetration tester for your network, it’s important to make sure they have the required skills, qualifications, and experience to perform the job properly. Although there’s no overall industry regulation that requires every pen tester to be licensed, it’s vital to choose a licensed tester. But what is a licensed penetration tester (LPT)?
With a licensed LPT, you’re guaranteed to get high-quality pen-testing services because the tester has gone through rigorous training and inspection to ensure they meet the latest industry standards. A license also shows that the tester is willing to go the extra mile to become fully qualified and advance their career.
So, even as you think about the cost of hiring a pen tester, your priority should be to find a qualified and reliable network security expert with all the necessary certifications and licenses.
What Is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing is a simulated cyber-attack authorized by a business owner or an enterprise to test the strength and weaknesses of their computer network. This testing is performed by a qualified network security expert who has the working knowledge to maneuver complex network security controls to find any exploitable vulnerability in the network.
Concerning the security of web apps, a pen tester normally augments the web app firewall (WAF) to identify vulnerabilities. Once they identify weak points in your network, they’ll make recommendations and advise you on the immediate security measures to take to prevent current and future attacks.
Penetration testing is a continuous activity that should be done periodically to ensure that your network’s security is up-to-date. Cybercriminals are inventing new and sophisticated techniques and tools to help them bypass even the strongest firewalls. Therefore, you must stay ahead of them by testing your network continuously and blocking all weak points before attackers exploit them.
Crucial Stages of Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is a profound process with various stages that your pen tester must follow meticulously. Here are the five main stages of pen testing:
Planning and Exploration
Your penetration tester must understand the main objectives of performing the test so that they can figure out the best way to align the test with the goals. Therefore, you must help them to define the goals of the test by providing them with as much information as possible. Once they understand the objectives, they can easily plan the test and gather as much intelligence as they need.
Scanning
Your pen tester needs to have the right scanning tools to help them understand how every target responds to an intrusion.
Access
The tester must attempt to gain unauthorized access to your network to identify the weak access points. Remember that the main goal of this test is to uncover the network’s vulnerabilities.
Maintaining Access
They should also imitate APTs to see whether a weak point can be exploited by attackers to maintain access.
Evaluation and WAF Configuration
The tester must evaluate the results of the test and use them to configure WA settings. They should run another pen test before giving your network a clean bill of health.
Why Penetration Testing Is Important
Proper Risk Management
Pen testing gives you a baseline upon which you’ll work to manage the risk of attacks by cybercriminals. By identifying the weak points in your network, you can take the right preventive measures to avert any attempts to attack your network.
Better Business Continuity
When your insecure network is breached by malicious attackers, it might collapse or become too slow to perform its intended purpose. This will negatively affect your business continuity.
Today, business rivals hire cyber attackers to attack their competitors’ networks and interfere with their business continuity, which is why you need regular pen tests to identify any loopholes that the attackers might exploit.
Client Protection
Security breaches will affect not only your network but also your clients, partners, and other stakeholders. So, your pen tests will help you to build trust and confidence in your company by making your clients and internal and external stakeholders safe.
Security Investment Evaluation
Penetration testing will help you understand the prevailing security posture and identify potential points of weakness. This offers you an independent view of how secure your network is.
For the most highly qualified freelance penetration testers, be sure to head to Guru. Our wide range of experienced professionals means you’ll find the perfect candidate to keep your network as secure as possible, no matter what your budget may be.
Looking for information on how much it costs to hire a penetration testing company? Check out our latest post!
