Conducting regular penetration tests is essential when trying to protect a business’s sensitive assets from nefarious or malicious hackers and criminals. However, just like any other test, preparation is key. The organization needs to take the proper steps to ensure the penetration test is successful and to ensure they can fend off potential attackers.
Regular pentesting is something that’s considered mandatory by audit frameworks for a business and it will provide real-world insight into how hackers may exploit vulnerabilities. The testing also provides a prioritized approach to managing any high-risk findings. A few tips to help ensure the penetration testing is successful can be found here.
Define the Business Objectives
Understanding what a business’s critical assets are and where they live is crucial to protect them. By defining set goals before completing a penetration test, it is possible to learn where the business risks are the greatest and make the remediations needed to improve security at the organizations based on the test’s findings.
The “test” provides a good assessment of if the security processes and controls in place are fulfilling the intent. Setting the scope before the engagement will help a person specify how far they want the test to go.
Perform Vulnerability Scans
According to best practices, it is necessary to perform vulnerability scans on a quarterly basis, which will help to keep vulnerability remediation more manageable. By conducting these scans every three months during the year, a business owner will know if they have missed any known vulnerabilities or patches preparing for the penetration testing.
Define the Hardening Standards
Creating a checklist that outlines the guidelines for hardening the systems and network is a crucial step in preparing any business for a penetration test and to protect the network against the possibility of a malicious attack. Hardening standards will help to secure a system by reducing the total surface of vulnerability.
Dedicate the Penetration Testing Team
Since the dedicated penetration testing team is ready with various backups that are ready to restore systems to recover any data. Those handling the testing also need to prepare to work with the penetration tester to accomplish the goals of the business.
Find an Experienced and Qualified Penetration Tester
If a company is searching for a quality penetration tester, they will want to find someone with a track record of success. Engaging in penetration testing represents a significant investment. As a result, it’s crucial to ask questions during the process of vendor-vetting to learn the needed background information about the people or company being considered.
When penetration testing is handled properly, it can be an invaluable investment for any business. Finding the right tester is essential to ensure the most value is achieved from this testing process. Being informed and knowing how to make the most of penetration testing will ensure that any business gets the desired results and is able to find the vulnerabilities that exist in their network. Knowing where these weaknesses are is the best way to ensure they are fixed.