Cyberattacks often occur when you least expect them. One moment, everything can be running smoothly; the next, you’re dealing with a ransomware message, a data breach, or a client asking how their sensitive information ended up on the dark web.
Cybercriminals thrive on this unpredictability, persistently probing your systems, policies, and employees with a variety of attacks designed to catch you off guard. To safeguard your business effectively, you must think like a hacker and test your own defenses before someone else does. Performing a penetration test by hiring a professional firm or a professional ethical hacker to conduct penetration testing can help you do just that.
What is penetration testing?
Penetration testing, also known as pen testing, is a practical security exercise to simulate real-world cyberattacks on your systems with your permission. It replicates how actual hackers think and behave, using a mix of technical exploits and tricks to uncover weak spots in your network, applications, and security protocols.
A typical penetration test might involve:
- Scanning networks for open ports that could act as digital entry points
- Exploiting known vulnerabilities in outdated software or misconfigured systems
- Checking your website for security issues such as weak encryption and generic passwords
- Running mock social engineering attacks, including phishing, to test whether employees can be tricked into giving sensitive information
- Attempting privilege escalation, where a hacker gains access to sensitive data or controls by exploiting loopholes in system permissions
The undeniable benefits of penetration testing
Penetration tests provide valuable insight that can help you:
Uncover hidden weaknesses
Every business has blind spots. These might include an overlooked server with outdated firmware, a misconfigured firewall, or an employee who unknowingly clicks on a malicious link. A penetration test helps identify these and other vulnerabilities through real-world scenarios, providing you with a more comprehensive understanding of your company's risk exposure.
Measure security awareness
A company’s security doesn’t only depend on technical measures. It also relies on the awareness and actions of its employees. Penetration testing can assess how well your employees handle potential threats, manage data, and follow security protocols.
For instance, if an ethical hacker sends your team a realistic-looking phishing email during a test and several fall for it, that’s a clear signal your cybersecurity training needs work.
Prioritize and strengthen your defenses
Rather than taking a shotgun approach to your security strategies, you can focus on fortifying and prioritizing the areas highlighted by penetration testing as most vulnerable. For example, if you know your network is especially susceptible to malware, you’ll know to beef up your antivirus software and install advanced threat prevention systems instead of wasting money on unnecessary security measures.
Build trust with customers and partners
Your customers expect their personal data to be secure. A penetration test helps demonstrate that you’ve taken proactive steps to prevent breaches, which can be a powerful differentiator in competitive markets.
Support regulatory compliance
Many industries have specific requirements around cybersecurity, especially those dealing with financial data, healthcare information, or personal identifiers. Penetration testing can help meet standards such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, or ISO 27001, and give you the documentation to prove it during an audit.
Save time and money
Downtime, lost data, reputational damage, and regulatory fines are all potential consequences of a successful cyberattack. By identifying and fixing vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them, penetration testing helps mitigate these risks and ultimately saves your organization tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential damages.
Does my small and medium-sized business even need penetration testing?
While penetration testing may seem like a highly technical and expensive process only reserved for large corporations, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can greatly benefit from it as well. SMBs are often considered more vulnerable to cyberattacks because of their limited resources and potentially weaker security defenses. Performing regular penetration tests enables you to take proactive steps to understand your weaknesses and safeguard your systems.
Ultimately, penetration testing gives your business the upper hand against malicious hackers. If you need a cybersecurity expert to fully assess your systems, contact Fidelis today. We offer the insights and strategies necessary to secure your business.
