Cybercrime is one of the vital problems that nearly all companies face in this age of information and technology. While some businesses believe they have a low chance of being the targets of cyberattacks, it’s worth noting that according to DataPro, companies worldwide fall victim to ransomware attacks every 11 seconds daily.
Accordingly, a business could face several negative consequences if it experiences a cyberattack, such as ransomware or a data breach. In particular, a cyberattack can cause reputational damage, business disruption, data loss, financial loss, and lawsuits. That’s why thriving businesses hire IT professionals like the Cyber security services in Los Angeles to protect their companies from cyberattacks.
Furthermore, regular penetration testing is another excellent method to prevent cybersecurity risks. It involves granting permission to professional pen testers to test and identify potential security risks in current and new networks, systems, and apps to prevent unauthorized access by cybercriminals.
That said, read the critical points below to know what exactly penetrating is and the benefits of performing this cybersecurity practice regularly.
What Is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing is a type of ethical hacking that’s also known as pen testing or security testing. It refers to the deliberate hacking into a company’s networks, computer systems, applications, and websites by ‘white hat’ pen testers. They do this method to identify and expose vulnerabilities from various perspectives to build effective security protocols.
Beyond that, penetration testers can also use specialized testing tools and techniques to examine the robustness of a company’s cybersecurity. Notably, security professionals test a company’s regulatory compliance, security awareness of team members, and ability to recognize and respond to cybersecurity issues like unauthorized access.
Furthermore, there are various reasons to perform this security practice in your company. In particular, you should conduct penetration testing to mitigate cyber security risks, protect customer data, and maintain your brand reputation.
That said, here are the key advantages of performing regular penetration testing in your company:
1. Comprehensive Analysis Of Security Infrastructure
Conducting penetration testing provides a comprehensive analysis of your company’s IT infrastructure. And that in-depth analysis allows you to protect your computer systems, networks, applications, and users from malicious attempts to gain unauthorized access to your business data.
In particular, analyzing your company’s security infrastructure through pen testing can help reveal system vulnerabilities. Following the penetration testing process, pen testers will give a report that details the vulnerabilities in your networks and systems. The report also describes the problematic entry points and includes recommendations for system upgrades.
Furthermore, note that the security professionals’ goal is to realistically simulate attacks on your IT infrastructure using black hat techniques. Hence, after identifying weaknesses in your systems, they’ll exploit these vulnerabilities as black hat hackers. This technique helps you identify areas of your networks and systems needing security improvement.
In addition, knowing your security infrastructure’s vulnerabilities allows you to create an IT strategy to prevent cyberattacks. It reveals your security posture and ways to modify, optimize, and strengthen it.
2. Compliance With Industry Regulations
There are various reasons why companies should comply with security regulations and standards. In particular, companies find the need to adhere to certain security guidelines to protect business data from cybersecurity risks. Maintaining security compliance also shows potential business partners that you’ve done your due diligence to protect your business data.
In addition, many businesses are compelled to keep up with data protection standards imposed by external regulatory bodies like HIPAA, ISO27001, and PCI DSS. Compliance with industry regulations and standards can help you evade severe penalties. It also ensures that only users with the necessary credentials can access databases and systems containing sensitive business data.
The good thing is that performing penetration testing is an excellent way to adhere to security guidelines. And there are several ways to conduct this security practice. Notably, your IT department can run a penetration test regularly to assess your security infrastructure’s resilience to cyberattacks. Alternatively, you can hire security professionals like ethical hackers to conduct this process.
3. Protection From Financial Damage
Data is one of the crucial business assets. And ensuring its security isn’t a simple task. A data breach in a company’s system can result in severe financial loss. In fact, according to IBM’s 2019 report, the average data breach cost to organizations and companies is approximately USD$3.92 million. In addition to financial damage, a company’s services, network, and application disruptions can hurt its reputation.
The good thing is that you can avoid costly data breaches and harming your brand reputation by regular penetration testing. Penetration testers will examine your company’s internet-connected systems for security weaknesses and potential data vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could use to compromise your data and network’s confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Conclusion
Overall, companies should conduct penetration testing regularly to prevent security threats. This security practice can provide valuable insights into your IT infrastructure’s strengths and weaknesses when done regularly. You’ll also avoid costly data breaches and ensure you’re keeping up with data compliance and security regulations.
