The Plain English Guide to: Penetration Testing

Introduction 

Have you ever considered inviting a cyber-attacker to take aim at your organisation and see how far they could get? 

Probably not. But that’s exactly the thinking behind penetration testing – and it’s a powerful tool to help businesses shed some light on areas where they could make improvements to their cybersecurity setup.  

After all, if you don’t know where your IT system’s weaknesses are, how can you effectively defend it against potential attack? In this Plain English Guide, we’ll take a deep dive into penetration testing and why it’s something your business should probably already be doing.  

What is Penetration Testing? 

Penetration testing, also known as pen testing, or sometimes ethical hacking, is a type of security testing used to identify vulnerabilities and security flaws in an IT system or network. It involves a simulated attack on the system to assess its ability to detect and respond to malicious activity. In today’s data-rich world, penetration testing is quickly becoming an essential tool in defending against cyber-attacks, especially for companies which hold a lot of data about their customers, transactions, and more.  

Penetration testing is a valuable tool for protecting corporate systems and networks from malicious attacks. Not only can it detect potential weaknesses in an IT system, but it can also determine how well the system is protected from hackers and other malicious actors. This type of ethical hacking can also be used by businesses (and their Managed Service Providers) to help to identify areas of improvement in an IT system, and allow organisations to take the necessary steps to make their systems more secure. 

Types of Penetration Tests 

Penetration testing can be a complex topic, but because this is a Plain English Guide, we’ll do our best to break it down into its core components to help you better decide whether it’s a useful strategy for your business.  

At a high level, there are two main types of penetration tests that you should know about as a business owner: 

• White box testing: This type of test is conducted by an external company, and usually involves the detailed analysis of internal systems and networks. This type of test is often used to assess the security of a company’s network and system infrastructure. 
• Black box testing: Again, this type of test is conducted by an external company, but instead it focuses on analysing external systems and networks. For example, a black box test will often focus on an organisation’s public-facing assets, such as the website or any web applications they may have made available.  

What does the ideal Penetration Test look like? 

Ideally, a penetration test should be conducted on a regular basis, and should include the following elements: 

• Scope. A clear definition of the scope of the test, including the systems to be tested and the core objectives of the test. 
• Environment. The environment within which the simulated attack will take place should match the organisation’s setup as closely as possible.  
• Methodology. A clear methodology for conducting the test should be set out, including the tools and techniques to be used. Critically, penetration testing should be carried out using the same tools and techniques which cyber-criminals are currently using. Because cyber-crime is such as fast-moving world, penetration testing should be carried out on a regular basis.
• Reporting. Of course, following a successful penetration test, detailed reports should be produced which will outline any vulnerabilities and security flaws that have been identified during the test. It’s this information which forms the building blocks of the mitigation strategy going forward.  
• Remediation. Recommendations should be provided to help address any vulnerabilities or security flaws that have been identified. 

What to do after a successful Penetration Test 

After the completion of a successful penetration test, there are various steps which an organisation should consider in order to make best use of the data.  

While these may differ from company to company, they can broadly be broken down into the following steps:  

• Report analysis. Before any changes can be made, an organisation’s stakeholders need to carefully analyse the reports produced by the test and document any security flaws, holes, or vulnerabilities found in internal or external systems.  
• Action any remediation steps. Take the necessary steps to address the areas of weakness or vulnerability identified by the testing. This could be something as simple as updating software, or something as complex as replacing entire IT hardware infrastructure.  
• Monitoring for changes. Once any corrective steps have been taken, it’s important to verify that the changes have plugged the holes, so to speak. Comprehensive monitoring of the areas of weakness identified by the penetration test can help achieve this.  
• Regular testing going forward. As mentioned above, it’s vital to regularly conduct penetration tests to ensure the system or network is secure and any potential vulnerabilities have been addressed. Not only that, but because cyber-attacks are always evolving, previously secure systems can become exposed almost overnight.  
   

While it may not seem like it at the time, a successful penetration test is really a positive thing. Why? Because, even though security flaws were found in your systems, you got to them before a criminal did, meaning your data remains protected and your businesses remains safe and secure from malicious attacks.  

Does your business really need Penetration Testing? 

With so much data being transferred and processed as part of day-to-day business operations in a modern business, penetration testing is becoming an essential tool in most organisations’ security infrastructure.  

A properly managed and deployed penetration testing routine can offer in-depth insights into your organisation’s IT systems and help protect everything from employee email addresses to customer’s financial transaction data.  

So, does your business really need to carry out penetration testing? To help you make a more informed decision, consider the following benefits of penetration testing:  

• It can help pin-point vulnerabilities. You can’t do anything about a hole in the boat unless you know about it, and penetration testing can help you identify and plug these weaknesses in your network security that may not be visible during regular security scans. This allows you to address any potential problems before they become a serious issue. 
• Your organisation’s overall IT security will improve. By carrying out a comprehensive security assessment, you can ensure that your systems are secure and up to date at all times. You can then use the results of the penetration tests to make any necessary changes or upgrades, increasing the overall security of your organisation. 
• It’s cost-effective (especially compared to the alternative). Penetration testing is more cost-effective than other security measures – especially when it comes to repairing or remediating large-scale data breaches, which could potentially destroy a business.  
• It provides a birds-eye view of your security. Penetration testing offers a comprehensive and detailed view of your organisation’s security setup. Rather than waiting for cybersecurity issues to rear their heads, penetration testing allows you to get ahead of potential breaches and plug any glaring security gaps before the worst happens.  
• Peace of mind and reassurance. With a robust penetration testing regime, you can rest assured knowing that your organisation’s IT systems are secure and up to date – and that your customer and internal data is well-protected.  

Need expert help to manage your penetration testing? 

Whether this is the first time you’ve heard of penetration testing, or it’s something you’ve been thinking about for a while and you’d like to get the ball rolling, the Get Support team is here to help. 

With our decades of experience delivering IT support to countless UK businesses, we can help you plan and execute a penetration testing strategy which delivers everything we’ve discussed in this guide, and more.  

To discuss penetration testing with our team of experts, and to start improving your company’s IT security today, just call us on 01865 594 000 or fill in the form below.