Maintaining cybersecurity and regulatory compliance for data privacy is of the utmost importance for businesses in almost every field—but doing it effectively is a moving target. Hackers are continually seeking new ways to gain unauthorized access to your systems, so the external threats you need to guard against are constantly evolving. On top of that, every new application, cloud platform, or software update can potentially introduce new vulnerabilities into your network.
A comprehensive cybersecurity strategy doesn’t just put safeguards in place and hope they’ll do the trick, although that is a critical component of protecting your business and the technology that keeps it running. To be truly effective, businesses should proactively search for gaps in their security and remediate them before cybercriminals can exploit those weaknesses. The best way to do this is to conduct a penetration test.
What Penetration Testing Does
A penetration test answers an important question: if a hacker attacked your network right now, what information or controls would they be able to gain access to? You might think you know where your data is at risk or that you don’t have any significant problems to worry about, but it’s all too likely there are gaps you’re unaware of. The best way to get an accurate picture of your potential vulnerabilities is to run a penetration test before your company is the victim of a cyberattack.
This type of analysis is a hands-on simulation of an attempted hack, run by a trained cybersecurity expert. They use the same kinds of tools and techniques that a hacker trying to infiltrate your system would to actively hunt for and safely exploit gaps in your network. The result is a full picture of both the weaknesses in your system and the information that could potentially be compromised should a criminal attempt to take advantage of those flaws.
After a penetration test, you’ll get an in-depth report that points out exactly where your areas of greatest risk lie and what needs to be done to plug the holes in your security. Ideally, penetration tests should be used both periodically to back up a regular schedule of vulnerability scans (a mostly automated process that can detect potential weaknesses but which doesn’t dig further) and as needed after major network changes to confirm that new flaws haven’t been introduced.
Protecting Your Organization
When it comes to cyberattacks, an ounce of prevention is worth much more than a pound of cure. While you might be able to recover your data and restore your systems, you may never get back a full measure of trust from your clients if your breach exposes their information. Careful Security can conduct a rigorous penetration test to reveal your vulnerabilities and recommend fixes before it’s too late.
Our penetration testing is part of our full suite of services designed to put the appropriate safeguards in place, improve cybersecurity awareness within your organization, and meet increasingly tough regulatory requirements for data security. We can help you navigate the digital world with confidence.
We also offer cybersecurity training for in-house IT departments through our Careful Security Academy. With all kinds of cyberattacks on the rise, specialized knowledge within your organization can help maintain a strong defense and give early warning of potential problems. Our training is designed to give our students real-world cybersecurity skills that directly apply to the types of problems they are likely to encounter in the workplace, including basic penetration test techniques. Our virtual format is convenient for working professionals to access. We know that your time is valuable, so our team will work with your organization to develop a curricular plan for your staff that will give them the skills they need quickly.
Forewarned is Forearmed
If you’re not sure how your organization would deal with a data breach or ransomware attack, Careful Security can help. Our services help give your business a secure cybersecurity footing and provide the knowledge you need to protect against cyber threats. Email or Call us to find out more about our penetration testing and cybersecurity education programs.
