Penetration testing

3 Things Penetration Testing Does for You

Penetration testing can prove to be invaluable for your company.  In essence, you employ the services of an experienced third-party professional to break into your systems, which provides you with a network security stress test. Think of it as training against fighting a real live enemy – like a boxer sparring with another opponent to train for the main event.

The penetration test is to give you a wealth of valuable knowledge about your IT infrastructure. You can use this information to both improve your network security and learn how to defend against future cyberattacks in a more efficient manner.

In real-world terms, penetration tests do three helpful things for your business.

They reveal your vulnerabilities

How they do it:

When an “ethical hacker” attempts to exploit system vulnerabilities, they’ll typically go about it using one of three main methods. These methods include white box, black box, and gray box testing.

You can learn more about how they work and the individual benefits they offer from our free whitepaper. Regardless of the approach, each variant of the penetration test will attempt to break into your IT systems and gather as much information as possible.

What you gain:

The break-in will provide a comprehensive breakdown of the vulnerable sectors of your network. With those results, you’ll be able to tangibly gauge the level of risk you face against cyberattacks, hackers, and viruses.

Pending the results of the test, you’ll have a better understanding of where you need to bolster security efforts within your IT infrastructure.

They show your files at risk

How they do it:

The goal of the ethical hacker is to learn as much as possible about your network infrastructure. Think of it as a row of dominos ready to fall. The hacker will use each bit of knowledge they gain from the penetration test to burrow further into the system and gain even more knowledge.

This is where it gets scary. When they have sufficient access, they can begin to access files through directories and security holes on the back end of your network.

What you gain:

Much like knowing your weak infrastructure areas, the penetration test will also tell you exactly which files and folders are at the biggest risk of being compromised and why. Conversely, the test will also reveal which files and folders are hardest to crack.

You can use this knowledge to build a more secure network. You can copy the security configurations of the best-protected files and folders and apply them to other areas of your file structure, thereby boosting your overall data security.

They give your staff valuable experience

How they do it:

A penetration test is the closest you’ll ever want to get to a real cyberattack. They’re effective in their methodology because they are the real thing – they use the same hacking tools and get the same results as a real attack (without the same fallout).

The main difference between the two is that the penetration testers will share the results of how they managed to enter your systems, so that you can make improvements. Your employees should also be aware of the test going on, so that they can recognize the signs and symptoms of the undergoing attack and support follow-on efforts to incorporate the feedback and changes.

What you gain:

Hopefully, none of your employees will ever have to experience a cyberattack. But if they do, they can use the knowledge that gained from the penetration test to mitigate any damage done to the network. They’ll also have a better understanding of network security best practices to keep your business’s data safer as a whole.

Professional Penetration Testing with DMS

When conducting a penetration test, it’s important to use a third-party service with knowledge and experience in the field. And perhaps more importantly, you’ll need a team of people that can analyze the results properly and deliver the most benefit from the test.

With DMS, you get all of that and more. Our certified technicians will conduct a thorough test that will tell you everything about your network security. After the test, we’ll work with you to find solutions to all vulnerabilities.
Want to know more about how any of it works? Feel free to reach out to us.