What Is Pen Testing and Why You Can’t Ignore It

Penetration testing, also called Pen testing, is a strategic security exercise where cybersecurity experts try to find and exploitable security vulnerabilities in an IT system. The purpose of this simulated attack is to identify any exploitable security vulnerabilities that can be accessed by cyber attackers. The mock cyberattack is triggered to test the effectiveness of integrated security measures in averting any cyberattack. Is Penetration testing useful for small businesses? Penetration testing is critical for small businesses, as startups and small businesses are the primary targets of cybercriminals.                                                                               

Why is Penetration Testing a Must for Enterprises: Legal Importance of Penetration Testing

Being proactive means anticipating future problems, needs, or changes and taking action appropriately. Penetration testing compliance is testing your applications against critical vulnerabilities defined by compliance framework requirements. Multiple compliance frameworks and standards regulate requirements for Pentesting, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and SOC2. Proactive Cyber Initiatives Act of 2022 states- “Each department or business must (1) conduct regular penetration testing on the information systems of such department or agency; and (2) provide to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Office of Management and Budget a report on the results of such testing, including identifying any risks discovered and describing how cybersecurity may be improved”.

Seven Benefits of Penetration Testing: Why Enterprises Need to Hire a Penetration Testing Company

The key benefits of hiring a third-party penetration tester include- 

1. Strategic Insights: Penetration testing provides data-driven insights beyond just identifying vulnerabilities that help organizations understand the potential impact of hidden security gaps on their data, operations, and reputation. 
2. Comprehensive Identification of Weaknesses: Penetration testing goes beyond automated scans to provide a thorough examination of a company's security infrastructure.
3. Mitigating Risks: Penetration testing enables enterprises to identify vulnerabilities and prioritize security risks effectively. The proactive approach enables enterprises to fine-tune their incident response procedures.
4. Continuous Improvement: Penetration testing is an ongoing process that helps businesses continuously improve their security posture. 
5. Competitive Advantage: Penetration testing presents a robust security posture, helping businesses to differentiate themselves from competitors and position themselves as secure and trustworthy partners.
6. Compliance and Regulatory Alignment: Penetration testing is a must to demonstrate compliance with industry standards and regulatory mandates. 
7. Confidence and Trust of Stakeholders: Demonstrating a commitment to cybersecurity helps organizations to instill confidence and trust among stakeholders like partners, investors, and customers. 

Six Types of Pen Testing

All penetration tests involve a simulated attack against a company's computer systems. However, different types of pen tests target different types of enterprise assets.

1. Application Pen Tests: The goal of application pentest is to identify vulnerabilities in apps and related systems, including web applications and websites, application programming interfaces (APIs), cloud apps, and mobile and IoT apps.
2. Network Pen Tests: Network pen tests are conducted to find out vulnerabilities in an entire computer network. There are two types of network pen tests- external network pen tests and internal Network pen tests.
3. Hardware Pen Tests/ IoT Pen Testing: Hardware pen tests are conducted to find out vulnerabilities in devices connected to the network, such as laptops, mobile, IoT devices, and operational technology (OT).
4. Social Engineering Pen Tests: Social engineering pen tests are conducted to find out vulnerabilities in employees' cybersecurity practices. These security tests the possibilities of social engineering attacks.
5. Blind Pen Tests: Blind pen tests, also known as closed box pen tests, are conducted without knowing about the system being attacked; they have access to just the name of the company and publicly accessible information.
6. Internal Pen Tests: An Internal pen test simulates an attack from the inside, having a certain level of access already granted.

Penetration Testing for Different Compliance Standards

Penetration Testing for PCI DSS Compliance: PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, a set of security standards designed to protect cardholder data and prevent fraud for organizations that handle credit card information. Requirement 11 of PCI DSS 3.2.1 specifically requires regular penetration testing. This requirement applies to merchants who need to complete a formal audit or fill out a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) C or SAQ D and to all Service Providers. Non-compliance with PCI DSS can lead to hefty fines and reputational damage. Fines for small businesses can be severe, ranging from $5,000 to as high as $50,000 per month.

Penetration Testing for HIPAA: The HIPAA Evaluation Standard § 164.308(a)(8) explicitly addresses medical information protection, privacy, and electronic sharing. Healthcare providers must regularly test their data security; failing to do so can result in fines ranging from $100 to $50,000 for each compromised record. 

Penetration Testing for SOC2: The SOC 2 framework includes two specific requirements related to vulnerability management and penetration testing. 

CC4.1 – Management employs ongoing evaluations, including penetration testing, independent certifications, and internal audits.

CC7.1 – The organizations apply detection and monitoring processes to identify configuration changes that could create new vulnerabilities and risks.

Penetration Testing for CMMC: CMMC compliance Pentesting ensures businesses working with the US Department of Defense (DoD) meet specific cybersecurity standards to protect sensitive information.

Since different types of penetration tests have distinct purposes and scopes, a specific penetration test may focus more heavily on a particular practice or omit others.

Seven Key Steps of Penetration Testing

The Industry best practices recommend providing world-class Cybersecurity services, following a roadmap for Penetration testing. 

• Pre-engagement: The tester and client define the scope of the penetration test.
• Reconnaissance: Penetration testing experts collect the required information about users, technology, IoTs, and systems. 
• Threat Modeling: Pen testers model realistic threats that the client faces before scanning for the relevant vulnerabilities in the system.
• Exploitation: Penetration testing experts exploit identified vulnerabilities in accordance with the scope defined in the pre-engagement phase.
• Post-exploitation: Once the testing is over, all testing methods and vulnerabilities are recorded.
• Reporting: The tester creates a penetration testing report describing the methods used, exploited vulnerabilities, and what remedial actions should be undertaken.
• Re-testing: After the client has resolved the vulnerability issues detailed in the initial report, the tester runs the same penetration tests again to confirm that the vulnerabilities have been resolved.

Penetration testing is a must-follow procedure to maintain required data security compliance. Pentesting utilizes custom approaches and advanced tools to locate and resolve vulnerabilities, therefore,  you need to involve the best cybersecurity firm specializing in HIPAA, NIST, SOC2, CMMC, and PCI compliance. Scottsdale-based RITC Cybersecurity is the right choice to secure your IT assets as per relevant compliance. The company provides world-class services to manage and secure the IT assets, ensuring proper compliance-ready security, functionality, and usability. Book your free consulting session online with Penetration testing experts or call 480-708-7013.