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Imagine the consequences that could arise if hackers breached your company’s network. The average data breach costs businesses approximately $4.5 million to handle.
For many companies, this is impossible to accommodate. The best way to defend against scenarios like these is through penetration testing. This involves using ethical hacking to test the integrity and security of your business technology.
You can take things a step further through automated pen testing. As the name implies, it involves using automation software to conduct vulnerability assessments; not everyone understands the benefits, though. Let’s explore them in more detail below.
Automatic testing minimizes the amount of manual input required. This will save a substantial amount of time.
However, it can also help you save resources. To clarify, conducting penetration testing by hand requires you to train your employees.
You’ll also need to provide them with access to various tools. When working with large amounts of data, it could take exponentially longer than anticipated to complete the project.
In contrast, automatic pen testing options can quickly sift through large amounts of information. This allows your staff to focus on other obligations.
You can use automated pen testing tools to assess a wide range of applications and systems. This will help ensure you avoid oversights that would have resulted from manual testing.
An automatic vulnerability assessment often provides more comprehensive details. This information is crucial for making your security framework more robust.
Even a single error can be disastrous. This is especially true when testing systems that are lucrative targets for hackers.
To elaborate, imagine manually pen testing a bank’s security system. If you make a mistake during the process, you could allow hackers to compromise sensitive information. Businesses will have greater confidence in their pen testing results by using automation.
Human employees will eventually reach a point where they need to take a break or stop working for the day. The same isn’t true for pen testing applications.
Ideally, your employees will complete tasks that require manual input while running automatic tests. This helps them complete as much work as possible in the shortest amount of time. Pen testing can also continue outside of normal business hours.
Automatic pen testing tools can check for compliance issues in a fraction of the time it would take a human. This is particularly useful for businesses in industries that have rigid standards. These include healthcare, tech, and finance.
A single compliance breach could be catastrophic. As previously mentioned, data breaches can be exorbitantly expensive. They can also damage your company’s reputation.
If your audience doesn’t trust that you’ll keep their information safe, they’ll choose a competitor instead. In situations like these, they will also be unlikely to return to your company in the future. There’s also something to be said about the financial consequences of compliance infringement.
Businesses will have to accommodate expensive fines and fees. In many situations, these can lead to major financial setbacks.
If an automatic pen testing tool discovers a vulnerability, it will alert users of the incident. It will identify the threat and provide a recommended response.
The ability to resolve incidents quickly goes a long way toward keeping your company safe. Delays in incident response can cause problems to spiral out of control.
There’s no shortage of different pen testing types you can leverage. Understanding them will help you decide which is most appropriate for your business. Listed below are some of the most notable.
Cybriant is an MSSP providing security services to protect businesses from advanced threats. We’ve helped improve the security capabilities of more than 1,400 clients over the last seven years. Take a look at our services page to see more about how we can help your business.g
Pentesters will scan target environments for potential vulnerabilities. If discovered, they can recommend courses of action to resolve them. The vulnerabilities they encounter will depend on the environment they work with.
This type of pen testing occurs when the tester only has partial knowledge of the target environment. It’s often used in the early stages of application development to assess vulnerabilities. The developer can then modify their strategy to keep the application as it’s built.
As the name suggests, this process involves assessing the security of a cloud server or cloud computing environment. Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, and AWS are some of the most common.
Cloud providers implement a shared responsibility model. This means customers are obligated to ensure their cloud security measures are sufficient. To elaborate, the provider isn’t responsible for data breaches that occur.
The best way to get started with automated pen testing is by working with a professional. They have the tools and resources to help you overcome common obstacles.
Research their online reputation to see what previous clients have to say about their services. There should be no shortage of positive feedback.
However, it’s essential to look out for fake reviews while making your assessment. These tend to be posted in large patches and contain many similar keywords. Do they often work with businesses like yours?
This is the only way they’ll understand your company’s nuances. To clarify, imagine if they were used to assessing the vulnerabilities of companies much smaller than yours.
There’s a good chance they’d make egregious oversights. Ask about their pricing structure, as well.
This will help you avoid financial surprises and have greater insight into what your money goes toward. As long as you stay vigilant, you’ll find the best choice for your needs.
Once you identify that your company can benefit from automated pen testing, it’s essential to take action as soon as possible. This will help ensure you identify threats and prevent them from evolving. Just be sure to research the firm you hire.
Cybriant has spent nearly a decade helping over 1,400 clients take their information security to the next level. We work with any company that needs to keep their data or intellectual property safe.
The same can be said for companies that could fail if their reputation takes a hit. You’ll learn more about the benefits we offer when you schedule a consultation today.
Shoot us a message to start a discussion about how our team can help you today.
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