In this digital age, consumers are starting to rely heavily on doing things online since it’s faster, more convenient and more efficient. Most people order food online, pay bills online, and do banking transactions online. Because of the susceptibility for attacks and hacks, there are risks that consumers and businesses face in the digital world.
As an entrepreneur that’s trusted by consumers, you must take the responsibility to keep all their data secured. In order to secure your online transactions, you should do penetration testing before your website or transactions are online. You might want to look into Alpine Security penetration testing.
What is Penetration Testing?
This is one of the ways you can ensure the safety of the data provided to you, and it is also known as ethical hacking. It is a proactive approach to discovering vulnerabilities that exist within your IT framework. It means that you will hack your framework using the techniques that hackers might use.
It allows your organization to demonstrate its capabilities in these areas:
- The ability of your infrastructure to defend your network, programs, users, and endpoints from attempts of tampering with your security.
- The effective of your system to stop users from doing something they are not supposed to as well as complete strangers either externally or internally.
- The strength of your network connection.
The variables allow your IT team to resolve these issues and put a plan in place to prevent future exploits. If your IT team isn’t equipped yet, then its members should have penetration testing training.
Here are some important facts that you need to know:
1. Data and network security is imperative to your company’s success
If you want a successful company then you should secure your data and network to make sure that no outside forces can hack your data and possibly damage your reputation. If you process any sensitive data, it’s imperative that your network is secure since the breach of any data can eventually lead to losses.
A company should have a proactive approach to security instead of a reactive one. If your security has been compromised whether, on a large or a small scale, the damage will have already been done. Imagine that you spent years of building a model from scratch only for someone to knock it over in seconds.
2. Penetration testing helps you in complying with legislation’s
As an organization, you are possibly bound by legislation’s depending on your location, and these legislation’s force you to consider security for you and your customers. If your organization processes payments for large-scale clients; therefore a breach of any data would lead not only to repercussions but also fines and potentially criminal lawsuits.
Penetration testing assists in advising where you are failing in compliance and legislation. This would allow you to better plan your resources to come up with a plan to ensure you remain compliant.
3. Certified professionals must do the job
In order to maintain an infrastructure that is robust, it would be recommended to implement a framework that tests your network regularly. Penetration hacking is used by organizations such as DHL, Coca-Cola and even the United States Government. Individuals who hold certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional or CISSP, EC-Council Certified Security Analyst or ECSA, Certified Ethical Hacker or CEH and more are the ones you need to hire for this job. All of these qualifications are recognized globally from the Middle East to Asia.
4. There are different types of testing
Your company’s data and security needs may be unique and different from others, so it’s important to know that not all penetration testing methods are similar. Here are some of the types:
- White-box Testing – It is classified as so when full information about the target is shared with the tester and is useful for testing any systems in place to deal with potential vulnerabilities.
- Blackbox Testing – This is done when no information is shared with the tester, and this is useful for identifying if any, ways to access your system.
- Scenario-driven testing – This is another type whereby testers explore a particular scenario to discover whether or not vulnerabilities exist. These scenarios are chosen for you, based on your understanding of your network. This method relies on detecting the issues and how your system responds, and it is best practice to be proactive and to maintain a secure network by regularly testing.
Final Thoughts
Building your business and customer-base takes a lot of time. Being proactive in protecting your network pays off rather than rebuilding it once an attack happens. Any data that will get out can hardly be recovered and it will affect your reputation as a company. Employ the service of the professionals to get the job done to make sure that whatever you have worked hard for will not be wasted.
