What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration Testing is the professional term for a type of security testing.  In this type of test, a team of security experts tries to breach your company's online and physical perimeters.  Since more and more companies have heavily integrated Information Technology into their businesses, there is an increased threat of attack from people intent on stealing that information.

This type of approved attempts at testing your company's security measures is sometimes known as Ethical Hacking.  It is ethical because you have given the Penetration Testing company permission to attempt to 'hack' your security systems.

The Purpose of Penetration Testing

Penetration Testing is an ethical way of assessing the potential vulnerabilities in your information security structure.  The purpose of a Penetration Test is to determine these vulnerabilities so that you can better defend against all forms of attack.

What does Penetration Testing Involve?

Penetration testing involves identifying the weaknesses in your information networks.  Traditionally, hackers are a few steps ahead of most network professionals in their knowledge of network weaknesses, so companies that ethically perform your Penetration Testing use the same techniques, tools and tricks that real hackers might use to breach your security.

There are two stages to the Penetration Test itself.  The first is finding potential weaknesses and vulnerabilities.  The second is attempting to exploit those weak points in your systems.  The company performing the Penetration Test must have your written approval to carry out the second part of the Test, as without consent, this is an illegal operation.

Who Performs Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing companies use the very same methods that professional or amateur hackers might use.  For this reason, Penetration tests need to be carried out by people with the knowledge and skills to match the potential hackers.  However, these companies do not employ hackers, instead they use ethical security specialists who will perform the test with the upmost professionalism, without damaging your data or opening up your business to risk during the test.

Why Do You Need Penetration Testing?

As previously stated, hackers can be amateurs or professionals, their objective may be to steal sensitive data or money, or simply cause chaos.  No matter what their aim, you need to be professionally protected against attack.  Having a firewall and regularly changing passwords is not enough to prevent a skilled hacker from bypassing your simple network security measures.

Weaknesses can exist in your network, the software you use and also within your security protocols and procedures.  Without a full test your systems could be prone to information disclosure and theft.  Some companies could even face legal action or even closure if their Information Security systems do not comply with legal guidelines.

How are the Results of a Penetration Test Delivered?

After a full Penetration Test, specialists prepare a report that informs the company of potential vulnerabilities in their entire system.  The report is written in several forms so that both technical staff and board level employees can understand and appreciate the threat their business faces on a daily basis.

Penentration testing is a way to externally audit your company from a criminals perspective. Through the art of deception and online hacking, Securm will audit both your staff responses (Social Engineering) and your electronic footprint (Ethical Hacking). Securm can be contacted via http://www.securm.co.uk or on 0845 643 5174