subject: Keep Hackers At Bay With Network Penetration Testing [print this page] Wikipedia defines penetration testing as a method of evaluating the security of a computer system or network by simulating an attack from malicious outsiders (who do not have an authorized means of accessing the organization's systems) and malicious insiders (who have some level of authorized access). The penetration testing is done for a variety of reasons. This includes
Detecting security weaknesses and finding vulnerabilities that a hacker could exploit
Determining the feasibility of a particular set of attack vectors
Assessing the security awareness of the employees within an organization
Identifying vulnerabilities that may be difficult or impossible to detect with automated network or application vulnerability scanning software
Evaluating an organization's security policy compliance
Assessing the ability of any organization in identifying and responding to incidents
Assessing the magnitude of potential business and operational impacts of successful attacks
Identifying high-risk vulnerabilities that result from a combination of low-risk vulnerabilities exploited in a particular sequence
Providing evidence to support increased investments in security personnel and technology
Network penetration testing attains greater significance in todays business environment where vulnerabilities and threats are becoming a serious concern for enterprises. According to Identity Theft Resource Centers 2011 Breach Report, malicious attacks (defined as a combination of hacking and insider theft) accounted for nearly 40 percent of the recorded breaches in 2011. Hacking attacks were responsible for more than one-quarter (25.8 percent) of the data breaches recorded. Such attacks can seriously dent an enterprises image and reputation among its clients.
Though enterprises take all possible measures to ensure network security, there would definitely be certain loopholes in their security strategies that would be exploited by hackers to get away with the sensitive corporate data. By performing network penetration testing, enterprises can initiate a real world attack on their network and thereby eliminate the security gaps and loopholes. This helps to make the network far less vulnerable and far more secure.
With network penetration testing services offered by managed service providers, enterprises could now effectively keep hackers at bay. The following are some of the features offered by a leading network penetration testing service provider.
Covers all WASC, OWASP Top 10, CVE / NVDB / SANS Top 20 vulnerabilities including
data-in-motion leakages
Coverage of all attack paths through loophole correlation
Threat Modeling and expert validation along with automated exploitation
Automated Testing
Business logic verification
Online vulnerability management dashboard
Transparent, monthly/quarterly charges
PCI and ISO27001 compliance friendly reporting
Research driven delivery
Thus, enterprises can boost their business capabilities with effective network penetration testing.
