The IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report suggests that some cybersecurity problems can cost millions of dollars. No matter what your organization does, the time and expense associated with addressing common cyber threats will always put a dent in your bottom line. Hackers look for vulnerabilities to exploit. Sometimes they find vulnerabilities in your processes. Sometimes they find them in your employees.
Looking for a way to get ahead of the game and find these vulnerabilities? Take a look at penetration testing. A good hacker can use penetration testing tools to find weaknesses in your business or the products you intend to sell to other businesses.
When they need penetration testing services, NJ businesses turn to us. We’ll show you what we can do.
What Is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing works on improving digital security by testing that security the way real hackers would test it. Some people also call this process ethical hacking. Red team assessments offer a similar but distinct approach to identifying weaknesses.
The process resembles inviting a locksmith to try to break into your records room. Ethical hackers look for vulnerabilities you don’t know about and check if the ones you do know about have been fully addressed. This protects the privacy of your records.
Why Do You Need Penetration Testing?
The frequency and depth of penetration testing you need changes with your industry. We offer services that match the needs of any business.
Small Business Protection
Not every ransomware attack hits a major corporation. Small businesses often have glaring flaws in their cyber defense strategies. They may also have lax security protocols that allow a social engineering attack to go unchallenged.
Hackers want big scores, but they also want easy ones. If you present a hacker with a soft target, they’ll come for you. We’ll find all the holes in your network as well as the ones in your practices.
Regulatory Compliance
Some industries need regular penetration testing to comply with regulations. Defense contractors, for instance, need to comply with the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). Medical providers have similar requirements which come from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
In cases like these, we use our penetration testing skills to make sure your business meets standards. If you’ve fallen out of compliance with regulations, we’ll find the gaps in your defenses and tell you how to get back up to speed.
Checking Your Work
Maybe you’ve already found some issues with your data security. Employees have fallen for phishing attacks, or a critical error in your website’s security has led to fraudulent orders. You’ve taken steps to remedy the problem. Did those steps do anything?
A penetration tester can provide an external perspective on the work you’ve already done. If the real failure point came elsewhere in the process, your penetration tester will notice.
Penetration Testing Services NJ Businesses Need
Once you know that you need penetration testing services, we work with you to set the terms. Every business’s process will look a little different.
Set the Scope
Penetration tests can’t look for every vulnerability in every step of your business’s day-to-day activities. Neither a business nor a penetration team has that kind of time. Instead, we work with businesses to set the scope for both individual and long-term engagements.
Say you’re launching your new website and need to see if it stands up to an attacker. While a penetration tester could use social engineering strategies to gain access to your computers and change orders, that doesn’t tell you anything about the web implementation. We would call that approach “out of scope,” even if it exposed vulnerabilities.
The best value in penetration testing comes from a well-scoped engagement. If all hands need to be on deck for rolling out your new web application, then we can focus on its vulnerabilities. If you’ve had problems with employees getting spear phished, we can focus on what makes your team vulnerable to those attacks.
Set Clear Goals
The type of business you operate and the data it handles both play a role in the goals of a penetration test. If you handle credit cards or other payment data, for instance, testing will often require an assessment of your payment gateways.
We’ll work with you to determine what a penetration tester needs to look at within the scope of the engagement. This often includes both finding out how well your system defends against attacks and how good it is at noticing they happened.
Address Data Privacy Concerns
The information a penetration testing team gains access to can include sensitive personal data. This most affects businesses that generate data with a privileged status, like healthcare and military contractors. Our team will treat your data with care. Our intruders regularly sign NDAs and other agreements that handle both business needs and regulatory mandates.
Assess Public Data
While we work in the constraints you give us, we also use the data you provide through public channels in tests. If an email you post in public makes you more vulnerable to phishing, for example, we’ll note it and see if it gets us anywhere during testing. Remember that most ransomware attacks start with the use of data posted online. We’ll report our findings regarding your public presence too.
Get Ahead of Your Penetration Testing Needs
Whether it’s to clean up after an attack exposes vulnerabilities or a more forward-thinking use of penetration testing services, NJ businesses need the help a penetration tester can provide. We’re happy to find the weaknesses in your system and give you the tools you need to fix them.
If you have a concern about your regulatory compliance or potential weaknesses in your systems, contact us today. We can work together to figure out what will best serve your needs.