Penetration Testing Companies
Penetration tests expose an organization’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities so they can be fixed. Here’s what you need to know to capitalize on pen tests.
How to Pick a Penetration Testing Company
Penetration testing is one of the best ways to assess cybersecurity defenses. But managing these penetration tests is a process that you need to get right in order to best reap its benefits. It is important to select a team with:
- Deep experience in your specific industry
- A plan to keep your data secure during testing
- Methodologies based on industry best practices
- Sample reports for your review
- A commitment to re-test
Key Considerations to Pick a Pen Test Team
Selecting the right team to perform penetration tests is a main determinant of the success or failure of your endeavor. If you’re planning to co-source the penetration test, make sure that you include at least two external cybersecurity experts on the penetration testing team. An independent, external opinion is vital to help you avoid blind spots.
When selecting external vendors and/or candidates keep the following tips in mind:
- Evaluate the credentials, experience, and expertise of the external vendor as a company but also evaluate each member of the penetration testing team. Each team member should have experience in a wide range of industry verticals and organizations of all sizes.
- Understand how penetration testers will keep your data secure during and after the test. Identify and agree upon how confidential data will be transmitted, where will it be stored, and when and how will it be destroyed.
- Review the methodology that will be used by your vendor. The methodology needs to be based on industry best practices and must include both automated and manual test methods.
- Ask your vendor for sample reports. Evaluate if the reports are clear, easy to understand, and include risk-prioritized recommendations. A good penetration testing report will typically include:
- An executive summary highlighting the organization’s overall security posture.
- A technical section describing activities performed to identify vulnerabilities in the target systems.
- A list of findings and recommendations.
- Appendices showing real test outputs, exploitations, screenshots, and other data related to vulnerabilities detected.
- Ensure your vendor offers re-test options to validate your remediation efforts. Re-testing is critical in a continuous penetration testing process.
The importance of regulatory expertise
Another key consideration for organizations performing penetration tests is regulatory compliance. The team of cybersecurity experts that supports your penetration testing efforts must have an encyclopedic knowledge of cybersecurity regulatory requirements. The team should be able to clearly and accurately interpret those regulatory requirements in the context of the penetration testing project.
The penetration testing team should perform very targeted social engineering tests tailored to the specific risk situations and compliance considerations of the organization. Keep in mind: Companies that are breached can pay high fines to regulatory bodies and credit card brands if it is discovered that they weren’t following the rules / compliant.
Most importantly, the team should be able to view regulatory requirements in light of business impact and profitability.
Key Considerations to Pick a Pen Test Team
Selecting the right team to perform penetration tests is a main determinant of the success or failure of your endeavor. If you’re planning to co-source the penetration test, make sure that you include at least two external cybersecurity experts on the penetration testing team. An independent, external opinion is vital to help you avoid blind spots.
When selecting external vendors and/or candidates keep the following tips in mind:
- Evaluate the credentials, experience, and expertise of the external vendor as a company but also evaluate each member of the penetration testing team. Each team member should have experience in a wide range of industry verticals and organizations of all sizes.
- Understand how penetration testers will keep your data secure during and after the test. Identify and agree upon how confidential data will be transmitted, where will it be stored, and when and how will it be destroyed.
- Review the methodology that will be used by your vendor. The methodology needs to be based on industry best practices and must include both automated and manual test methods.
- Ask your vendor for sample reports. Evaluate if the reports are clear, easy to understand, and include risk-prioritized recommendations. A good penetration testing report will typically include:
- An executive summary highlighting the organization’s overall security posture.
- A technical section describing activities performed to identify vulnerabilities in the target systems.
- A list of findings and recommendations.
- Appendices showing real test outputs, exploitations, screenshots, and other data related to vulnerabilities detected.
- Ensure your vendor offers re-test options to validate your remediation efforts. Re-testing is critical in a continuous penetration testing process.
The importance of regulatory expertise
Another key consideration for organizations performing penetration tests is regulatory compliance. The team of cybersecurity experts that supports your penetration testing efforts must have an encyclopedic knowledge of cybersecurity regulatory requirements. The team should be able to clearly and accurately interpret those regulatory requirements in the context of the penetration testing project.
The penetration testing team should perform very targeted social engineering tests tailored to the specific risk situations and compliance considerations of the organization. Keep in mind: Companies that are breached can pay high fines to regulatory bodies and credit card brands if it is discovered that they weren’t following the rules / compliant.
Most importantly, the team should be able to view regulatory requirements in light of business impact and profitability.
How to Get the Most Value Out of Pen Testing
After you’ve selected the right team to conduct your penetration testing, half the battle is won. The other half? You must ensure rigorous testing and remediation.
Tips for testing success
On the technical side of things, to get the most out of penetration testing be sure:
- Tests are intense, hardcore, and utilize the latest and greatest attack techniques. Hit yourself with everything you’ve got. Don’t hold back. Remember, hackers won’t hold back either.
- New technologies and IT infrastructure elements are in the scope of your penetration tests. The rule of thumb is – if it can connect to your network, it’s in scope.
- Penetration tests are performed in a manner that avoids adverse impacts. A good vendor will have reviewed the organization’s network diagram in advance to understand what types and bursts of attacks the infrastructure can withstand without killing operations.
- Your incident response team conducts monitoring during tests. That way, the incident response team gains an almost real-world live hack attack experience.
- Once the penetration tests are complete, remediation of the vulnerabilities identified is crucial. Make sure you diligently allocate each identified vulnerability to be remediated to a specific, accountable individual, along with a specific timeline on when the vulnerability will be remediated.