One of the best ways to improve your business's cyber security is by leveraging penetration testing. This helps discover vulnerabilities and allows you to take action as soon as possible.
Not everyone understands the different types of penetration testing, though. Let's explore the critical information you need to keep in mind.
A network penetration test will help you determine vulnerabilities in your organization's network. For example, you could conduct a cloud penetration test to discover shortcomings in your cloud server's security. This type of pen testing involves assessing switches, routers, firewalls, and servers.
This testing involves using malicious tactics to manipulate users into providing the hacker with sensitive information. For example, they could send phishing emails to an organization's employees to determine how many people fall for their deception. Approximately 98% of cyber attacks leverage some form of social engineering. It's imperative to train your team to recognize these attacks and take the appropriate course of action.
The pen tester needs to be in the range of the wireless signal to test the devices appropriately. This means they'll need to conduct these tests at the company's location. It checks for details like whether data is encrypted and if access points follow protocol. It also checks data flow on the network.
As the name implies, web application pen testing looks for security deficiencies in web applications. Its primary goal is to break into the application and access sensitive information. Due to the intricate nuances of web applications, these tests are generally more complex than other types of pen testing. As a result, they tend to take longer to complete. Pen testers need to develop new web application techniques since security methods are becoming more effective as time passes.
In this case, the tester will attempt to compromise physical barriers to gain access to data. These could be a company's systems, buildings, employees, or infrastructure. A great example is a pen tester doing what they can to gain access to a company's server room. This often requires a significant amount of manipulation.
The information in this guide will help ensure you understand the different types of penetration testing. You can use this info to make the best decisions for your organization, and you should have no trouble avoiding issues you may have otherwise encountered.
EnvisionIT Solutions prides itself on offering premier IT services to our clients. We specialize in proactive network management, security awareness training, emergency support, and much more. You'll learn more about how we can help your company when you get in touch with us today.