According to a report from US Aid, cybercrime cost companies an estimated $8 trillion in 2023, and this is expected to rise to nearly $24 trillion by 2027.
Almost all businesses these days operate online in some capacity. You need to ensure your company has a robust cyber defense to keep your business, employees, and customers safe. Penetration testing is a common component of many cybersecurity strategies.
Let’s take a look at some of the key benefits of penetration testing.
1. Reveal Vulnerabilities
Thorough vulnerability analysis is vital as you can see areas of weakness. Approaches like penetration testing and ethical hacking will show you vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could potentially exploit. You can then take action to secure your systems before hackers have a chance to launch an attack.
There are several ways you may choose to improve your cyber-defence, such as:
- Establishing secure passwords
- Backup recovery and disaster planning
- Employee training
2. Show Real Risks
Penetration testing doesn’t just involve finding vulnerabilities – it also means testing them. You can see what would happen if a hacker were to launch an attack on your network. For example, they could potentially access sensitive data or take control of system commands.
You’ll be able to get a better idea of the risk level of different vulnerabilities. For example, a certain vulnerability could theoretically be very dangerous, but if it’s almost impossible to exploit, the overall risk will be lower.
3. Test Your Cyber-defence Capabilities
Along with a cybersecurity assessment, you can perform in-depth network security testing. Avoiding attacks is ideal, but if one is launched, it’s important that you can detect it and react quickly.
Effective endpoint detection and response (EDR) helps you monitor specific endpoints and mitigate risks. You can determine what areas you need to improve to ensure a suitable level of security.
4. Ensure Business Continuity
Cyber threats can present all kinds of issues. One of these is potential downtime as it can cost your business a lot of money. It can also have an impact on customer satisfaction, so avoiding downtime is crucial.
Penetration testing helps you identify threats before they’re exploited so you can deal with them while still operating. As a result, you’ll have a lower risk of downtime due to cyberattacks and can maintain consistent business operations.
5. Maintain Compliance
All businesses have certain responsibilities, and depending on your industry and what your company actually does, there can be various regulations and laws you need to follow. As such, there might be a certain level of penetration testing that you’re obligated to perform.
Consider things like ISO standards, PCI regulations, and any other rules your business may need to follow. This will help dictate your penetration testing and various other aspects of your cybersecurity setup.
The Importance of Penetration Testing
Penetration testing can be incredibly useful when trying to improve your cyber defense. Working with a managed IT services provider can be the best approach as they can perform suitable penetration testing to meet your business needs.
Pegasus Technologies provides industry-leading managed IT solutions. We have over 19 years of experience and almost 300 active clients who we provide expert service for from our locations in Kennett Square, Wayne, and Media.
Contact us today to discuss how we can help you.
The complete guide: Penetration Testing Explained covers the seven stages of a real test, the black, grey and white box types, how a test differs from a vulnerability scan, what the report should contain, and what moves the price.
