What is Penetration Testing? The Ultimate Guide

According to a technology survey, almost 50% of small businesses reported having suffered a cyber-attack.

If you don’t know what a cyber-attack is then your business could be at serious risk.

Even if you do know, are you protecting yourself correctly?

Penetration testing is one of the best ways to make sure your cyber-security is up-to-date and your business’ information remains private.

Read more to see what you can do to help protect your business from cyber-attacks.

What is Penetration Testing?
Also known as “ethical hacking,” this is how business owners can determine whether their organization’s security is working or not.

Ethical hackers are paid by organizations to do as their name implies, which is to hack. However, it’s called ethical because the companies want this to happen. Companies want the hackers they’re paying to see if they can get through the security measures they have in place.

If a hacker finds a hole in their security then the company is able to patch it up before an illegal hacker can find it. If the hacker doesn’t find any holes then the company can be more assured their security measures are working just fine.

Basically, this is a preventative measure for all of the illegal hacking and cyber-attacks prevalent in today’s world.

Why Do You Need It?

We live in an extremely digitized world. Whether you like it or not, you most likely have loads of personal information stored online somewhere. Credit card information, home address, mobile phone number, date of birth, and social security number, to name a few.

That information is stored somewhere, and it’s not just in some far-off government building behind steel walls. It’s on a hard drive. It’s connected to the internet.

It’s out there.

Also, even if you don’t understand how the internet and computers work, there are plenty of savvy individuals that do. And, some of them wouldn’t think twice about using your information for their own benefit.

Businesses often have personal information for both employees and clients. In purely financial terms, if someone were to get ahold of that information there would be serious repercussions for your business.

Data breaches can hit all sorts of companies, including very big ones. Perhaps everyone can be a little more vigilant in this department.

How You Can Implement It

Seek professional help.

Ethical hackers can be certified or not. It’s up to you on whom you choose to test your security, but many people find that it’s easier to trust companies that work with certified professionals.

Don’t wait!

According to the FBI, more than 4,000 ransomware attacks were occurring on a daily basis in 2016. These types of attacks seek to hold your information and data ransom in exchange for some kind of currency.

With proper and professional help, you can see where the weak points are in your organization’s cyber-security. Penetration testing will help you pinpoint these spots and then your security professionals can help you put the proper safeguards in place.

Contact us today for a free consultation. For more information regarding the best IT practices for your business, please visit our blog.