Penetration Testing Offers a Defense Against Cyber Attacks

Some of the greatest threats in our modern society come from cyber criminals. These attacks have prompted efforts to improve cyber security with methods such as vulnerability scanning and penetration testing. Before you seek out the services of penetration testing companies and other cyber security experts, it’s important to understand the differences between these methods. A vulnerability assessment provides information regarding vulnerabilities and penetration testing tries to exploit those areas of weakness. The testing also involves some determinations about the possibility of unauthorized access to sensitive information. The testing generally involves attempts to penetrate networks, push back against controls and undermine processes within the network. Several different penetration tools are used to get these results.

Effective Tools for Penetration Testing

These tools are part of the test and were designed to improve the efficiency of the testing and to pinpoint issues that may have been difficult to find through manual techniques. Two common tools include static analysis and dynamic analysis tools. Both of these run code analyses to find vulnerabilities such as malicious code and the absence of necessary functionality. For example, the tools may help you to determine whether sufficient encryption is in place or whether a piece of software has any backdoors that hackers might use. The best tools have been tested themselves to ensure that you don’t get false positives and a false sense of security.

Port Scanning tools

There are several popular tools that cyber security companies may recommend when offering penetration testing services. The first of these is a port scanning tool. This tool can detect a wide variety of vulnerabilities, misconfigurations and other areas of weakness. This single tool offers several features to enhance its abilities.

Host Based Risks

Another one of the most valuable penetration testing tools is a host based intrusion detection system. Some of these are very easy to set up and configure, offering long term benefits for your security staff and operations staff.

Network Oversight

You may also want to look into network security monitoring that can efficiently monitor and identify security related events throughout your network. This solution is a powerful software system that is convenient to operate and can catch an abundance of annoying scans to much more dangerous APTs.

Protecting Unsecured Traffic

What about unsecured traffic from one business site to another? There are a number of penetration testing tools that can lead to solutions. For example, some software is now available that quickly secures files as they are copied. Sometimes referred to as "tunneling", these tools offer you the chance to keep your information secure with simple codes or the right software. Work with your favorite penetration testing companies to determine the best course for your business.

The Ultimate Goal

When threats and vulnerabilities have been correctly identified, penetration testing companies may make recommendations for addressing the risks that were identified. If the testing was appropriate for the size and complexity of your business, then all necessary locations, applications, connections and access points will have been tested. The goal of testing is to identify areas of risk and weakness. The penetration testing tools used throughout testing can be used to improve the results of the test. Do you feel confident with your current security situation?

Weston Barnes is a write and an avid reader. When he's not writing about business, marketing, health, pets, or relationships, he's immersed in his latest book.