4 Reasons to Outsource Penetration Testing Services
Recorded statistics show that there had been a steady increase in the number of data breach cases for the past year. In fact, every 39 seconds on average, a hacker successfully infiltrates one in three Americans. In the context of business organizations, the numbers hit different. An example is the Singtel incidence in Singapore last February wherein personal data of some 129,000 Singtel customers were extracted by hackers through breaching a third-party file sharing system correspondence.
So how do you prevent this type of cyberattack and ensure data security? The answer is Vulnerability Test and Penetration Testing or VTPT. In this article, we will talk about the importance of that latter and why you should consider outsourcing for penetration testing services.
What is Penetration Testing?
A penetration test, commonly known as pen test, is a form of cybersecurity technique business organizations use to identify, test, and highlight weaknesses in their security system. It is dubbed most often as ethical hacking as the term is reflective of its general gist. In several companies, this process is carried out by their in-house employees in the IT Department. This makes sense as an employee would know the in and out of the company operations especially with regard to its security protocol. However, are there benefits in outsourcing penetration testing services? We’ll talk about them later.
First things first, how is pen test conducted? There is no exact formula. Different business organizations have different types of network, security features, and risks. Ethical hackers have different approaches as well, depending on their level of expertise and cybersecurity experience. Nevertheless, pen test is generally done through these fundamental steps:
- Thorough assessment of company’s security protocol
- Research on recent attacks associated with nature of business
- Mimicking of the strategies and actions of an attacker by infiltration or deploying of malware
- Summary of Findings
- Recommendations
Know the Difference: Vulnerability Assessment vs Penetration Testing: And Why You Need Both
Reasons to Outsource Penetration Testing Services
The main reason as to why you should consider outsourcing your pen testing needs, is due to the fact that cybersecurity companies, like Privacy Ninja, has a high degree of expertise in this industry. Compared to your in-house employees, these organizations usually work in teams that operate in a procedural manner. The other benefits are as follows:
1. Strict adherence to regulations
HIPAA, SOC, GDPR, PDPA, etc – no matter which compliance regulation you are required to follow, you will be most likely required to have a log of events that transpires in your network. By outsourcing pen test specialists, you can rest assured that they are well-versed when it comes to these stringent logging, transcriptions, and other requirements set forth by laws and other auditing bodies.
2. You can potentially save money
Building an in-house team of cybersecurity monitoring professionals and compensating them on regular basis would undeniably partake a large chunk of your operation expenses. Penetration test is a procedure that, although crucial, need not to be undertaken in within short intervals. By outsourcing pen test services, you won’t have to hire full-time staff yet you can still expect skilled and dedicated services from highly qualified professionals.
3. Guaranteed experience
Hackers’ mechanics vary greatly as they try to avoid being discovered by authorities. Hence, it would be best to work with an ethical hacker who have seen it all. Imagine working with a cybersecurity firm that has experienced quite a deal of hacking permutations. These organizations are well equipped to face any malware using up-to-date techniques, strategy, and premium equipment.
4. Multi-layered cyber protection
As cybersecurity firms protect your company’s data, they likewise do this to theirs. Therefore, outsourcing is effective since you are being provided with an extra layer of protection. To protect their integrity, penetration testing services offered by cybersecurity companies come in extensive and more efficient security checks and correct methods that can drastically reduce human error or in-house employee mistakes.
Before enforcing your cybersecurity measures, it is a best practice to avail of penetration testing services in collaboration with a reputable ethical hacker. Although you can entrust this task to your IT Department, it would be more practical to outsource penetration testing services. Nevertheless, your security from malicious entities is only as good as the decisions you make, so the best move is to conduct a thorough research and analysis.
Ready to Outsource? Read More: How to Choose a Penetration Testing Vendor
0 Comments