What is pen testing, and why is it important?
A penetration test, commonly called a pen test, is an authorized attack on a business or organization's network to evaluate its overall IT security posture. The main focus of this exercise is attempting to identify any vulnerabilities in a company's system. Once the pen test is completed, the organization receives a report of all security vulnerabilities and their severity levels.
"When we undergo a penetration test, we're hiring a company to hack our system ethically," says Caroline McCoy, COO of Bit-Wizards. "They'll do it from two different angles: the first being external access, and the second being access from an internal approach."
During a penetration test, the security experts conducting the pen test (a.k.a. ethical hackers) try to gain access to your company's network from the outside, just like any actual bad actor would.
"But it's so much more complex and involved than gaining access," McCoy explains. "Once these ethical hackers find the hole, they exploit it to see how far they can get into the system. That's where they can find gaps that can't necessarily be found during a vulnerability assessment, which is usually completed using an automated tool."
McCoy says a penetration test is vastly different than a vulnerability assessment based on how it's conducted and the results it produces. Those assessments are four-part processes implemented by a program and do not involve input from an IT expert. That lack of personal input makes pen tests the more suitable option.
"There is a human element that takes the art of pen testing a step further, and the ethical hacker demonstrates the extent of damage that can be done once a vulnerability is found," she says. "The security experts conduct studies on what hackers are doing to identify real-world cyberattack trends, so they're up to speed on how the bad actors get into business networks and compromise their systems in the real world."
Penetration tests are essential for businesses because they uncover security vulnerabilities before an actual attacker finds and exploits them.
"With pen testing, the goal is to try to be one step ahead of the hackers at all times," McCoy explains. "Hiring an unbiased third party allows us to get a more holistic view of our security structure and take care of any potential risks before someone with genuinely malicious intentions finds it."
The pen testing process at Bit-Wizards
To understand our IT security posture comprehensively, Bit-Wizards undergoes two types of pen testing. The first is an external penetration test, which simulates an attacker trying to break into our network from the outside.
"External penetration testing usually starts with checking to see if there are any open ports or weak passwords," says McCoy. One of the top reasons hackers can get in is poor password practices, and they can cause significant damage once they obtain a weak password and access your systems."
McCoy says this is why ensuring multiple barriers are set up internally is essential. If your organization is grouped under one umbrella of protection, a single breach can impact each piece of your IT. The best proactive approach is protecting each part holistically and individually.
"The elements of our network and systems are isolated, so even if a hacker got in, they could do very little damage," she explains.
The other type is an internal penetration test, which tests the system from within the network. This second layer of testing is meant to emulate an attacker who successfully breaches the network externally or an authorized user who decides to act maliciously against the organization.
"The internal penetration test is meant to test whether we're following
best practices with our permission levels," says McCoy. "The ethical hackers are checking to ensure employees have access to things they need to have access to and not the entire IT infrastructure."
Understanding pen test results
Once a penetration test is completed, the company that conducted it assesses the results and provides a detailed report on any relevant findings, the severity of those findings, and possible resolutions. Additionally, the report will highlight any notable lack of vulnerabilities to ensure you're aware of how you compare to those in the same industry. These reports often follow a scoring framework, although the methods can vary between companies.
One method commonly implemented by companies that conduct pen tests and other security assessments is the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). Companies using the CVSS method score each vulnerability from 0 to 10, with 0 being fully protected and 10 being the highest severity level. In addition to CVSS scores, pen testers may provide an additional score that reflects your overall security rating.
Here's a breakdown of each CVSS severity level's range:
- None - 0.0
- Low - 0.1 - 3.9
- Medium - 4.0 - 6.9
- High - 7.0 - 8.9
- Critical - 9.0 - 10.0
"The information we get from a pen test helps us gain a comprehensive understanding of our security posture and implement resolutions for issues that harden our security," says McCoy. "Whenever our pen test providers identify vulnerabilities that could cause trouble, we can quickly enforce any recommended solutions to protect our information."
To strengthen our security methods further, Bit-Wizards often collaborates with multiple companies to conduct pen tests on a rotating schedule. Each set of tests is conducted once every six months, and alternating which company provides the test gives us separate perspectives that catch as many potential issues as possible. The test results frequently compare our scores to similar companies, contextualizing how our security stacks up to other IT businesses.
"The report helps us determine our priorities for remediation based on the ethical hackers' findings," explains McCoy. "On top of reviewing how our rankings have changed during the six months between pen tests, we understand how our efforts compare to other companies in our industry."
Why pen testing is an investment in our clients
As a Managed IT Services (MITS) provider, Bit-Wizards must invest in security. The importance of this investment is significantly heightened compared to other businesses due to the nature of the information we manage.
"No company is safe from threats," says McCoy. "Because we're an IT company with clients in varying industries, we have a much more elevated threat level than the movie theater down the street. We always have to make sure we're on top of our game and ahead of hackers."
McCoy says pen testing is not only an investment in Bit-Wizards — it's ultimately an investment in the safety of our clients. Our Wizards serve as trusted advisors and approach each client's IT with ownership thinking. We take the same care and consideration in heightening cybersecurity measures as we do in resolving everyday technology issues.
"Bit-Wizards takes security very seriously," she says. "Instead of going through a vulnerability assessment, which tends to be cheaper and less time-consuming, we invest in a penetration test twice a year, which is much more time-intensive and expensive. By undergoing consistent penetration testing, we obtain unbiased feedback on our security processes and defense measures. These in-depth exercises help prevent costly IT security failures that can close your doors for good."
Looking for a managed IT provider that invests in your security as much as its own? Contact Bit-Wizards today.