The Importance of Periodic Penetration Testing
How Powerful Can a Ransomware Attack Be?
In May 2021, a ransomware attack held an entire gas pipeline network hostage for a few days, causing gas shortages. A brief interruption of gas service created a ripple effect that had gas stations rationing gasoline, rising gas prices, and panicked people filling shopping bags full of gasoline. The sad truth is, cyber threats have always been around, and while this event was certainly shocking in its scale and effects, it’s just one of a spate of recent cyberattacks:
- Ireland’s country-wide health service was shut down after a ransomware attack.
- The Toshiba corporation was hit by a hacker group called DarkSide that compromised 740 gigabytes of information, some of it personal, like passports.
- Hundreds of police intelligence and officer disciplinary files were exposed after the Washington D.C. police force was hacked. This particular attack also exposed information from the Secret Service and the FBI.
- The city government of Gary, Indiana, has to rebuild all of its computers and servers after a recent attack.
Cybercrime happens to everyone, regardless of how big or small your company may be. These recent events highlight the importance of cybersecurity, specifically penetration and vulnerability testing. Let’s look at the value of these functions and how SBT offers comprehensive penetration and vulnerability testing that keeps your organization safe.
What Does Periodic Penetration Testing Accomplish?
It’s one thing to build a wall of security and technology, and it’s another to maintain it. Hackers are always finding ways to get around security. Stay ahead of these tactics through regular vulnerability scans and penetration testing, where real-life attacks are simulated on your system using known hacker methods. Here are some benefits of penetration testing:
- Risk assessment – This provides a list of prioritized objectives that you need in order to secure your business.
- Regulations and compliance – These days, a fully-documented and tested cybersecurity policy is a requirement for doing business.
- Create a baseline of protection – Our testing gives you a clear picture of where you are most vulnerable so we can create and finalize a cybersecurity plan that secures your present needs and scales with your growth.
Stay Safe With Solutions Delivered by a Modern MSP
SBT’s vulnerability and penetration tests are designed to simulate a real life attack on your system by exposing its weak points and providing a baseline for information security improvements that have an immediate and lasting impact. SBT is a dedicated cybersecurity partner that offers:
- Comprehensive network planning – Before we start anything, we help you define your objectives, outline the process itself, and more during an assessment.
- Infrastructure assessment – The more background we have on what system we’re dealing with, the more effectively we can uncover what issues are lurking in your system.
- Penetration testing – Our experts deploy unique software to find out where your network is most vulnerable and we simulate real-life scenarios where a hacker actively tries to access your critical data.
- Reporting and analysis – We offer detailed reports after we’re finished performing our vulnerability assessment. We go through every step of the process with you, ensuring you understand exactly where the pain points are for your network.
Testing is an important first step to locking down your networks, discovering security vulnerabilities, and attaining the level of security that allows you to sleep at night. We develop a security strategy that allows your business to avoid and recover from worst-case scenarios such as data loss or a ransomware attack. Speak to our cybersecurity experts to learn more about how we can help your business.
