Penetration Tester: What It Is and Why You Need To Hire One

It was only two years ago when hackers compromised 57 million Uber accounts, accessing private customer information.

Just recently, in March 2018, hackers compromised AOL’s advertising platform. They modified the script to mine cryptocurrency.

Headlines like these appear in our news feeds every day. An organisation needs to keep one step ahead of these ingenious hackers.

Companies of all sizes need to protect their assets, especially its proprietary information. What better way than to “hire your own hackers” to test your systems?

A penetration tester performs authorised, manual and simulated attacks to fish out weaknesses in the system.

These days, businesses cannot afford to go without one on their payroll.

Here’s why.

What is a Penetration Test?

Penetration testing is also known as security testing or pen testing. It’s the process of testing applications for vulnerabilities. The goal of the test is to cover any possible weakness a hacker could capitalise on to harm the application or the larger organisation.

While this is a form of cyber security testing, it’s more specific than that. People often swap the term pen testing with “compliance audit”. Other terms are “security scan” or “vulnerability scan”.

Pen testing is more involved as it goes beyond simply identifying the weakness. 

A Penetration Tester is a “Hired Hacker”

Pen testing’s purpose is to target vulnerabilities within a businesses system. It‘s seeing how far hackers can get when trying to compromise the application. Testers access an organisation’s IT assets, sensitive data, and other security systems for this purpose.

To see if your systems can withstand hacking, you need a skilled hacker or even a team of hackers. A penetration tester‘s job is to gain access to your systems with no help from your organisation.

Why Not Automated Testing Alone?

A penetration test most likely involves automated tools and other process frameworks. Though, the individual testers and the experience they bring with them are key.

No matter how sophisticated your networks are, there is a human who can outwit them. 

Multiple Attack Vectors for Comprehensive Results

A penetration tester can explore many attack vectors against the same target. Most times, a combination of vulnerable points across different systems is the route to the targeted compromise.

This broad scope is what leads to success. The penetration tester and their team can find the breakpoints. Your IT security team can then strengthen those points. They can prevent actual breaches in the future.

If testers limit the scope, you will not receive comprehensive results. For example, if you conduct a pen test from the internet browser, you will only see partial results.

Those results may be valuable in finding vulnerabilities related to the browser. Though, the evaluation remains incomplete. It yields a limited understanding of the security risks present within your systems.

Why Invest in Pen Testing and a Penetration Tester

The practical reasons for hiring a penetration tester or team of testers are clear—your organisation and its IT infrastructure are in desperate need of protection.

Pen testing is part of any security protocol on some level. Consider the specific reasons to allocate time and resources to pen testing.

1. Determine Sequence of Vulnerabilities

Any organisation should determine the feasibility of a particular set of attack vectors. Vulnerabilities spring from low-risk vulnerabilities. It happens when a hacker accesses them in a particular sequence.

Automated security testing overlooks this sequence. This holds true once you understand that a targeted sequence of hack points creates this scenario.

A penetration tester would be able to find the sequence that creates the breakdown.

2. Provide Evidence to Support Increased Security Measures

Pen testing also assesses the measure of potential impacts that attacks have in your organisation. For example, if your penetration tester manages to compromise your customer information databases.

The impacts of a real-world attack would be catastrophic.

Pen testing would also highlight your system’s ability to detect and deflect attacks. Any found weaknesses would become the evidence you need to support increasing funds for additional security personnel and technologies.

3. As Part of a Real-World Security Incident Investigation

If there is a real security incident, your organisation will need to find how the hackers compromised the system or network. In these cases, investigators can use a penetration test.

They use it in combination with forensic analysis to re-create the attack sequence.

Next, penetration testing determines what new security protocols will block a similar attack. Thus, the testing validates the need for those new security protocols.

4. Meet Compliance Requirements

Some organisations must be compliant with Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) requirements.

If your organisation must meet these or other requirements, then you need to pen test annually. You will also need to test after any system change. 

5. Penetration Testing Results to Train Developers

Your company can use penetration test results to help train developers. By seeing the results, they can learn how to make fewer mistakes.

How often can a developer see how an outside attacker breaks into an application they helped design and develop? Even more, how often can they see that happen in a simulated environment?

They can be part of the solution before a real threat happens.

Penetration testing is a motivation to improve developers’ security education. As a result, they will avoid making similar errors in the future.

6. Test Your Security Protocols

A simulated attack can give your security personnel experience handling an intrusion. Pen testing should occur without informing staff ahead of time, much like any other drill.

This allows you to see how effective your security policies are. Pen testing can unearth the weak points in the security policy.

For an instance, your company’s security protocol may overly focus on prevention. It may not have enough procedures in place for rooting out the attacker.

Consider Hiring an In-House Penetration Tester

Pen testing is a complex endeavour. If you don’t wish to hire a third-party penetration testing company, consider adding a team for your own staff.

Performing pen tests requires a particular skill set. Not just anyone has the creativity and experience to think like a cyber criminal.

Pen Testing Requires An Expert

A professional penetration tester uses the same techniques as hackers to uncover vulnerabilities in your system. As contrary as it sounds, you want a professional who “thinks like a criminal”.

Because they know what to look for, a penetration tester can then recommend how to fix the problem.

Hiring Your Pen Testing Team

You’ll need a team of pen testers with the right experience and tools to do the job. You may not know all the details that come with it, but you know your organisation and the systems that support it.

Ask your candidates questions about coming up with a test plan. Ask about the rules of engagement, and how they will deliver the final report.

It may sound cliche but go with your gut. The candidate should be able to answer all your questions and leave a good impression. After all, you are about to hire a set of individuals.

Then, task them with penetrating your cyber security systems via unconventional means. 

Reputation and Security Clearance

As with any hire, you will have checked experiences, references, and reputation as well.

One thing to consider is whether the team has a government security clearance. You will be providing them with access to all of your critical data which is why making sure that they are trustworthy is a must.

If they hold a secret clearance or higher, you can be reasonably sure that you can trust them with your company’s data as well.

Importance of Real-World Security

Your data, your business, your networks, and your people are priceless assets. If your organisation isn’t conducting penetration tests on a regular basis to test your security systems, you may want to ask why.

Typically, the first few penetration test result you receive are disturbing. Though, that only validates the fact that you need a penetration tester.

Your business is more vulnerable than you previously thought. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

If you have any questions about pen testing, contact us and let us weigh your options.