Having secure online systems is essential for your company’s cyber security. One of the most effective methods of ensuring high levels of cyber security is through internal penetration testing.
Pen testing is performed to understand what hackers could achieve if they gained access to your online systems. A pen test can show insider threats, such as employees intentionally or unintentionally performing malicious activities.
Recovering from cyber attacks can be extremely costly, so it is recommended to have regular internal and external pen tests to point out any threats and resolve any weaknesses or vulnerabilities.
What do internal pen tests do?
Internal penetration testing is conducted by highly trained cyber specialists who mimic the techniques and approaches that a hacker, employee, or individual with access to your premises might use.
Internal pen tests:
- Test from the perspective of authorised and non-authorised users to assess any weaknesses that might present an opportunity for exploitation.
- Identify any vulnerabilities that exist within internal systems and infrastructure that are accessible to authorised logins and reside within the same network.
- Check for misconfigurations, such as firewall misconfigurations that might let employees access information or data and unknowingly or mistakenly leak it online.
- Present vulnerabilities to your company in a manner that allows your organisation to identify the severity and level of business risk. The report also highlights the financial costs of actions to remedy any identified weaknesses.
- Present all available options for resolving the cyber security flaw. The penetration tester will endeavour to present solutions that fall within your cyber security budget and clarify the strength of the resolution and its degree of risk aversion.
The benefits of internal pen tests and why you need them
An internal cyber security breach can not only be costly in terms of remedial action and fines issued by regulatory bodies but can severely damage your reputation and leave your systems inoperable. All businesses, no matter how large or small, should have a regular penetration test.
The benefits of internal pen tests include:
- Gaining a realistic and honest insight into your vulnerabilities.
- Identifying software that is outdated so that patches can be installed to protect against known vulnerabilities.
- Strengthening your access controls, policies, and procedures.
- Uncovering dishonest employees that are exploiting information or putting your security or data at risk.
- Determining the level and amount of access granted to partner organisations, intentionally or unintentionally, and whether unneeded resources can be accessed.
- Enabling encryption solutions or more stringent protocols to strengthen your cyber security.
If you’re interested in getting started or finding out more, contact us or click here to head directly to our penetration testing page.
