Preparing your business for a penetration test – Source: securityboulevard.com

Penetration testing is vital to keeping your business safe in today’s digital landscape, where cyber threats are ever present. It ensures your business’s sensitive data is protected, validating the robustness of the defensive measures your business has implemented. With cyber attacks on the rise, proactive measures like penetration testing (also known as ethical hacking) aren’t just advisable; they’re imperative.

At Sentrium, we understand penetration testing’s significance in strengthening your business’s cyber defences. Our efficiency hinges on our fantastic team’s technical prowess and the meticulous preparation we undertake, getting to know you and your business objectives to ensure a thorough, realistic and valuable test outcome.

To help you navigate a penetration testing engagement, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide on preparing your organisation for this process.

What is penetration testing?

Penetration testing is a crucial cyber security practice. It involves authorised professionals attempting to breach an organisation’s IT systems, networks and applications to identify uncover weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them. It helps the target organisation find its weaknesses, protect sensitive data and maintain compliance with UK regulations such as the Data Protection Act and GDPR.

After the testing is completed, its findings are clearly classified and reported, enabling organisations to prioritise and address security gaps across their most important assets. Regular pen testing is essential for businesses of all sizes to safeguard against the ever-evolving threat landscape.

So, if you’re thinking about commissioning a penetration test on your business, here are some of the key steps you’ll need to take to get ready…

#1 Set your objectives

Before your penetration testing journey begins, the first step is to define clear goals. These should align with your business goals and risk management strategies. What specific objectives are you aiming to achieve through penetration testing? For example, it could be about identifying vulnerabilities in your network, assessing how adequate your existing security controls are, or gauging the resilience of your defences against various types of cyber threats. While these might sound similar, there are subtle differences. Clarity is vital.

#2 Understand operational impact

Penetration testing generally aims to avoid disrupting your business’s operations, however decisions like which systems to include in the scope, and which environment testing occurs in, can drastically change the effects of pentesting on your business. With the right pentesting team, adverse affects on your business during a network penetration test should be minimal, however testing a live web application is almost impossible to do properly without some turbulence. Speak to your pentesting company to get a better understanding of the potential operational impact in different scenarios to ensure this isn’t overlooked. The most significant disruption a pentest could cause would be one that was unexpected as a result of improper planning.

#3 Define the project scope

Defining the penetration test’s scope is a critical step that should align with your security requirements and strategy. It’s not just about ticking off a checklist; it’s about ensuring you’re assessing everything important to your business. The test should encompass all critical assets and potential angles of attack. This is where you’ll outline the types of systems you’ll test, the testing methodologies you’ll employ and any regulatory compliance requirements you must address. Your ICT department, external contractor or pentesting partner can assist you in this process.

Of course, in many cases, the scope of a penetration test will be clear, for example where a potential customer has specifically requested a pentest of a web application before they work with you. There are often factors that must still be considered, such as whether testing is authenticated or unauthenticated, and whether testing should be accompanied with a code review to maximise the coverage, value and specialist input you gain from your pentest.

#4 Communicate with stakeholders

Communication with all stakeholders is crucial to the success of penetration testing. You’ll need to chat with any relevant individual or group about everything mentioned so far on this page (including objectives, scope, temporary impacts and expected outcomes). Address any concerns that arise from this communication process before the test begins, ensuring everyone understands the importance of their cooperation and the test itself.

Ensure there is a clear way for stakeholders to communicate operational impacts if any are spotted during the test. Ideally, the penetration tester should make themselves reachable so any problems can be curtailed immediately.

Similarly, ensure you understand how the pentest team will communicate with you in the event they identify any major vulnerabilities. It is important that you find out as quickly as possible, so you may take steps to mitigate any risks if urgent action is needed.

#5 Allocate resources and permissions

Per the project scope, ensure the necessary hardware, software and personnel are allocated as required. You may also need permission from relevant stakeholders, such as 3^rd party hosting providers, to conduct your test in a controlled environment without legal ramifications.

Take the time to match your resource allocation with your project scope. For instance, if a pentest is conducted against your cloud environment, ensure any internal cloud specialists are available to help if there are specific questions or concerns raised during the test.

How can Sentrium help?

Once you have found a trusted pentesting partner like Sentrium, it’s a collaborative effort to conduct an effective test. With the final report drafted up, work on actionable remediations, and then repeat the process. Effective penetration testing is best employed regularly, with repeated tests continually refining your cyber defences and hardening your systems.

Here at Sentrium, we are ready to assist you in safeguarding your business against cyber threats. Our experienced, friendly, CREST-approved penetration testers bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge in this field. With a commitment to outstanding communication, cost-effective solutions and the highest quality outcomes, we’re here and ready to help you, instilling confidence in your cyber security measures.

Contact us today to schedule penetration testing services, bolster your cyber security and protect what matters most.