Cyber Security is a complex and challenging field that requires constant vigilance and adaptation. The risk of compromise continues to increase as cybercriminals seek new ways to exploit weaknesses. That’s why IT Partners has been prioritising the development of an offensive cyber security unit, in addition to our defensive layers.
Defensive Security:
The main objective of defensive security is to protect systems, networks, and data from potential threats and attacks. Defensive security involves reactive measures, such as monitoring, detecting, and responding to threats in real-time
Offensive Security:
In contrast, the purpose of offensive security is to identify and exploit vulnerabilities within systems, networks, or applications to assess their security posture. It involves proactive measures, such as ethical hacking and penetration testing.
A penetration test, or pen test, is a simulated cyberattack on a computer system or network that aims to identify and exploit potential vulnerabilities. The purpose of a pen test is to evaluate the security posture of the system or network and provide recommendations for improvement. IT Partners pen test services are designed to help you discover what to fix, why to fix it, how to fix it and what not to fix.
1. Regular Testing: Conducting regular pen tests is crucial for maintaining your security posture. Systems and applications are constantly changing, and new vulnerabilities can emerge overtime. Regular testing ensures that new weaknesses are identified and addressed promptly.
2. Prioritise the fixes that matter: When identifying vulnerabilities during a penetration test, it’s essential to prioritise the remediation efforts based on the severity, impact, and exploitability of the issues. Effective prioritisation helps efficiently allocate resources and mitigate the most significant risks promptly.
3. Demonstrate and repeat attacks: Demonstrating successful attacks showing the attack paths and the impact of identified vulnerabilities. Additionally, repeating those attacks tests the effectiveness of the implemented fixes to ensure that the vulnerabilities have been properly addressed and no new issues have been introduced.
4. Integration with Security Strategy: Penetration testing should be integrated with the business’s broader security strategy. This includes sharing findings with your IT team or partner and using results to improve incident response and overall security posture.
5. Compliance and Regulatory Requirements: Ensuring that pen testing activities align with relevant compliance and regulatory requirements is important for meeting industry standards and avoiding legal issues.
6. Continuous Learning and Awareness: Penetration testing services are designed to stay updated with the latest attack vectors, tools, and techniques, as bad actors are constantly seeking new ways to exploit weaknesses. Continuous learning and development are essential to keep pace with evolving threats.
There is no bulletproof way to prevent a cyber-attack. However, businesses can use pen testing as a methodology for keeping pace with the evolving threat landscape. By utilising AI and automation, IT Partners can reduce a 30-day lead time to 10 days or less, providing easy-to-consume reports for your management team and board.
Let’s book a baseline test for your business environment to assess your current position.
