In the digital era, businesses face constant threats of data breaches and cyber-attacks. Protecting sensitive information, financial records, and customer data has become an essential aspect of running a business, particularly when considering the potential financial and reputational damages resulting from a successful cyber-attack.
What is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing, also referred to as pen testing or ethical hacking, is a simulated cyber-attack on a computer system, network, or web application to identify security weaknesses. These tests are carried out by cybersecurity experts with the goal of discovering vulnerabilities before cybercriminals do.
Cyber Security Terms To Know:
Authentication
- Authentication is the process of confirming your identity.
- Your passwords verify that you are the person who should have the username in question.
- The fact that your photo looks like you when you show your ID (e.g., driver’s licence) is a way of validating that the name, age, and address on the ID correspond to you.
Backup
The process of copying essential data to a secure location, such as a cloud storage system or an external hard drive, is referred to as a backup. Backups allow you to restore your systems to a working state in the event of a cyber attack or a system failure.
Breach of Personal Information:
A data breach occurs when a hacker acquires unauthorised access to data belonging to an organisation or an individual.
Encryption
The process of transforming readable information, called plaintext, into an unreadable format, known as ciphertext, using a secret code or key. This code ensures only authorised individuals with the correct key can decipher it back to its original form.
Types of Penetration Testing:
Web Application Penetration Testing
This type of testing targets web applications to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorised access to data held within the system.
Examples of Web Application Breaches/Attacks
- SQL Injection – Attackers inject malicious code into input fields to manipulate the database and potentially steal sensitive data.
- Cross Site Scripting (XSS) – Attackers inject malicious scripts into web pages redirecting users to phishing sites or stealing their credentials.
- Broken Authentication and Authorisation – Exploiting weak authentication mechanisms or authorization controls to gain unauthorised access to user accounts or data.
- Insecure Direct Object REferences (IDOR) – Accessing data beyond intended permission levels by manipulating internal identifiers.
Wireless network penetration testing
This type of testing targets wireless networks to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers to gain access to sensitive data or systems.
Examples of Wireless Breaches/Attacks
- Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) – intercepting and manipulating network traffic to steal data or modify communications.
- Zero day attacks – Exploiting previously unknown vulnerabilities in software or protocols before patches are available.
- Denial of Service (DoS) – Overwhelming a system with traffic to render it unavailable for legitimate users.
- Password Spraying- automating login attempts with common passwords to gain access to user accounts.
- Brute force attacks- Systematically trying different password combinations to crack user accounts.
Examples of Network Breaches/Attacks
- Weak encryption protocols – exploiting vulnerabilities in outdated or weak encryption protocols.
- Rogue Access points – Setting up fake access points to lure users and steal their data or credentials.
- Wireless sniffing – Capturing unencrypted wireless traffic to steal sensitive information like passwords and email
Social engineering penetration testing
This type of testing targets employees to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers to gain access to sensitive data or systems.
Examples of Social Engineering Breaches/Attacks
- Phishing emails – Sending emails that appear to be from legitimate sources.
- Vhishing – making phone calls that impersonate legitimate organisations to trick users into revealing sensitive information.
- Smishing- Sending text messages with malicious links or urging users to call fake phone numbers.
- Pretexting – Creating a false scenario to gain a user’s trust and obtain sensitive information.
- Tailgating – following authorised individuals into secure areas without proper authorisations.
Why do you need Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing is done to find and exploit your system or network vulnerabilities before a real cyber attacker can do so. Some of the benefits you will get include:
- Improved security posture: Penetration testing can help organisations identify and fix security vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers.
- Reduced Risk of data breaches: By fixing security vulnerabilities, organisations can reduce the risk of data breaches and other cyberattacks.
- Increased compliance: Penetration testing can help organisations to comply with industry regulations and standards.
How Often should you do penetration testing?
There is no one-size-fits- all answer to how often you should perform penetration testing. Most experts recommend conducting at least one comprehensive pen test per year. This annual assessment helps identify major vulnerabilities in your systems and networks before they’re exploited by attackers. There are also factors to consider frequent testing.
- Industry Regulations: Some industries have compliance requirements mandating specific pen testing frequencies.
- Sensitivity of data: If the organisation handles highly sensitive data ( financial information, medical records, etc.), frequent testing is crucial.
- Attack Surface: A larger and more complex IT environment with multiple applications and networks necessitates frequent testing.
- Threat Landscape: If your organisation operates in a high-risk industry or has experienced past security incidents, frequent testing should be considered.
- Security posture: Continuously improving your security posture might involve more frequent testing to monitor progress and identify new vulnerabilities.
Why Newtec Services
- Expertise – Our team consist of qualified and experienced cyber security experts who are up to date on the latest attack techniques and vulnerabilities.
- Customisation – We can tailor our testing engagements to your specific needs and concerns focusing on critical systems or areas with known vulnerabilities.
- Reporting and remediation – You receive a comprehensive report outlining identified vulnerabilities, potential risks and remediation recommendations.
- Compliance Support: Our testing can help you comply with industry regulations and standards.
If you’re concerned about the security of your IT infrastructure and want to proactively address potential vulnerabilities, Newtec Services penetration testing can be a valuable tool. Contact Newtect Services @ https://newtecservices.ie/cyber-security-ireland/ or call 01 531 3777 today for a free consultation.
About Newtec Services:
Founded in 2009, Newtec Services emerged with a vision – to empower Irish businesses through technology woven into their very DNA. We weren’t mere IT providers; we were growth architects, champions of a future where technology management and digital transformation weren’t separate paths but tightly braided strands leading to Irish success.
Today, Newtec stands as a trusted partner for businesses of all sizes. We are the cybersecurity champions, defending brands with enterprise-grade shields. We are the cloud whisperers, unlocking the magic of AWS, Azure, and NetSuite to propel operations to new heights. We are the digital transformation gurus, guiding clients towards agility, efficiency, and a future-proofed business model.
