We all want to avoid being hacked but if you do not have sufficient security measures in place, your company could be at risk for data breaches, and potential lawsuits. Penetration tests are a great way to ensure that your organization is protected from cyber-attacks. In this article, we will cover an introduction to penetration testing, why an organization should have one performed, how they work, and how to find quality providers in India
Introduction to penetration testing
What is penetration testing?
All attempts carried out to breach the security of a system or a network to find vulnerabilities can be collectively called penetration testing. Pentesters use a variety of techniques to attempt to gain access to systems and data, including exploiting vulnerabilities and impersonating authorized users.
Types of penetration testing
- Black box testing: The pentester has no prior knowledge of the target systems.
- White box testing: The pentester has full knowledge of the target systems, including passwords, network diagrams, and source code.
- Gray box testing: Pentesters have partial knowledge about the target systems but not enough for white box testing.
How do penetration tests work?
The end goal of a penetration test is to quickly eliminate vulnerabilities once detected. The pentester starts by identifying the IP addresses or web addresses of the systems they want to test. They then attempt to gain access to those systems using any means possible, including exploiting vulnerabilities, guessing passwords, and social engineering. Once they have access, they attempt to extract sensitive data or plant malware for testing purposes.
Benefits of penetration testing
Penetration testing can help identify vulnerabilities that may previously have gone unnoticed, so these problems can be fixed before they turn into bigger issues down the line.
There are many other benefits to performing a penetration test, including:
- verifying the effectiveness of security controls
- identifying insecure configurations
- pinpointing issues with user permissions
- locating breaches of physical security
Who needs penetration testing?
Organizations that are seeking to secure sensitive data and systems for their protection or as required by law should consider having a professional penetration test performed. Even if you do not believe you have any vulnerabilities, it is still worth getting tested just in case there was some kind of oversight during the initial setup phase.
Also, your organization will be issued one single report with the results so everyone can understand what needs to change and improve across the board.
When performing an assessment, ask yourself:
- What could happen if my system gets compromised?
- How soon would I know about it?
- Is anyone monitoring alerts 24/48 hours after they occur?
- How would I be notified about an attack?
- How severe would the consequences be in the event of a data breach?
- Can I trust that there is no internal threat within our business network? If so, why?
- Are you sure all your employees have been vetted and background checked for past criminal activity?
- Do they understand what it means when handling sensitive data in this day and age with current laws like GDPR coming into play soon?
Remember cybercriminals aren’t targeting just big companies anymore – if they can get access to any type of information then it could lead to identity theft, blackmailing etc., which costs everyone money. Penetration Tests will ensure we’re taking every possible measure available to protect against such threats. It’s not the cheapest option available but it’s the most effective.
How to select the right penetration testing provider for your needs?
The level of expertise and experience of a company will have an impact on how thorough their test is, which can be misleading if you don’t research them first. Even though having lower prices may seem tempting, in order to do a professional job they’ll need time as well as enough resources – so make sure they’re not cutting corners or using subpar tools when doing your Penetration Test!
You should also ask what kind of information they provide after completing the tests (i.e., reports) because some providers use stock images while others write custom content based on the client’s requirements; there are even those that offer step-by-step remediation instructions.
Top 6 Penetration Testing Providers in India
There are many providers of penetration testing services, but the following six are some of the most well-known and respected in India:
1) Astra Security – Astra Security is the leading provider of penetration testing services in India. Their product, Astra Pentest, is exactly what most companies are looking for.
Features of their service:
- Penetration testing that meets top security standards such as OWASP, SANS, ISO27001, PCI, SOC 2 compliance, etc.
- Testing against 2500+ known vulnerabilities
- Tips to fix vulnerabilities
- Cloud deployment and an interactive dashboard with real-time reporting capabilities
2) ISECURION – ISECURION is a specialist information security services company that offers penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, blockchain security, and risk management services.
3) eSec Forte – eSec Forte is a premier information security company that provides a wide range of services related to penetration testing (security assessment, network, and wireless pen-testing, web application pen-testing), ISO 27001 Lead Assessor certification training, cyber forensics, and incident response.
4) Pristine InfoSolutions – Pristine InfoSolutions offers penetration testing services in India. The company provides various online penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, and risk management solutions for critical applications such as ERP, SCADA/HMI, ICS & IIoT systems to address their security gaps before the customer’s business is impacted by cyberattacks or data breaches.
5) Secfence – Secfence delivers professional IT Security services such as ethical hacking, digital forensic investigation to their clients located across the globe. Their main focus areas are application security, mobile app development, network & information security assessments (pentest), malware analysis and forensics, web application auditing, etc. They have a team of well-experienced and certified security professionals who are capable of handling any type of cyber-attack or data breach.
6) Indian cybersecurity solutions (ICSS) – Indian cybersecurity solutions (ICSS) is a specialist cybersecurity company that provides complete information security solutions and services to the government, private, and public sector enterprises in India.
Their service portfolio includes:
- Network Security Solutions (NSS)
- Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
- Application Security Services
- Penetration Testing & Vulnerability Assessment
- E-mail Security
- Website security
- ICS/SCADA Security Solutions
- Cybersecurity Awareness & Training
Conclusion
Penetration testing is an important part of any organization’s security plan and should be considered if you’re looking to protect your data from malicious actors. By understanding who needs it, when it should be performed and how to select the best provider for your company, you can ensure that not only are you able to protect sensitive data but also identify potential issues and problems before they turn into big issues.