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In today’s world, cybersecurity is vital for any online organisation. Web applications are hugely popular and used in organisations of all shapes and size.
This popularity is growing during the coronavirus pandemic and is predicted to continue as businesses and workers adjust to new flexibility in their working arrangements. Unfortunately, this also makes web applications an extremely attractive target for hackers.
Working from home involves interacting with a whole raft of web applications – email, data sharing, messaging, finance and social media apps all play an integral role in many businesses. It has never been more essential that you be proactive with your organisation’s cybersecurity.
No matter how big or small your organisation Penetration Testing (pen testing) is an essential measure for ensuring that your organisation and confidential data remain safe and secure. Prevention is better than a cure – pen testing is a method of identifying and preparing for any threat, closing any holes in security before they can be exploited by hackers. This is done using a form of ethical hacking which in which a cyber-attack is simulated, giving valuable insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the applications you use.
The Benefits Of Pen Testing
A penetration test typically promises of five phases, imitating the methods of a cyber attack:
- Reconnaissance – during which information is gathered on the system that will be targeted.
- Scanning – using technical tools to expand the attacker’s knowledge of the target system.
- Gaining Access – using the information gathered during the first two phases to exploit the targeted system.
- Maintaining Access – where the ethical hacker is able to remain within the target system in order to gather as much data as possible.
- Covering Tracks – finally the ethical hacker clears any trace of their presence within the target system and ensuring that no signs are left of their presence.
As this article shows, businesses throughout the market should consider pen testing as a service to help them to check that your applications are secure. Choosing a trustworthy pen testing service like Firesand will help you discover who is attempting to access your data, what the application security flaws are and how you can best protect your data. This should be one of your first steps in securing your online organisation, leaving you, your employees and your customers with peace of mind.
Pen testing services can be used in tandem with the use of Web Application Firewalls. These are a kind of firewall that are applied specifically to web applications. They analyse web traffic, identifying and filtering out any cyber threats amongst your usual web traffic. The information found using pen testing can also be used to complement a Web Application Firewall, tailoring the firewall to any weak spots identified in pen testing.
Conclusion
No matter how you choose to protect your business it is vital that you choose the services of an expert, trustworthy company like Firesand. Checking for accreditation and certification can help to ensure that you are leaving your organisation’s cyber security in safe hand. Putting the time in to research providers will help you to feel confident in the ability of the company you eventually entrust your cyber security and pen testing to.
A 2018 study showed that 42% of small and medium businesses were victim to a cyber breach in the 12 months previous. Inevitably this number will only keep increasing as 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic lead to a shift to online remote working, with many companies choosing to make this transition permanent.
In the ever-changing world of cyber security utilising the tactics of malicious hackers is the perfect preventative measure to protect against future attacks, with recent studies showing that 92% of companies that employed pen testing were breached. Now more than ever it is vital to take action and ensure that your systems and data are kept safe.
