• Due to the fast growing world of the Internet and technologies, hackers find new tactics and improve their skills as well. So your cyber security should be one of the most important aspects of your business operations.
• Penetration testing is a considerably new tool in the cyber security world, letting you hack onto your own system to evaluate both its strengths and weaknesses, which will help you identify where your IT security lacks and how to improve that.
• Penetration test is a very powerful method to see what might be wrong with your cyber security and will help you understand if your system needs improvement or not. So you should definitely include it in your cyber security strategy.

Cyber security is a critical issue for many businesses, and penetration testing is a new tool in the cyber security arsenal. Penetration testing also known as the pen test is a simulated or ethical, deliberate attempt to hack your systems. Here are a few reasons why penetration testing should a be part of your cyber security strategy.

1. Proves your defense work

Intrusion detection systems are supposed to recognise when someone has hacked a network. Only penetration testing will prove that the intrusion detection system is actually working. Penetration testing allows you to know once and for all if your multiple levels of firewalls work.

It determines whether or not the access control levels you’ve set up to limit access to files and software controls you put in place prevent someone from accessing data that they shouldn’t have. The penetration tests will test both hardware and software exploits.

2. A measure of how well the secondary defense work

In the ideal scenario, the penetration test fails to get into the network. However, the Internet and corporate intranet have to balance access with openness, and this leaves holes that could be exploited. The odds are that at least one hole will be found, and the intruder will get in. A penetration test lets you see how well these secondary defenses and protections work.

Furthermore, the penetration test lets you see how well other IT policies, protective measures and secondary IT security measures work. If the hacker is able to get into the smart router but not past the built-in firewall, or they can see file directories but not access files, they don’t actually learn much. Work with the experts to verify that your IT systems are as strong as they need to be. Working with a firm like Stickman would be recommended in this case because of their industry certifications and extensive experience. You can find out more about their products and services.

3. A test of the human factor

A common cause of system weaknesses is poorly implemented IT security policies being slow to patch known exploits and bad software updates. If your IT department fails to verify one patch that doesn’t create a hole somewhere else, they don’t know about the issue – but the penetration test will find it.

Or you may have someone creating holes in the firewall for their own use, albeit on someone’s directive to improve efficiency and speed, creating a backdoor that hackers could use when they find it. They assume no one would find it, but if it is found in a penetration testing, it could be found by hackers.

If penetration testing finds these security holes, your organisation needs to determine how to solve the root cause. Whether it is better to train your staff on how to access data correctly and recognise phishing attacks, or provide more time and money for installing and thoroughly testing software upgrades, you now know what you need to do to improve your IT security overall.

Penetration testing ideally lets you know that all of your security measures are working. Penetration testing is also essential for identifying the internal flaws and correcting them before they’re exploited.