Penetration Testing

What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing, also referred to as a pen testing, is an authorized, simulated cyber attack on IT infrastructure. The purpose is to safely attempt to exploit vulnerabilities of the systems that are in-place. These vulnerabilities may be present in operating systems, applications or services. They may also exist due to improper configuration or simply because of risky end-user behavior.

Why Is Penetration Testing Important?

In the age of high-profile data breaches, businesses are becoming increasingly concerned about their networks being targeted and are placing greater emphasis on incident response, detection, and remediation efforts to protect high-value information. However, even sophisticated security strategies will be ineffective if people, processes, and technology aren’t tested often to identify and remediate vulnerabilities. Knowing of your threat landscape is one of the greatest steps you can take toward improving your security posture.

"Patrick, Ender, and the guys have been excellent to work with. We have used them for penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and incident response. Each engagement has been handled very professionally with excellent communication between Critical Path Security and our corporation. The depth of knowledge demonstrated by the staff of Critical Path Security has been extremely impressive and they are a joy to work with."

― Manager of Information Systems, Utility Corporation, Atlanta, GA

What Are The Stages of Pen Testing?

Through pen testing, you can proactively identify exploitable vulnerabilities before an attacker does. However, there’s a lot more to pen testing than just setting the dials and running automated scans--it’s a thoroughly orchestrated process that consists of several phases:

• Planning and Preparation
• Discovery
• Penetration Attempt and Exploitation
• Analysis and Reporting
• Clean Up and Remediation
• Retest

How Often Should You Pen Test?

Penetration testing should be performed annually at a minimum or certain types of businesses may need to have one done more frequently to maintain compliance. In addition to scheduled analysis and assessments required by regulatory mandates, pen tests should be conducted when network infrastructure or applications are added or upgraded, security patches are applied, or end-user policies are modified.

Why Choose Us For Your Pentest?

Critical Path Security’s penetration testing solutions help organizations address this challenge by performing checks and scans on all applications, systems, or websites to identify potential security gaps. Penetration testing can also target specific areas of concern, which include:

• Networks
• Wireless Networks
• Applications
• Mobile Applications
• Physical Security
• Social Engineering
• Internet of Things

We apply the same techniques that can be used by an attacker, all conducted within a controlled and safe environment. By attempting to breach your company’s security infrastructure and exploit vulnerabilities, we expose critical liabilities that your company faces from the perspective of a motivated attacker. Our penetration tests can help you:

• Manage your threat landscape: Intelligently manage potential security risks and vulnerabilities.
• Contain costs: Avoid excessive costs and lost productivity associated with network downtime.
• Maintain compliance: Avoid costly penalties and fines associated with non-compliance.
• Shorten remediation: Trust is important for employees, suppliers, and customers.
• Uphold positive brand image: Trust through action, for employees, suppliers, and customers.
• Retain customer loyalty: Avoid erosion of customer confidence and loyalty.