Penetration testing can be essential in exposing your organization's security weaknesses -- and you don't always need to hire an outside firm to do it
[Excerpted from "Finding Vulnerabilities By Attacking Your Own Environment," a new report published this week on Dark Reading's Vulnerability Management Tech Center.]
One of the most effective ways to find holes in your organization's IT security is to think -- and act -- like a hacker. Many companies hire outside firms to perform ethical hacks -- penetration testing that reveals any security gaps that a hacker could leverage to gain access to the organization's systems and data.
But some organizations consider tapping an outside firm a risk in itself -- whether to customer data, company reputation or uptime. It may make sense for these organizations to hack themselves. This might seem difficult, or even scary, but many tools, templates and tutorials that will walk security professionals through the process are available. (Bear in mind that these same tools, templates and tutorials are as readily available to black-hat hackers as they are to organizations seeking to hack themselves.)
The basic process for compromising a network hasn't changed much over time. The steps, generally speaking, are to:
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like
Beyond Spam Filters and Firewalls: Preventing Business Email Compromises in the Modern Enterprise
April 30, 2024Key Findings from the State of AppSec Report 2024
May 7, 2024Is AI Identifying Threats to Your Network?
May 14, 2024Where and Why Threat Intelligence Makes Sense for Your Enterprise Security Strategy
May 15, 2024Safeguarding Political Campaigns: Defending Against Mass Phishing Attacks
May 16, 2024
Black Hat USA - August 3-8 - Learn More
August 3, 2024Cybersecurity's Hottest New Technologies: What You Need To Know
March 21, 2024