The Evolution of Cybersecurity: Running Virtual Penetration Tests (Part 5)

Regardless of how many resources you’ve spent building your digital fortress to protect against cyberattacks, there is only one way you can be certain it will hold up to potential threats—by putting it to the test. Specifically what is being referred to is a penetration test, where trusted cybersecurity professionals are authorized to simulate a cyberattack. Here, a variety of tactics are employed which are commonly used by cybercriminals to attempt to gain unauthorized access to the network system. Of course, the cybersecurity professionals don’t actually do any damage by performing the simulation. This is why this procedure is often known as ‘ethical hacking’, or hacking without fraudulent intention. Essentially, by practicing cyber attack scenarios businesses can learn both how their defenses would perform when challenged with a security threat, and whether or not they can actually be confident implementing those same defenses in the real-world. Moreover, they can also keep track of performance statistics, find out where improvements need to be made, and ultimately develop a more secure network system.

The penetration test will either be successful, indicating that your cybersecurity defenses are sound; or it will be unsuccessful, and will highlight the areas where improvements to cybersecurity are necessary. Either way, a penetration test is used to gauge whether your cybersecurity defenses are up to par with existing threats and as such it is a necessary requirement to truly have confidence in your cybersecurity defenses.

Furthermore, when it comes to cybersecurity the best defense is a good offense. In this sense, penetration testing is considered a proactive tool. If you choose not to preemptively test your network’s security capabilities, then it would only be until after an attack has actually occurred that you would find out if vulnerabilities exist in your defenses. It is important to note that the longer a vulnerability goes unnoticed, the longer cybercriminals have to exploit that vulnerability, which entails that more damage may be done. Therefore, in order to ensure that any deficiencies are not overlooked in the first place, it is important to regularly execute penetration tests.

Besides reinforcing your cybersecurity defenses, penetration testing is beneficial for an additional two reasons. First, it gives you an understanding of how robust your security controls are. For instance it is best to have the ability to identify affected areas, quarantine malware, and isolate other threats. Second, it supports compliance with a variety of laws and regulations. Rigorously testing the integrity of your cybersecurity defense is a necessary requirement in many instances to ensure that the data of customers is indeed secure. Lacking actual confirmation and assuming that your data is secure is insufficient. If an attack does occur and your defenses do not fare well, then this could result in your business facing harsh repercussions for negligence.

Moving on, there are three main categories of penetration testing, of which the testing team will take advantage of:

Black Box Penetration Tests

Also known as a “closed test”, this entails that the testing team has no prior knowledge of the target. This approach is most similar to real-world scenarios, where no private information is provided to the hacker. Instead, the testing team must work with publicly available information, just as a real hacker would. This test relies most heavily on the hacker’s ability to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in the target’s defenses. As such, it is paramount that the testing team is knowledgeable when it comes to searching for security flaws, so as to replicate the behaviour of a real hacker.

White Box Penetration Tests

Also known as an “open test”, this is the opposite of the black box approach. Here, the testing team is granted full access to all information regarding the target, and the potential damage is maximized as the penetration test is far more elaborate. Although more unrealistic, this simulation can replicate a worst-case scenario. Of course, the probability of successfully finding and exploiting a vulnerability is greatly increased when one has access to more preliminary information regarding network diagrams, application source code, domains, IP addresses and ranges, emails, and employee information. The idea is that this white box test will cover areas that the block box test could not reach.

Grey Box Penetration Tests

This approach to penetration testing entails that the team has access to some knowledge. As such, this is the middle ground between black box testing which entails zero knowledge, and white box testing which entails full knowledge. Grey box testing is often implemented to simulate very specific scenarios where certain information is leaked to the public.

Additionally, penetration testing is commonly conducted to target three separate environments. For instance, testers will use a device to search for vulnerabilities within the internal network environment. Afterall, the external security perimeter cannot be solely relied upon to protect the network operations. Therefore, the scenario must be simulated where someone gains internal access to the system in order to test the safeguards which hopefully identify and lock down suspicious activity. Next, testers will assume the role of a malicious hacker from the public internet, so as to search for vulnerabilities in the external network environment. Typically what is sought after is unpatched bugs, configuration errors, and authentication issues. This form of testing will show how competent your cybersecurity defenses are when met with a brute force attack. Lastly, testers will connect and attempt to exploit the wireless network environment. In particular, they look for rogue access points, wireless signal bleed, and weak encryptions. This will help you discern whether or not the optimal wireless configuration is in place.

Cloud Metric Inc. offers virtual penetration testing, through which it offers the following methodological approach. Our testing team gathers intelligence, models threats based on critical business resources, uses both automated and manual vulnerability analysis, exploits flaws, and conducts post-exploitation procedures. The final product entails in-depth documentation of the penetration test, along with strategic and technical recommendations for security improvements.

Virtual penetration testing is the alternative to traditional penetration testing and, for your convenience, here is a comparison of the two options:

In conclusion, you won’t truly know if your cybersecurity defenses are up to date unless you’ve tested them in real-world scenarios against real-world threats. Considering the dynamic nature of the modern cyber environment, threats are subject to change, and security which was once relied upon may become outdated. Therefore through running virtual penetration tests regularly, you can determine whether or not your defenses are effective. The idea is that if your defenses aren’t up to par, then you’ll know exactly how to improve them.

At around $15,000+, traditional penetration tests are costly. This is because of the extensive manual labour required to process the mass amount of data. Additionally, the physical presence required on-site can interfere with business operations. On the other hand, virtual penetration tests cost around $6500, as the data processing is far more efficient. Furthermore, they are conducted remotely without interrupting day-to-day business activities. If you’re not quite ready for those price tags, Cloud Metric Inc. is offering free cybersecurity assessment, which is the first step to evaluate your current security controls and vulnerabilities. If you’re interested in deciphering whether or not your cybersecurity defenses are sound then reach out to us today!

Multi Part Series: The Evolution of Cybersecurity Part 1: What Poor Endpoint Protection Entails Part 2: Ideal Endpoint Protection Part 3: The Need for Multi Factor Authentication Part 4: The Risks of Working from Home – A Zero Trust Approach Part 5: Running Virtual Penetration Tests Part 6: Is Your MSP Keeping You Secure?

Featured Download