What is Threat and Penetration Testing?
Simply put, a threat and penetration test is a simulated attack on your IT environment that tests your computer system’s security.
Just like a homeowner would hire an experienced home security company to perform a mock break-in of their home, businesses hire IT companies to “invade” their systems in order to show how a hacker and/or virus can get in.
Why do businesses in Staten Island need Penetration Testing?
Businesses in the greater New York City Metro area are always at an increased risk for cyber attacks.
According to t New York State’s Office of Information Technology Services, a “Guarded” cyber alert level indicates that there is:
“A general risk of increased hacking, virus, or other malicious activity.
The potential exists for malicious cyber activities, but no known exploits have been identified or, known exploits have been identified but no significant impact has occurred”.
DCS recommends that all NYC-based businesses should consider themselves “Guarded” at all times due to our location and current world events.
Considering cyber attacks are always omnipresent and ever-evolving, we recommend doing a pen test at least twice a year.
How is a “Pen Test” Done?
First off let’s start with some good news! A Pen Test involves little to no interference with your day-to-day business operations. This is because companies like DCS utilize a variety of testing tools that work behind the scenes to find and exploit weak spots (aka vulnerabilities)
This means little to no downtime for your business.
Typically, Pen Tests involve 5 phases:
Reconnaissance
The first phase of penetration testing is reconnaissance. In this phase, the tester gathers as much information about the target system as possible.
Scanning
Once all the relevant data has been gathered from the reconnaissance phase, it’s time to move on to scanning. In this phase, the tester uses various tools to identify open ports and check network traffic on the target system.
Vulnerability Assessment
The third phase of the penetration testing process is the vulnerability assessment. The tester scans all the data gathered in the reconnaissance and scanning phases to identify potential vulnerabilities and determine whether they can be exploited.
Exploitation
Once a vulnerability has been identified, it’s time for exploitation. The tester attempts to exploit the vulnerability and access the target system.
Reporting
Once the exploitation phase is complete, the tester prepares a report documenting all of the penetration test’s findings. This report can be used to fix any vulnerabilities found in the system and improve the organization’s security.
What Are The Benefits of Penetration Testing?
Understanding your IT environment and how it performs against simulated attacks will give you an idea of the costs associated with protection. More importantly, it will provide you with peace of mind because you will know exactly how secure your systems are.
How much does a Penetration Test Cost?
Penetration test costs are custom to each organization and depend on the complexity of the technology used.
How do I get a Penetration Test Done in Staten Island?
Contact DCS today! We can give you an estimate of what a pen test would cost. Pen tests can be done virtually, or at your place of business.
Please contact us with any questions you may have about our penetration testing services.
