Written by Steven Wierckx

7 advantages of penetration testing

Time to take a closer look at the 7 benefits pentests have for your company.

1. Reveal vulnerabilities

Penetration testing explores existing weaknesses in your system or application configurations and network infrastructure. Even actions and habits of your staff that could lead to data breaches and malicious infiltration are being researched during penetration tests. A report informs you on your security vulnerabilities so you know what software and hardware improvements you have to consider or what recommendations and policies would improve the overall security.

2. Show real risks

Penetration testers try to exploit identified vulnerabilities. That means you see what an attacker could do in the ‘real world’. They might access sensitive data and execute operating system commands. But they might also tell you that a vulnerability that is theoretically high risk isn’t that risky at all because of the difficulty of exploitation. Only a specialist can perform that type of analysis.

3. Test your cyber-defence capability

You should be able to detect attacks and respond adequately and on time. Once you detect an intrusion, you should start investigations, discover the intruders and block them. Whether they are malicious, or experts testing the effectiveness of your protection strategy. The feedback from the test will tell you if – but more likely what – actions can be taken to improve your defence.

4. Ensure business continuity

To make sure your business operations are up-and-running all the time, you need network availability, 24/7 communications and access to resources. Each disruption will have a negative impact on your business. Penetration tests reveal potential threats and help to ensure that your operations don’t suffer from unexpected downtime or a loss of accessibility. In this respect, a penetration test is quite like a business continuity audit.

5. Have a third party expert opinion

When an issue is identified by someone within your organisation, your management may not be inclined to react or act. A report from a third-party expert often has a bigger impact on your management, and it may lead to allocation of additional funds.

6. Follow regulations and certifications

Your industry and legal compliance requirements may dictate a certain level of penetration testing. Think about the ISO 27001 standard or PCI regulations, which requires all managers and system owners to conduct regular penetration tests and security reviews, with skilled testers. That is because penetration testing focuses on real-life consequences.

7. Maintain trust

A cyber assault or data breach negatively affects the confidence and loyalty of your customers, suppliers and partners. However, if your company is known for its strict and systematic security reviews and penetration tests, you will reassure all your stakeholders.