Penetration Testing services

Pen testing, short for penetration testing, is where ethical hackers seek to find and exploit vulnerabilities in a computer system in a controlled environment. This service aims to identify weak points in a business’ security defences which could be exploited by malicious hackers. 

Penetration testing services can identify different types of vulnerabilities through a series of test attempts. These include:  

• Potential entry points for hackers  

• Areas of industry non-compliance  

• The organisation’s response capabilities  

• The ability to access sensitive data  

• Effectiveness of access controls  

• Weak spots in specific business areas  

Penetration testing is typically split into three different types: black-box assessment, white-box assessment, and gray-box assessment. Each type has a different objective and is differentiated by the information provided to the tester before and during the assessment.   

Black box penetration testing is where the tester is given only the bare minimum information, such as the company name. These tests are used for organisations that already have processes for vulnerability identification and remediation.   

White box penetration testing involves giving the tester lots of information, such as internal documents, configuration plans, etc. This type of testing means the tester can spend more time focused on exploiting issues instead of understanding the organisation and performing host enumeration and vulnerability scanning.   

Gray box penetration testing sits between black and white, with the tester provided a moderate amount of information. In these tests, they will know which hosts or networks to target, giving them a good idea of what a targeted attack could look like.

Both pen testing services and automated security scans can test systems for vulnerabilities and are both important elements in a security framework. However, they do differ.  

Penetration testing has a more offensive nature, simulating an attack to exploit weaknesses, while vulnerability scanning can also incorporate a defensive strategy and act as an early warning system by identifying potential vulnerabilities.  

Time is also a factor, with penetration being more time-consuming and resource-intensive compared to automated security scanning. Vulnerability scans can be quick to complete and can typically be performed more often than penetration tests.

When choosing a pen testing provider, there are several factors to consider. You’ll first need to think about your business objectives and how this could feed into them, your budget, and testing requirements.   

Secondly, it’s important to consider vendors with expertise in penetration testing and seek out those who have worked with other customers in your industry to ensure they have knowledge on industry-specific challenges and compliance requirements.

Pen testing services should be a regular undertaking in most businesses. Depending on the size of your organisation, your business activities, budget, and security measures, we recommend carrying out pen testing once per year. It’s also important to consider carrying out a penetration test following any significant changes to your business network or cyber security solutions.

During a pen test, a penetration tester will simulate real-world cyber attacks using a variety of methods such as vulnerability assessments, social engineering, and physical pen tests. Once vulnerabilities have been uncovered, a penetration tester will try to exploit them by escalating privileges, stealing data, and intercepting traffic to understand the damage they can cause.

Any industry can be subject to a cyber attack, but it can be more beneficial for those industries that hackers target more often. Highly regulated industries like healthcare, financial services, banking, insurance, legal, and public sector are typically high value targets for cyber attackers and so regular pen testing could be more advantageous in these sectors. 

Depending on the specific requirements agreed during the onboarding and planning session, penetration testing times can vary. Most commonly, the actual tests themselves can take from one to two weeks. It’s important to remember that this time can vary depending on several factors, including the size of the organisation, scope of work, and other external factors outside the control of the pen tester.

Pen testing services can often be tailored to meet the specific needs of a business, as agreed during the onboarding and planning session. At Nasstar, we can work with you to understand your requirements and create a bespoke pen testing plan that focuses on the areas you’re most interested in testing and learning more about. Contact our team to find out more.