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In the modern age, we all need to be more than just vigilant about our security posture and the anti-malware measures we have in place. This is especially important for businesses, which reportedly face an average of 24 days’ downtime after a ransomware attack.
When assessing corporate data security, you’re likely to come across two key options to help firm up your protection – penetration testing and vulnerability scanning.
Vulnerability scanning is essential for ensuring no weaknesses in your infrastructure go undetected – while penetration testing helps you see your security setup through the eyes of a typical hacker.
In this guide, we will explore how both methods can prove crucial in your fight against unknown data risks.
Penetration Testing Overview
Penetration testing is a security analysis technique in which cybersecurity professionals actively hack into client systems to determine their robustness against real-world attack vectors.
A penetration test is a controlled, ethical attack that uncovers undetected vulnerabilities and security flaws that a client might have overlooked or could become dangerous.
Penetration testing also helps business owners understand the potential impact of successful hacking or malware infection on their systems. Penetration testers not only show how they access certain areas of an infrastructure, but also what they can do once inside.
For many businesses, it’s a useful “dry run” that helps company operators understand the seriousness of security vulnerabilities and why it’s worth investing in protection and training. Training, in particular, is key – human error is said to be a major cause of 95% of all data breaches.
Benefits and Limitations of Penetration Testing
A key benefit to penetration testing is its analysis depth. Working closely with penetration testing services, a business owner can decide how deep they’d like a security analysis to go and to what extent a tester has access.
With a “white box” penetration test, for example, a tester has complete access to all data regarding systems and access points and can therefore scour the whole of an infrastructure, leaving no stone unturned.
This depth of analysis can help business owners learn more about how to mitigate risks better, where employees might need additional security training, and where there might be potential flaws to risk non-compliance.
Weaknesses and vulnerabilities leave companies wide open to loss of data, reputation, customer trust, and revenue.
Conversely, some penetration testing methods might not go as deep as a company requires. “Black box” testing, for example, involves going in blind with zero knowledge of system architecture, mimicking real-world attacks. However, it could miss potentially crucial flaws.
Penetration testing is also highly resource-intensive and relies heavily on the skills and expertise of the testers involved. Testing with an inexperienced firm could ultimately leave weaknesses undetected.
What’s more, penetration testing can be costly. However, it is arguably a small price compared to what a company could lose without security analysis.
Vulnerability Scanning Overview
Vulnerability scanning is a tool-based approach to finding weaknesses in systems and infrastructures. Unlike penetration testing, it relies heavily on automated processes.
Firms arrange vulnerability scans because they are low-cost, low-effort, and broad in scope. Tools can scan a network or architecture and map out areas of vulnerability that business owners need to address.
Vulnerability testing is usually swift and sweeping, providing a top-down view of systems architecture without providing the contextual support of a penetration tester.
Benefits and Limitations of Vulnerability Scanning
One of the main benefits of hiring vulnerability scanning services lies in its “set and leave” approach. Business owners can simply set scans running and, within a maximum of a few days, receive an overview of their infrastructure, with areas marked for attention.
This approach is desirable because it causes little business interruption and uses fewer resources than penetration testing. As a low-resource option that doesn’t rely on human analysis, vulnerability scanning is also comparatively cheap.
Vulnerability scanning is helpful for ongoing checks and measures to help businesses stay compliant in complex industries. However, compared to penetration testing, its scope is not always deep enough to seek out complicated problems or advise business owners on addressing weaknesses.
In some cases, vulnerability scan reports can be difficult to analyze – especially if you are reading them as a layman or non-cybersecurity expert.
Comparison of Vulnerability Scanning and Penetration Testing
Let’s quickly break down some key points to compare between vulnerability scanning and penetration testing.
| Vulnerability Scanning | Penetration Testing | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | An automated, methodical scan or sweep of a client’s systems for weaknesses and security flaws | A customizable, human-led analysis of a client’s systems that mimics real-world hacking |
| Depth | Surface-level; can cover the whole of a system architecture but rarely go deep into specific attack cases and contexts | Sometimes less broad than vulnerability scanning, but goes deeper into specific attack vectors and risk cases (with scope agreed with the client) |
| Frequency | As frequent as the client demands; some tools can run constantly for continuous data management and security monitoring. | Ideally at least twice a year; tests can be intensive but uncover vulnerabilities at risk from the latest attack trends |
| Purpose | To provide regular peace of mind to business owners without using extensive resources or risking business interruption | To ensure all potential security weaknesses are carefully accounted for and explored in detail |
| Cost and Pricing Models | Relatively low depending on the company, tool, and scope involved | Penetration testing cost can vary depending on frequency and depth; however, costs can extend into the tens of thousands |
| Reporting and Remediation | Overview reports that give simple details but might need expert analysis to find actionable points | Extremely detailed breakdowns of security flaws and actions recommended by cybersecurity experts |
Penetration testing and vulnerability scanning can complement each other with careful integration into cybersecurity strategy. For example, a company might run regular, automated scans in the background to maintain security and ensure compliance. However, to address potentially larger weaknesses and unseen issues, professional penetration testing should be conducted twice a year for a deeper review.
This way, a business can offer greater confidence to its customers and stakeholders and rest easy knowing they’re protected from all angles annually.
Choosing Between Vulnerability Scanning and Penetration Testing
There are many use cases and scenarios where it’s reasonable to consider when its best to use vulnerability scanning or pen testing, and we certainly recommend both.
Businesses might prioritize vulnerability scanning over penetration testing for reasons such as cash flow and resource availability. For example, a small startup might have a relatively small infrastructure and capital available in the first year, but will still benefit from flaw detection and scanning to keep customers safe.
Other businesses, such as those handling especially sensitive data, might benefit more from penetration tests. For instance, large government bodies with complex IT setups and needs will benefit hugely from deep, human-led analysis. In cases where public data is particularly sensitive, it’s more important for firms to arrange more in-depth analyses.
These analyses might be more costly, but again – the cost of losing public trust could prove cataclysmic by comparison!
Combining both options, however, is highly recommended for companies to provide constant security oversight for those than can afford to invest in a dual model. Companies should consider the “complete” approach to protect customer and investor data and ensure work and progress remain private from rivals.
Conclusion
For the most comprehensive and reliable cybersecurity plan, it’s always worth considering running vulnerability scans alongside twice-yearly penetration tests.
Consider the worst-case scenario of your systems getting hacked or if you were to lose customer and client data – many businesses would go bankrupt for less!
If you’d like to learn more about why penetration testing and vulnerability scanning are vital to protecting your business in the modern age, get in touch with VikingCloud today. We’ll help you find a scalable, reliable solution to ensure your entire architecture is protected around the clock.
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