Have you ever found yourself wondering whether your business could survive an cyber attack?
Small businesses, too, can be vulnerable to cybercrime in today's globalized world. Relying solely on hope may not provide adequate cybersecurity protection; to maximize effectiveness of penetration testing and vulnerability scanning programs.
These methods will enable you to identify any weak points in your defenses so you can strengthen them before any real danger presents itself.
This article compares two options by drawing upon an analogy involving home security.
Walking the Perimeter: Vulnerability ScanS
A vulnerability scan is similar to taking an exterior tour of your house and noting any possible entryways, looking at your devices and network from outside and searching for any vulnerabilities such as unpatched systems or unsafe configurations that might exist within.
Imagine discovering an unlocked door or weak lock:
A vulnerability scan will generate a report detailing which areas require more security, though it cannot verify whether anyone can gain entry. In order to take any necessary action - for example by installing stronger locks or an alarm - it's still necessary to review this report thoroughly in order to identify gaps and act on them accordingly - such as installing stronger locks or an alarm.
Security tools provide automated vulnerability scans on an ongoing basis, helping you remain up-to-date with patching efforts and identify problems before hackers exploit them. It is a cost-effective method for keeping an eye on the perimeter defenses of your network over time.
Real-World Attacks :
Penetration testing Penetration tests go one step further by mimicking the techniques and approaches employed by real cybercriminals and actually trying to break into your system or data.
A vulnerability scan might reveal that your home requires a gate, while a penetration test might reveal that hackers can climb over your neighbor's fence to bypass it and bypass your gate altogether.
Penetration testing provides a more thorough picture than vulnerability scanning due to skilled and ethical "hackers", using cutting-edge techniques, probing for vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, due to their human element, penetration tests tend to be more expensive and disruptive compared to regular scans - conduct deeper tests only on critical systems like payment processing.
Meeting Compliance Standards
Many businesses must conduct periodic network scans and penetration testing as per credit card processing standards.
These proactive measures ensure that sensitive customer information remains protected.
As part of a managed service provider agreement, our team of security experts will conduct penetration tests and vulnerability scans for you on behalf of your network. Using ethical hackers and automated scanners, they can assess its security without disrupting operations.
We can assess your budget and security needs to develop the ideal testing schedule. Contact us at (404) 932-5940 today or email us at info@nuwaveitc.com and get started.
