The Role of Penetration Testing in Security Audits and Why They Are Key to Uncovering Vulnerabilities

Today’s organizations are in a never-ending chess match with malicious adversaries looking to exploit hidden vulnerabilities in their networks and systems. With modern advancements in next-generation technologies, cyber attackers have more tools at their disposal to assist them in compromising systems and holding sensitive business data hostage.

To help businesses stay better prepared to defend against new emerging attack methods, conducting regular security audits can be invaluable. 

However, although conducting internal audits is an important part of taking a more proactive security approach, they often aren’t comprehensive enough to “test” the integrity of the security protocols, systems, and network protections you have in place. This is where penetration testing can assist.

Understanding Penetration Testing

Penetration testing is a simulated real-world exercise that mimics the techniques cyber attackers use to try and gain unauthorized access to a system or network. The “pen testers” refer to ethical hackers who are trained to use the same methods individuals use to exploit various vulnerabilities to compromise critical systems or corrupt and steal sensitive data.

Depending on the type of services you require, there are different penetration testing formats. These include:

• Black Box Testing - One of the most common types of penetration tests is black box, which means that the pen tester will have no prior knowledge about the target system. This helps to mimic a cyber attacker who has very limited information about their target and will rely heavily on publicly accessible information about the organization and utilize social engineering tactics to gain more intel.
• White Box Testing - A white box penetration test is designed to closely mimic an insider threat since the ethical hacking individual or team will already be working with inside knowledge about the organization and may already have a good idea of the type of system architecture in place. These tests provide a great opportunity to identify common vulnerabilities that perimeter defense may miss since they’re often configured to allow a certain amount of access to trusted users.
• Gray Box Testing - A mixed approach to penetration testing is referred to as a gray box, meaning that the simulated cyber attacker will have some information or minimal levels of access. They may also have certain documentation or network diagrams that they can use to get started in their breach attempt while looking for ways to elevate their privileges and identify additional vulnerabilities in a system.

The Critical Role of Penetration Testing in Security Audits

Although security audits are an essential element if hardening an organization’s security defenses, they often rely on a series of predefined rules and checklists as well as certain automated tools designed to look for compliance gaps or identify certain vulnerabilities.

While these audits are primarily designed to look for known vulnerabilities and potential misconfiguration in networks or various digital devices, they’re not comprehensive enough on their own to look for more sophisticated and highly specific attack areas. This is why penetration testing can be so helpful.

What Makes Penetration Testing So Effective?

Penetration is different from other security assessment methods since it’s able to be highly adaptable and represent the dynamic nature of modern-day cyber attacks. This format increases the stress testing capabilities on an organization’s system, which is a much more realistic benchmark to work with.

• Simulates Real-World Attacks - There is a reason why penetration testers are also referred to as “ethical hackers.” They have the knowledge and skills to carry out the same type of attacks as malicious individuals, but they use their talents to help organizations. They have experience in constructing and executing social engineering attacks, the creation and deployment of malware and using next-generation AI tools to help them carry out their breaches. The great thing is that this allows an organization to see exactly how well it can withstand an attack without needing to face the consequences should the exercise succeed.
  
  
• A More Proactive Approach to Security - Penetration testing helps organizations to recognize various vulnerabilities “before” they can be exploited by cybercriminals. This helps to provide actionable information that can be used to add additional layers of security and avoid costly penalties for non-compliance issues with regulatory bodies.

What Areas Can Penetration Testing Assist With?

Strengthening an Organization’s Security Posture

By hiring the services of skilled pen testers, businesses are able to validate the effectiveness of their security implementations while ensuring all of their controls are properly configured. This allows organizations the peace of mind of knowing that they’re putting in the necessary due diligence to significantly lower their risk of falling victim to a modern-day cyber attack.

Supporting Compliance and Risk Management Procedures

Being able to prove compliance with industry-specific regulations is a necessary element for many organizations. Penetration testing can be a great way to ensure that all compliance areas are being strictly maintained. This can be critical when trying to achieve various security certifications, such as HITRUST, which is a common requirement for organizations positioned in the healthcare industry.

Creating Additional Trust With Key Stakeholders

It’s important that customers and all company stakeholders are confident that the organization is meeting its security requirements day-to-day. Conducting penetration tests, in addition to conducting comprehensive security audits, checks all of the boxes at once while proving to others how serious security preparedness is to the organization.

Enables Better Decision Making

The information you’re able to gather after working with a penetration testing service can provide invaluable insights that can be used to make better decisions regarding the direction of your security initiatives. You’re able to better prioritize where and how you budget resources while also building out a roadmap of fixes that focuses on mission-critical items first and then moving on to less severe gaps.

Penetration Testing and Vendor Risk Management

Considering how many organizations are reliant on external partners to help them manage their operations, it’s important to ensure that they’re also placing a high priority on cyber security. Penetration testing can be used to help create a holistic vendor risk management strategy that can help to better understand and mitigate these common issues:

• Lack of Proper Security Controls - Penetration testing directly identifies weaknesses in existing security measures (firewalls, access controls, encryption), allowing for much more relevant improvements. This can be used to test the preparedness of third parties to ensure they’re matching the same level of precautions your organization is taking.
  
  
• Inadequate Patch Management - Pen tests often uncover vulnerabilities in vendor systems due to outdated software, allowing for targeted remediation requests or contract stipulations for regular patching schedules.
  
  
• Insufficient Logging and Monitoring - Testers may exploit gaps in a vendor's logging and monitoring capabilities to remain undetected, highlighting areas for improvement and ensuring they can promptly detect and respond to intrusions.
  
  
• Poor Incident Response Planning - A pen test's post-exploitation phase can simulate a real breach at the vendor, evaluating their incident response effectiveness and helping organizations gauge the potential impact on their own operations. This allows for informed decision-making about continuing the partnership or demanding improvements to the vendor's incident response capabilities.

Start Adopting a More Proactive Security Approach

Penetration testing can be a powerful addition to your security auditing procedures. By utilizing pen test services and incorporating their findings into long-term planning, you’ll ensure you’re prioritizing the right initiatives while helping to strengthen the integrity of your networks and systems.

Author Bio Information

Author Bio:

Nazy Fouladirad is President and COO of Tevora, a global leading cybersecurity consultancy. She has dedicated her career to creating a more secure business and online environment for organizations across the country and world. She is passionate about serving her community and acts as a board member for a local nonprofit organization.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nazy-fouladirad-67a66821