Penetration testing is crucial for network security assessments, but have you been doing it right? In fact, there are commonly eight mistakes that occur in penetration testing. Have you been aware of them?
1. Failure to prioritize risks: It is important to establish a risk baseline and identify major risks. This information forms the foundation for setting penetration testing objectives. Whether it's customer data, intellectual property, or financial information, penetration testing should focus on areas of high value.
2. Using the wrong tools: There are numerous penetration testing tools available, but knowing which ones to use and understanding their correct configurations requires significant expertise. Relying on off-the-shelf tools or internal IT teams without proper skills can have serious consequences. Consider engaging a third-party with professional expertise unless you have an experienced internal red team. Automation tools are worth considering, and an automated penetration testing platform can provide continuous defense validation for the company. Be cautious in selecting tools and seek advice from your third-party penetration testing partners.
3. Poor reporting: If the reports from third-party penetration testers lack readability, it becomes difficult to understand the vulnerabilities they discovered, let alone their potential impact on the company. Penetration testing reports should clearly state the identified issues, indicate the potential consequences of not addressing them, and provide specific remediation methods.
4. Checkbox mentality: If your penetration testers approach testing with a checkbox mentality, you are likely to miss important things. Compliance is important, but it should not be the sole reason for conducting penetration testing. Focusing solely on checking items off a list can give a false sense of security. Cybercriminals don't follow a checklist when launching attacks.
5. Disrupting business operations: Properly plan penetration testing and consider the potential impact on critical business systems. Successful hackers often exploit vulnerabilities without disrupting services, and your hired penetration testers should follow the same approach. If testing is conducted in a production environment, this should be clearly communicated. In black box testing scenarios where the penetration testers are not familiar with your infrastructure, the risk of disrupting business operations is higher.
6. Using outdated techniques: A penetration testing plan that does not keep up with the latest developments quickly becomes useless. New technologies, tools, and vulnerabilities are constantly emerging. Stay up to date with the latest advancements and continuously update your methods. Professional penetration testing partners incorporate newer hacking techniques into their strategies.
7. Infrequent testing: Annual penetration testing may be common, but it does not guarantee security. Infrequent testing only provides a snapshot of the defense at the time of testing. Continuous monitoring and repeated testing are necessary to ensure that exposed vulnerabilities are appropriately addressed. This is why automated penetration testing platforms are so effective.
8. Failure to remediate: Ensure that someone is responsible for interpreting and responding to the reports generated by the penetration testing partner or automation tools. You must prioritize and promptly address the identified issues. Catastrophic data breaches often result from the failure to address known vulnerabilities. Ensuring that discovered vulnerabilities are properly remediated should be an integral part of penetration testing.
By avoiding these eight common mistakes, you can effectively maintain network security. Shanghai InsightSec Network Technology Co., Ltd. is a technology service company specializing in providing information security solutions to enterprises. Follow us for more information security knowledge.