Understanding the importance of Penetration as a Service (PTaaS) in today’s business environment
Penetration Testing as a Service
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In today’s digital world, organisations are constantly vulnerable to cyber attacks. With the rise of cybercrime, the need for robust security measures has become essential.
Penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) is an increasingly popular method for businesses to assess the security of their IT infrastructure.
It is a cost-effective and efficient way to identify security vulnerabilities and implement measures to protect sensitive data from being compromised as part of a security breach.
Read on to explore the key aspects of penetration testing as a service and why it is critical for organisations to adopt this approach in the current threat landscape.
Read our complete guide to penetration testing to learn more about what penetration testing is.
What is Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS)?
Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) is a comprehensive solution for ensuring the security of an organisation’s digital environment. PTaaS involves a team of experienced penetration testers who perform various security tests to identify vulnerabilities and potential attack scenarios.
Penetration testing as a service is an outsourced solution which enables businesses to assess the security of their IT infrastructure without the need for in-house expertise, additional software, or hardware technology.
PTaaS provides a cost-effective way for organisations to identify any potential security vulnerability and take steps to remediate any identified risks.
The service is usually offered by managed service providers who have the expertise and experience to carry out the tests, provide a detailed report of their findings, and remediation advice.
With PTaaS, businesses can obtain a thorough understanding of their security posture and gain insights into how to improve it.
Penetration testing is an essential component of any organisation’s cyber security strategy. With the rise of cyber threats, it is imperative to have a proactive approach to identifying and remedying vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors.
Penetration Testing as a Service provides organisations with a cost-effective way to obtain all of the benefits of penetration testing, while also minimising the risks of disruption and downtime associated with the testing process.
Benefits of PTaaS
One of the main benefits of Penetration testing as a service is that it saves time and resources for organisations.
PTaaS eliminates the need for in-house expertise, freeing up organisations to focus on their core business activities.
Penetration testing as a service also eliminates the need to train internal staff in penetration testing, which can be costly and time-consuming.
With PTaaS, organisations can get a full picture of their security posture quickly and efficiently, without having to invest in additional resources.
Another key benefit of PTaaS is that it is more efficient than manual penetration testing. Manual testing can be time-consuming, and it can be difficult to achieve complete coverage of all systems and applications.
With PTaaS, organisations can benefit from the latest tools and techniques to identify potential security gaps and access advanced vulnerability management.
This allows for a more comprehensive security assessment, which can be carried out in a shorter time frame, and at a lower cost.
Penetration testing services help organisations to comply with regulatory requirements such as PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), which mandates that organisations undergo regular security assessments to maintain their compliance.
Additionally, PTaaS can help organisations understand their attack surface, which is the total area that is exposed to potential cyberattacks.
By identifying and addressing the vulnerability in their attack surface, organisations can reduce their overall risk and better protect their critical data.
How does Penetration Testing as a Service help my organisation?
Penetration testing as a service also provides a number of key benefits for organisations, such as:
- Time savings: PTaaS eliminates the need for organisations to invest significant time and resources into building and managing a penetration testing team.
- Expertise: PTaaS provides access to the expertise of experienced penetration testers who understand the latest attack techniques and how to remediate vulnerabilities.
- Scalability: PTaaS is scalable to meet the specific needs of any organisation, regardless of size or complexity.
- Regular testing: Regular penetration testing is essential for maintaining an organisation’s security posture. PTaaS provides an easy and cost-effective way to perform these tests on an ongoing basis.
What's the value of Penetration Testing as a Service?
Penetration Testing as a Service offers the benefit of continuous monitoring and reporting, to stay on top of any new threats or vulnerabilities that may arise.
The report generated by PTaaS provides a detailed overview of the organisation’s security posture, and it highlights any areas that need improvement.
This report can be used to implement effective security measures, and to ensure that the organisation’s systems and applications are always up-to-date and secure.
With over 90% of breaches caused by exploits against vulnerabilities that have already been discovered, and for which patches have been made available, it’s essential that businesses take action to address any issues raised in the penetration testing report.
3m
is estimated to be the average cost of a data breach
58%
of data breaches globally are caused by hacking
201days
is the average time it takes to detect a data breach
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Get in touch today to speak to an expert and secure your business, or call us on 0800 090 3734
How does Penetration Testing as a Service work?
How PTaaS works
PTaaS typically involves a team of penetration testers who use a combination of manual and automated tools to simulate real-world attacks.
These testers will assess the security of web applications, internal networks, mobile applications, and any other systems that are connected to the organisation’s environment.
They will also perform social engineering tests to determine the level of employee awareness and training.
Penetration tests are performed on various aspects of an organisation’s digital environment, including network infrastructure, web applications, mobile applications, internal networks, and other sensitive systems.
Tests are performed both manually and using automated tools, and they focus on identifying security gaps that could be exploited by cyber criminals.
This includes identifying areas where sensitive data is exposed, access controls that are not working properly, and areas where systems are vulnerable to attack.
Once the testing is complete, the team will produce a comprehensive report detailing all security vulnerabilities found, the potential impact of these vulnerabilities, and the recommended remediation measures.
This comprehensive report provides a clear picture of the company’s security posture, enabling them to prioritise and address any critical issues that pose a threat to sensitive data or systems.
With regular, ongoing testing, businesses can maintain a secure environment and ensure that the security posture evolves with the changing threat landscape.
Black Box Testing
This method examines functionality with no prior knowledge of the system, application or infrastructure being tested.
White Box Testing
This cybersecurity testing method looks at the internal source coding structure aided by full information disclosure on the target.
Grey Box Testing
This method is similar to white box testing but with only limited knowledge of the system, application or environment being targeted.
Penetration testing methods
PTaaS offers different types of penetration testing services, including manual penetration tests, web application penetration tests, and mobile application pen testing.
Each of these methods has its own unique set of tools and techniques that are used to identify potential security vulnerabilities.
The most common methods of penetration testing include, web application penetration testing, mobile application penetration testing, social engineering, internal penetration testing, and external penetration testing.
This method involves manual testing of the organisation’s systems and applications to identify potential security gaps and vulnerabilities.
This involves human testers examining the applications, systems, and network infrastructure to identify security vulnerabilities that cannot be detected by automated tools.
Manual testing helps ensure that the most thorough security assessment is performed and helps organisations understand the implications of the vulnerabilities that are identified.
Manual penetration testing is the most effective in identifying any potential security threats that automated tools may miss.
This method involves testing the organisation’s web applications to identify any potential security vulnerabilities.
This is a critical area of security assessment, as web applications are often the main entry point for cyber criminals.
This method involves testing the organisation’s mobile applications to identify any potential security vulnerabilities.
Mobile applications are becoming increasingly popular, and they are becoming a primary target for cyber criminals.
A mobile application penetration test will look for a range of exploitable vulnerabilities that cybercriminals may take advantage of.
Social Engineering is another aspect of penetration testing as a service that is becoming increasingly important.
Social engineering involves using psychological tactics to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information or granting access to systems.
Penetration testers can perform social engineering attacks in a controlled environment to determine the susceptibility of employees to such tactics. This information can be used to develop more effective security awareness training programs and help organisations reduce their overall risk.
With comprehensive PTaaS services looking at internal environments, systems and procedures, businesses ensure they have all the right countermeasures in place to prevent unauthorised access to privileged information.
Internal network penetration testing as a service is designed to simulate cyberattacks from within the organisation, highlighting potential issues and guarding against threats from malicious insiders.
By mimicking real-world cyberattacks, external penetration testing as a service identifies any gaps in external network infrastructure to allow the necessary remediations.
Using the same techniques as a hacker, pen testers – or ethical hackers – conduct external network penetration testing to understand if data is secure.
Using this information, any security flaws can be addressed, eliminating potential threats before they can cause damage.
What are the phases of pen testing?
The Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) process involves several stages, including scoping, testing, reporting, and remediation.
The PTaaS process is designed to be thorough and comprehensive, providing clients with an accurate and detailed assessment of their security posture.
This process helps organisations to identify and address any vulnerabilities in their systems and applications, reducing the risk of a successful cyberattack and improving their overall security posture.
Discuss your cyber security options
Get in touch today to speak to an expert and secure your business, or call us on 0800 090 3734
Why choose DigitalXRAID’s penetration testing as a service solution?
DigitalXRAID’s PTaaS offering is the ideal solution for businesses looking to improve their security posture, stay compliant with industry standards, and reduce the risk of a successful cyber attack.
Our team of highly qualified security testers, combined with our CREST and CHECK accreditations, make us the leading provider of penetration testing services in the industry.
At DigitalXRAID, we understand the importance of ensuring the security of your sensitive data and systems.
Our team of experienced penetration testers use the latest tools and techniques so you can be confident that any vulnerabilities will be identified and addressed in a timely manner.
Our reporting provides you with a clear and concise overview of your organisation’s security posture.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Schedule your PTaaS consultation with DigitalXRAID today! You can speak to an expert or scope your project.
Our services are designed to be scalable and cost-effective, making it suitable for businesses of any size, regardless of their level of cyber security expertise.
If there’s a vulnerability in your infrastructure, DigitalXRAID’s penetration testing experts will find it.
Choose from a range of penetration testing services, including:
- Internal Penetration Testing Services
- External Penetration Testing Services
- PCI DSS Penetration Testing Services
- Red Teaming
- Social Engineering
- Mobile app Penetration Testing Services
- Web application Penetration Testing Services
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Make sure you’re truly protected by putting your networks, systems and applications to the test. As with all cyber security, the benefits of penetration testing as a service forms a more robust security posture. We’ll work with you to identify and remedy weaknesses in your security before a malicious party exploits them.
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