Guide to Penetration Testing in Columbia MD

Penetration Testing is a vital aspect of a comprehensive Cybersecurity program. Advantage Industries provides organizations in the Columbia, MD, Howard County and Montgomery County areas with comprehensive Cybersecurity that keeps you and your customers safe.

Guide to Penetration Testing in Columbia MD

A complete network security program involves various facets that work together to protect your systems from digital threats. Most companies build robust defenses by adopting log management, vulnerability management, file integrity monitoring, and security configuration management capabilities.
The investment makes sense, and these resources can protect your IT infrastructure and data where necessary. But while they can build up your defenses against advanced cyberattacks, you can’t really ascertain how useful the tools are without running and testing them.
Penetration testing is an effective way of understanding your weaknesses and creating strategic and tactical adjustments to the vulnerable areas. After all, budgets are tight, so you must always direct your resources and funds to places that will deliver the most benefit.

Why Carry Out Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing actively tries to disclose and exploit the existing vulnerabilities within your company’s cyber-security system. In this approach, “ethical hackers” usually test every element of your IT infrastructure, from routers and servers to endpoints like laptops and PCs, switches, and firewalls.
Here are the primary reasons to begin penetration testing:

Types of Penetration Tests

Bad guys have limitless methods that they can use to attack the company. They may dig through your dumpster to find sticky notes with passwords, show up on your parking lot and try to access your systems through the wireless, or target your site through different cyberattack tactics.
To effectively deal with all these, experts have come up with several standard pen test strategies. Let’s explore.
External Perimeter Testing
An external network penetration test is a security evaluation of the company’s perimeter systems. In essence, these comprise any system that hackers can access directly from the internet. Naturally, these are the most exposed elements, hence the most regularly and easily targeted.
An external pen test is carried out to identify the different ways of compromising your company’s accessible service and system, access sensitive data, and find the various methods malicious individuals can use to target your users and clients.
Testers replicate what real-life hackers do, including attempting to gain systems control. They’ll also ascertain the extent to which attackers can burrow into your systems and network and the potential business impact in case of a successful attack. Some of the methodologies used include recon and discovery, username enumeration, password spraying, and vulnerability analysis.
Internal Penetration Test
Everyone is more preoccupied with hardening the perimeter and keeping out external attackers. However, the internal frame also has its own unique risks that should be identified and addressed.
This approach to penetration testing determines how far attackers can navigate your network after an external breach. During the internal pen test, your cybersecurity expert will conduct the assessment either using the exploited box from the previous pen test or leverage a laptop or testing box from within the network. The laptop/testing box testing path offers better results than when you use the exploited external asset.
The experts launch internal attacks and surveillance from the initial beachhead. A typical loophole to total network control is a poorly secured domain, but an effective testing strategy should cover various attack paths. The method may include exploiting the less-vital systems and leveraging the insights to attack other requisite structures in the network. The test concludes after achieving domain admin access or control over the company’s vital data.
Wireless Penetration Test
Web Application Penetration Test
  • Common weaknesses include:
  • Security misconfiguration
  • Broken authentication
  • Broken access controls
  • Insecure deserialization
Social Engineering Penetration Test

The Bottom Line

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MEET THE ADVANTAGE
INDUSTRIES PRESIDENT

Keith Heilveil

In 1999 Advantage Industries was created to protect and promote our client’s success through the use of innovative technology. Our company is a full services technology firm that provides computer network support and solutions, managed services, cybersecurity, and custom application development for small and medium businesses in the Maryland, DC, and Virginia areas.

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Tim Happel

Tim Happel

Sr. Director of Sales, PMP

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