There’s
no telling when a malicious entity would attempt to break into your network
system. When this happens and if they can access all of your crucial data, then
your business might suffer great losses, not only in terms of your finances but
also from acquiring new clients. One of the best things you can do, however, is
to get the services of pen testing companies
to bolster your network and application’s security features and structure.
However, since this can easily get technical, it can be hard to determine which
service provider to hire for the job.
If
you are wondering how you can effectively choose which data security specialists
to hire, read on.
Clear and detailed reports
Some
of the main things pen testing companies
must be able to provide are comprehensive yet easy to understand reports
including summary data for executives and detailed data for technical
personnel. The penetration test report should contain a prioritised risk-based
list of findings with detailed step-by-step recommendations. Any steps taken to
exploit systems should include screenshots, where applicable. Your team should
be able to reproduce the findings, given the steps in the report. The
pentesting company should be able to provide a sample and redacted reports. If
you can’t understand the report or take action on the findings, what’s the
point of the penetration test?
Manual and automated testing
Automated
tools do not detect all vulnerabilities and are prone to false positives.
Manual methods must be used as part of the penetration test to fill in gaps
left by the automated tools, eliminate false positives, and ensure test
completeness. Both manual and automated methods should be used for every
penetration test. Many penetration testing organisations run automated tools,
then try to pass those results off as a penetration test. A penetration test,
however, should involve many tools and many manual techniques as much as
possible. Be sure to consider this when choosing among penetration
testing companies to hire.
Identify and eliminate false positives
A
false positive is when the penetration testing team tells you there is a
vulnerability or a problem when there isn’t one. That said, reliable penetration testing companies should ensure that they can
eliminate false positives and tag questionable findings. This is why manual
analysis is critical. A report riddled with false positives wastes your time.
Background Checks
Another
thing to take into consideration is the mechanism in place used by penetration testing companies UK to ensure the
trustworthiness of its employees. Are background checks performed at hiring?
Does a company have a program for continuous security recertification? Pen
testers will have access to the company’s inner infrastructure secrets and some
type of screening and vetting is a minimum requirement.
A clear statement of work involved
When
outsourcing to a penetration testing services provider, it should be clear to
these organisations that their chosen company follows an industry-accepted
penetration testing methodology. The team needs to provide a clear statement of
work that highlights testing limits, time of engagement, tools and methods
employed, privacy concerns, procedures related to data access, along with
reporting expectations and requirements. Make sure the services that the penetration testing companies UK provide cater to the needs
of your organisation.
The number of researchers
Be
sure to look into the number of personnel within teams deployed by a pen
testing company. A traditional security testing firm will typically appoint one
to three researchers for a pen test, and they often choose entry-level testers.
More ethical hackers participating in a penetration test means diverse skills
will yield more varied vulnerabilities. It is often observed that some hackers
may be experts at finding database vulnerabilities whereas others may
specialise in testing particular software frameworks.
Security
matters especially in the field of business and technology. As many
institutions are geared towards establishing their presence online, the need
for pen testing companies cannot be highlighted
any further. These companies employ techniques similar to what cybersecurity
criminals use - to search and safely exploit – vulnerabilities in your
infrastructure. Using the data they gather, they will then provide a security
report highlighting the security problems discovered and then recommend methods
on how to address and prevent such issues. Just make sure to use the guide
above to determine the best security provider for the job.