The importance of penetration testing against an organization’s security infrastructure and web applications is well-known to security experts. Pen tests are necessary for identifying security vulnerabilities and patching them. Nevertheless, standard penetration tests only provide a snapshot of weaknesses at one point in time and are therefore insufficient for today’s complex and dynamic IT environment.
In addition to performing standard penetration tests, companies should conduct continuous penetration tests to gain insight into potential security vulnerabilities. Continuous penetration tests simulate real-time attacks on IT infrastructure and web applications.
Find out why continuous penetration testing is so crucial for companies by reading on.
How Continuous Penetration Testing Typically Works
A continuous penetration test consists of both manual penetration and automated interventions that are conducted on a regular basis. The process begins with a full penetration test to establish a baseline, followed by continuous pen tests that include both manual and automated interventions
Vulnerability scanning is the process of identifying the attack surface of your organization by testing the security health of servers, applications, and other computer systems. This is done in order to identify the attack surface.
Vulnerability analysis – analyzing a vulnerability to determine its root cause and the source of the vulnerability.
Risk assessment – ranking the severity of each vulnerability and its potential damage.
Remediation – This step aims to close security gaps by introducing new measures, implementing configuration changes, and developing vulnerability patches.
Upon completion of the cycle, you will monitor for any changes and existing vulnerabilities. It is possible to conduct penetration tests on an entire IT environment, or you can focus on specific aspects such as human security (social engineering), web application security, internal network controls, or internet-accessible systems.
Key Benefits of Continuous Penetration Testing
Here is why you should consider continuous penetration tests for your organization.
It offers a better capture of real-world conditions- cyber security conditions change so fast in the real world, and a snapshot penetration test will not capture those vulnerabilities. You will need continuous security testing to capture ongoing attacks.
It prevents unexpected breaches- ethical hackers will give you a comprehensive insight into all possible vulnerabilities so that you can remediate them faster to avert disaster. Companies with cybersecurity maturity can effectively detect, contain and prevent threats and thus achieve continuous security.
You will effectively meet regulatory compliance – organizations are under immense pressure to comply with different standards and regulations on information security. Some of these regulations, like GDPR and HIPAA Compliance, require penetration testing to mitigate cyber risks and build audits.
Reduced costs- Continuous testing offers cost-effective solutions because it identifies vulnerabilities more quickly and will require less effort and budget to fix.
Better combined advantages- Continuous pen tests are not a replacement for existing quarterly and annual penetration tests. When all these tests are combined, you will get a complete picture of your security posture, and the volume and severity of threats will reduce.
Get Started With Continuous Penetration Testing
To get started, you will require security teams, including penetration testers, to help you identify and remove security vulnerabilities. However, if your company lacks a team, you can look for a trusted partner. Working with a trusted partner has advantages over hiring a team; it is faster and more cost-effective.
However, you have to select the right partner and here are some items to consider when choosing the right partner.
1. Consider the size of their team and the product security skills of their team members.
2. Their communication protocols and project management skills.
3. The industries they have previously worked in.
4. Their resource turnaround time
5. How do they balance manual and automated testing
6. Their security prioritization during sprints.
The next step is to plan for a continuous pen test. A successful plan embraces a collaborative threat model, which involves collaboration between the red and blue teams. Additionally, it is vital to set clear goals and objectives to maximize the benefits of continuous penetration testing. Lastly, communication between defenders and attackers is crucial, and a reliable system allows for effective communication.
Key Features Needed For Continuous Pen testing
Continuous pen testing requires a number of features for effective implementation. You will need a vulnerability scanner; your pen tester will use this to set automatic scanners for vulnerabilities. In order to monitor environmental changes and acquire assets, you will also need a continuous monitoring system.
To automate the entire process and schedule tests easily, you will also need to integrate your CI/CD pipeline with your pen test tools. In a sound system, pen testers can identify offensive security threats and validate their authenticity, and a sound system will also fix vulnerabilities with zero false positives.
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