In today’s business world, there are more ways criminals can hurt you than simply cleaning out the register. Your own website might be vulnerable to hacking and your employees might not know how to spot phishing scams. As in burglary, hackers go after the most vulnerable target. There is no sense in robbing a house that has an alarm system, cameras, and a big dog in the yard. It’s also not typically worth the effort to attempt hacking into a site with solid defenses.
One way to find out if your business is vulnerable to hacking or other online threats is to have a vulnerability test performed.
What is Vulnerability Testing?
A vulnerability test is when an expert or team of experts takes a comprehensive look at your defenses against cyber attacks. There are a variety of avenues a hacker could take in order to gain unauthorized access and a vulnerability test takes them all into considerations. Here are the following types of tests that go into a complete vulnerability test:
Network Penetration Testing
If your company has a few connected computers, your whole network might have some vulnerabilities. If someone were to gain unauthorized access, they could see and steal assets, information, and your staff’s personal information.
Wireless Penetration Testing
Unsecured or vulnerable Wi-Fi networks are one of the most common ways a business or home can be hacked. If you have weak Wi-Fi defenses, a skilled hacker just has to drive up to your building, get close enough to a wireless access point, and hack in. Then they can perform a “Man-in-the-Middle” attack (or MiTM) to intercept and alter messages between two parties who think they are only talking to each other.
Web Application Penetration Testing
If you use third party web applications to streamline your productivity, they might be points of vulnerability for your business. This test uses penetration testing techniques on your web apps to attempt to gain access via third party applications. If successful, you can identify and block vulnerabilities.
Social Engineering
One of your biggest vulnerabilities may actually be the people in your office. Employees not trained or informed about potential risks might be vulnerable to attacks like phishing emails or fraudulent phone calls. Identifying social engineering weaknesses can help you better identify fraudulent attempts to trick your employees to give up important information.
Why it’s Important
Whether you are a small business with a three-computer network or a large multinational organization with hundreds of people on staff, vulnerability testing is as important (if not more) as equipping your building with alarm systems. If criminals gain access to your company they can steal trade secrets, intercept and alter communications, steal your employees’ identities, steal client information, and perform many other harmful activates.
If left unchecked, your vulnerabilities can cause you to lose money and it could reflect poorly on your ability to secure your networks and your company as a whole. If you need to test your vulnerabilities, don’t put it off. Call today for more information!