Insights

Without PEN Testing, hackers can exploit unidentified weaknesses in your network security Today, maintaining network security is increasingly complex, with more organisations than ever being heavily reliant on a varied range of systems to operate. Gone are the days of a simple PC with a hard drive, amongst many businesses there is a move towards combining flexible and agile mobile devices and tablets with Cloud technologies for; network access, sharing, collaboration and storage. While these developments may transform how your business operates, they create a complicated mix of assets that can leave you susceptible to the ever-increasing risk of cyber-attack. With Vulnerability Monitoring, you can check how secure your network really is, and most importantly, you are enabled to keep your data safe. Why is the risk of cyber-threat increasing? The working landscape of a typical business has changed, and the threat of attack from cyber criminals is increasing as a result. Employees can now work from home, work on the move and work from hot desks for some or all the time. Work devices may be used, which have a level of security installed, but workers’ own devices with less security may also be used to access your network, send and receive emails and files, or search the Internet. The nature of your business may also mean guests have access to your network, and all of this creates the opportunity for hackers to attack in diverse ways. Unfortunately, too many businesses have focused on the benefits of the new technologies and have not paid as much attention to the security implications. Left unchecked weaknesses can be exploited, leaving critical data vulnerable to the spread of a paralysing virus that could result in it being irrevocably damaged or lost. What is the value of External Penetration Testing (PEN Testing)? Understanding how exposed your network is to attack, is key to reducing risk. External Penetration Testing can help to keep your network secure by making visible any of its problem areas and vulnerabilities. It does this by simulating an attack, which is then used to assess your weakest points and/or assess a specific area of interest to your business.  PEN Testing offers: continuous network monitoring reports on exposure levels of different resources alerts as to where the most immediate risk is remedial approaches to secure the weaknesses. The value of PEN Testing is in its ability to demonstrate where your system is vulnerable, and whether any of your critical data can be accessed from an outside source. Weaknesses are revealed by attacking your infrastructure in the same way a cyber-criminal would, but without facing the same level of threat. Once any holes in your existing defences have been identified, you then have the opportunity to seal them to maintain the integrity and confidentiality of your data. Reducing your exposure with ASL’s Pen Testing services Trying to defend yourself from attack, when you don’t know when or where it is likely to come from or what form it will take, can lead a business to either ignore the problem altogether or spend much more money than necessary. Many take an uninformed approach and make the mistake of investing in a range of security tools they hope will solve the perceived problem. This may actually increase your exposure as the wise course of action would be to seek expert advice. At ASL, we are highly experienced in protecting businesses from all types of disasters. We offer PEN Testing services in partnership with Tenable.io, who are specialists in identifying and securing against cyber-exposure. Our service does more than address misconfigurations and bugs in your system – it also includes: hacking/virus detection and prevention footprinting and system fingerprinting port scanning service testing/probing password strength testing DNS analysis. In addition, we also offer advice on how to manage your IT security vulnerabilities moving forward. For further information on how ASL can help you to protect your network security from cyber-attacks, call our Sales team on 0345 862 0350.