Get Hacked on Purpose? How Penetration Testing Can Protect You from a Real Attack

It can be hard to imagine a world in which an attempted hack attack occurs roughly every 39 seconds. But research shows that’s the world we live in.

Some organizations stay in a permanent defensive crouch, running scans and madly installing security patches as needed. While those are good ways to prevent a cyber attack, they aren’t enough in today’s environment.

But, what if you could take the fight to the attackers?

What if you could simulate the “worst-case scenario” you can imagine – and gather actionable insights from the exercise – without actual negative business impact or user interruption? If you require a high-security environment – whether it’s intelligence, military and law enforcement agencies, financial, medical and legal institutions, or a large commercial organization – then you can’t afford to risk having the “worst case” happen.

That’s where Comodo’s advanced penetration testing comes in. Comodo is a global team of in-house hackers who bring a wealth of talent, knowledge and experience to help you meet the challenges of cybersecurity in your organization. An important tool in that fight is penetration testing.

What is advanced penetration testing?

While most people think of hackers as attacking information systems or hardware, that’s only one type of attack. Systems are indeed a frequent target, and email remains the preferred vehicle for many attacks, because systems are where the data is. In the case of systems, a penetration test is simply an authorized, simulated cyberattack on your systems to identify vulnerabilities.

If your data is targeted by highly skilled and determined attackers, they won’t necessarily just sit behind a screen. They may attempt physical entry to your workplace. And when they do, they won’t knock down the door; they’ll use much more subtle means. In this scenario, a penetration test can take many different forms, depending on your specific circumstances.

Why do advanced penetration testing?

• Immediate threat identification. Roughly 37% of Comodo’s clients turn out to have active malware on their systems already – and don’t know it. With Comodo’s help, those threats are identified and removed.
• Increased risk management. People want to rely on their institutions for maintaining the security of their personal data and keeping sensitive secrets secret. Once their trust is lost, it’s very hard to regain.
• Dynamic threat evolution. If adversaries are blocked in one path, they don’t give up. They try another. Organizations face a constantly evolving threat actor universe. What works today may not work tomorrow.
• Learning. The simulated attack(s) and its results can and should be used to make your organization smarter and better prepared for future attacks.

Attacks come in different forms and so should your penetration tests

There are an expanding number of approaches an attacker can take. And, Comodo’s advanced penetration testing can simulate them all.

• External penetration testing. If you have an Internet presence, Comodo can perform comprehensive network penetration testing.
• Web application testing. This includes trying to gain unauthorized access to a web app, as well as testing for vulnerabilities when someone is a credentialed user. This is done manually by Comodo’s experts, not by an automated scanning solution.
• Wireless penetration testing. If you have public, guest or temporary wi-fi access, Comodo will simulate ways a malicious actor might try to gain access to your internal network.
•  Internal penetration testing. This involves sending an actual person to your facility to attempt to gain access to internal networks or server rooms. Think Comodo is only computer hackers? Think again. They have actors, too, and they can be very effective at manipulating unsuspecting employees into revealing things they shouldn’t.
• Social engineering. If the data is valuable enough to a determined adversary, they may turn to various forms of social engineering to manipulate your employees into divulging confidential information. Phishing, spear phishing and even a clever, well-researched phone call are among the methods used.
• Physical penetration testing. If your information is very attractive to well-resourced adversaries, they may spare no effort to combine their knowledge of how to hack access control systems with the use of highly skilled people who can be very persuasive in face-to-face encounters. Comodo can simulate those kinds of approaches with its own (non-malicious) personnel.
• SCADA. If you have Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems, then you may be a utility, transportation center, medical facility or other entity whose actions can affect a great many people if you are hacked. Comodo does business analysis, target selection and simulated breaches to controller environments to help you truly assess the strength of your defenses.

The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” could not be truer today. Are you ready to put your security to the test?

If you want to know how good your security really is – not just how good you hope it is, then click to contact Comodo Cybersecurity for a no cost penetration testing consultation.