How often do you consider the online security of your business? We know we should have complex passwords and use MFA (multi-factor authentication), but how often do we think about how vulnerable our business network and website is to internal and external threats?
The idea behind vulnerability testing is to find gaps in your security before someone else does! As the saying goes, a stitch in time…
A vulnerability assessment will test your systems both internally and externally for vulnerabilities in a controlled manner, testing your IT security and identifying weaknesses that could be exploited by criminals. The results can offer an insight into how businesses value their online security and what they can do to resolve any security issues.
When an assessment takes place, all devices that are used in the running of the business are considered alongside your network, site and website. ‘Red team attacks’ are then carried out, challenging your defences with manual and automated tests. From these ‘ethical hacks’, a vulnerability report is produced revealing any weaknesses in your infrastructure, risky end-user behaviour (this can include your employees or disgruntled ex-employees!), flaws in the operating systems, software and apps.
Once this has been carried out a detailed report of findings with recommended resolutions is provided.
Using a mix of manual and automated tests means we’re not relying on automatic software to scan your infrastructure for flaws. It might be tempting to download some software to scan your network, and in some cases, this may work, but be wary of software becoming outdated or flagging false positives – where the software flags a vulnerability, when in fact it isn’t.
Having someone with the expertise to run these tests means they are qualified to interpret the results and pick up vulnerabilities that are too complex to be detected by even the latest software.
If this sounds like something your business needs to perform to ensure you’re not the target of an attack (and trust us, if your business is online, uses devices that connect to a network or you have a website, then you need to protect yourself!), then the next thing you need to consider is how often you need to carry out an assessment.
We believe vulnerability tests should be performed at least once a year, possibly more often, depending on the size and structure of your business. As data flows through a business there tends to be a higher risk of technical and human errors.
Other factors including changes to your network, new software installed, or new work locations are added, testing should be performed to ensure there are no gaps in your security.
Discover, Plan and Eliminate potential threats – assessing your business for vulnerabilities puts you one step ahead of cyber-criminals.
Here at Computer Care we take security seriously and can discuss with you the scope for a vulnerability assessment on your business and, if required, we can carry out a full penetration test to see how deep the holes are.
Click Here to find out more or get in touch to discuss your needs with one of our highly-skilled team.
