There’s a certain luxury to running a brick-and-mortar business these days. At the end of the day, you store the cash and sensitive files in the safe, check the security cameras are on, fire-up the burglar alarm, lock all access points and roll down the shutters, and you can leave with relative confidence that no one’s going to find their way in. Or, at least, if someone’s going to find their way in, they’ll have to really want to get in, and be willing to take some major risks in order to do so.
When you run a business that exists online or in the cloud, things get a lot more muddled – especially nowadays. With AI tools as widespread as they are, it’s easier than ever for cybercriminals to identify and exploit weaknesses in a business’s site or network with very little planning or preparation. All it takes is the right set of tools and a little know-how (less than ever before, in fact, with so much running on automations) and you can gain access to a business’s most significant digital assets.
It’s a constant risk, and that’s why the security landscape is in a constant state of evolution as it works to keep pace with the changes.
Annual assessments are still relied on by many businesses, but they’re starting to sound about as out of date as single-factor authentication or captchas. Companies like Cyver are leading the charge against these unfolding risks, offering security teams and agencies the most advanced tools for pentest reporting to ensure that risks are identified as quickly and effectively as possible.
It Gets You Beyond the Point-in-Time Testing
The problem with point in-time testing is hidden within its very name: it only gives you a snapshot of the vulnerabilities at that precise…well…point in time. It’s like taking a picture of your refrigerator at the beginning of the week in order to keep a record of what meals you can make, but then using that photograph every time you want to plan the next meal. Before long, your mushrooms will run out, your milk will expire, your ground beef will be used in some other dish. Things are always changing and nothing works as a strong reference for long (no matter how strong it was in the beginning).
If new vulnerabilities arise – which, inevitably, they will, because no one is immune to the changing threat landscape – you won’t be ready to catch them. You’ll continue using the results of your last annual assessment to assure yourself that you’re fine, you’re protected, your latest vulnerabilities were addressed.
Meanwhile, the milk is spoiling in the refrigerator and hackers are worming their way into your system.
What Continuous Pentesting Looks Like in Practice
This is another one where the name tells you almost everything you need to know. Instead of revisiting the question of your vulnerabilities once per year, continuous pentesting means you can become aware of vulnerabilities as and when they become vulnerabilities, which means they can be resolved before they are exploited.
Pentesting involves teams or automations repeatedly trying to gain access to a system, utilising a variety of methods like SQL injection, finding unpatched software and weak protocol, and social engineering (say, testing employees with fake phishing emails). It’s like putting your systems under a constant state of attack, but for a productive and safe reason.