In a time in which no industry is safe from ransomware attacks and cyberthreats keep cybersecurity professionals awake at night, organizations need to have the ability, expertise and tools to protect critical information, customer data and even their reputation.
Although cybersecurity best practices and principles have evolved across all facets of business operations, there are certain situations in which it is necessary to make use of an especially powerful tool: a cybersecurity testing company. These companies offer independent, professional and comprehensive support to protect IT infrastructure and assets from threats.
Here are some telltale signs your organization needs the help of a cybersecurity testing company:
One of the biggest lures for cybercriminals is the desire to get their hands on specialized, sensitive data they can hold for ransom, put up for resale or simply repurpose to steal identities.
This is why any systems that hold personal data, proprietary information, sensitive financial account data or other personally identifiable information (PII)—including HIPAA data—need to have their controls sufficiently tested to withstand attempts of unauthorized access.
Reaching and maintaining compliance can be difficult, especially with standards from the Payment Card Industry (PCI), Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal entities. If your business touches any of these standards, you not only need to know how your current security fairs against them, but also what your gaps are and how to prioritize the next steps.
For many compliance requirements, the costs of non-compliance are more than the costs of implementation—and that’s not including the impact on your organization’s reputation. However, choosing to partner with a cybersecurity testing company can help your organization ensure that it is meeting its compliance requirements and staying ahead of developments in related security standards.
Cyberthreats are constantly evolving, making it time-consuming to maintain, monitor and patch IT infrastructure and the cybersecurity products that secure it.
Add on the need to keep up with the latest best practices, releases and tools, and your internal staff has even less time to focus on strategic efforts. These conflicting priorities can leave knowledge gaps within a security team, so the ongoing support and breadth of experience from a cybersecurity testing company can be of great benefit.
The addition of systems or infrastructure can introduce new access vectors and vulnerabilities to your cybersecurity defenses or change your attack surface, rendering your existing security controls and tools insufficient.
This sign has only become more prevalent as businesses digitize key internal processes and systems, making security testing during the design and implementation stage essential. In other words, it is much easier and cheaper to incorporate security best practices during development, rather than going back and integrating them after go-live.
Phishing can be a one-off event, but it can also be the start of a more coordinated, complex cyberthreat.
Proactively protect you and your customers from malware, data theft and network intrusion with training, security testing and proactive security products, such as intrusion detection systems, malware detection, and firewalls. These products scan your incoming network traffic and block the digital signatures that are often linked to malicious activity or signal that a message carries an exploit that can enable unauthorized access into your network.
Unfortunately, these signatures, attack methods, and the vulnerabilities that they exploit evolve quickly, which makes it even more vital to have a dedicated partner that can identify gaps in your security controls and validate your defenses with penetration testing.
Some cybercriminals can hide within infrastructure for weeks, or even months, as they attempt to gain access to sensitive information.
However, knowing which tools and techniques to employ without negatively impacting your business operations can be difficult. A cybersecurity testing company can help to evaluate the strengths of your current security controls and tools and help to overcome any gaps. That way, once malicious traffic is identified, your security team knows how to contain and triage unusual activity before any negative impacts.
As with many aspects of technology, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to cybersecurity, especially as your attack surface changes and cyberthreats evolve.
That is why it is important to find a partner with the experience, expertise and tools to deliver the proactive, comprehensive and professional cybersecurity testing services that your organization needs to stay safe.
If you want to learn more about what it is like to work with an industry-leading cybersecurity testing organization, our experts would love to speak with you.
