Why is penetration testing important?

Penetration testing done by skilled and knowledgeable cyber security experts helps to validate your security parameters of your in-place systems, applications, networks, etc., discovering weaknesses before criminals do. Finding these specific vulnerabilities can not only provide context about where the organization’s security needs improvement, but also how they can be exploited. Understanding this can help your company learn how to handle these types of malicious threats or issues and examine whether your policies, personnel, and defenses are prepared, effective, and compliant with industry standards. Ultimately, penetration testing enhances your overall security posture, ensuring that your organization is well-equipped to defend against evolving cyber threats. Getting (and staying) ahead of threats is the best proactive cyber security defense strategy - and that is important to your entire security approach.

What is Penetration Testing?

• Test security defenses
• Identify system vulnerabilities
• Exploit potential weaknesses
• Strengthen attack resistance

Our unique STEM penetration testing methodology is meticulously conducted by an offensive security specialist who brings years of extensive experience and deep expertise to the table. This ensures that you receive a level of insight and thoroughness that far surpasses what our competitor's assessments can offer. Our dedicated experts immerse themselves in your security programs, examining every aspect to uncover vulnerabilities that might otherwise go unnoticed. By identifying these weaknesses before malicious threats have a chance to exploit them.

What Is An Offensive Security Specialist?

At Cyber Advisors, our offensive security team acts like a malicious threat; they discover loopholes that gain them access to data they shouldn't be able to access, they break into systems, and exploit bugs - usually hacking cyber security defenses, but also physical security too. Attackers compromise systems to steal user data, damage the company, gain competitive secrets, or insert control - but an offensive security specialist uses the same penetration techniques, but with less malicious goals in mind.

An offensive specialist is a bug bounty hunter and enjoys discovering "impenetrable" walls can be circumvented, climbed, broken into, and exploited like a video game - they make their living demonstrating to companies the flaws in their security and policies, testing defenses for vulnerabilities to fix, improve, and remediate the issues.

Why Cyber Advisors For Security? 

According to 2024 statistics, Cyber Security has emerged as the #1 top priority for organizations when recruiting, reflecting a growing awareness and commitment to fortifying their defenses against potential threats. This trend indicates that companies are increasingly scrutinizing their security measures, actively seeking ways to enhance their resilience and safeguard their operations. However, despite this heightened focus, a surprising gap remains - only 39% of organizations have established an in-house incident response team... meaning the absence of a dedicated team can leave businesses exposed to prolonged disruptions and potential breaches. For you, this means there is a significant opportunity to strengthen your security framework by investing in skilled professionals who can swiftly respond to incidents, mitigate risks, and ensure your organization is well-prepared to face the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape.

Penetration Testing Services

• Adversarial Simulation

  • Red Team - simulated attack to determine client’s ability to detect & respond to an unexpected situation. We combine elements of pen testing, social engineering, malware, physical means, & more
  • Purple Team / Threat Emulation - engage your onsite security team in a real-world threat emulation to evaluate current security controls, uncover vulnerabilities, & test the defensive/detective capabilities of your organization
  • Threat Hunting - go beyond traditional security measures & take a proactive stance in identifying threats that may lie dormant in your environment (this is highly customized)
  • Ransomware Simulation & Endpoint Protection - with remote access into your network & environments using your in-place security defenses, we execute a customized ransomware infection scenario
  • Social Engineering - phone, onsite, email phishing, media drops, etc.

• Infrastructure Security

  • External Network Penetration Testing - (PCI, HIPAA) testing the effectiveness of in-place security controls detecting & preventing an attack on networks & host systems
  • Internal Network Penetration Testing - (PCI, HIPAA) learn how far an attacker can move throughout your network once inside
  • PCI Pen Testing - our standard testing covers PCI requirements, but some clients require PCI-specific internal segmentation testing which we can do
  • Wireless Pen Testing - includes traditional vulnerability identification & analysis of every wifi access point that is exposed
  • Remote Access Penetration Testing/Citrix - two-phased approach determines if remote access solutions are properly patched & hardened against attacks & authentication testing to determine proper implementation

• Application Security

  • Web Application Pen Testing - multi-phased approach includes both automated & manual testing for both technical vulnerabilities, as well as vital business logic issues that automated testing simply cannot find
  • Mobile Application Pen Testing - both android & iOS mobile apps can contain critical vulnerabilities, we test the app, the files it creates, web services consumed, device-resident files, & web services utilized by the application
  • Thick Client Penetration Testing - requires a high-level of expertise and knowledge since simple, automated security scanning is impossible
  • Application Security Code Review - before you deploy, ensure it’s both secure & follows secure coding standards
  • API Mapping - API endpoints provide a channel for attackers, we examine client-server, app-to-app connections, & data transmission
  • White Box App Pen Testing (Code Scan + Dynamic)

• Device & IoT Security

  • Device Security Penetration Testing - embedded technologies and medical devices create an attack surface that can have extremely serious repercussions if compromised, they require expert-level evaluation
  • IoT or Internet of Things - devices of all sorts are collecting and sharing data through an Internet connection - understand your organization’s exposure (or the potential issues in your organization’s IoT solutions) on this critical and rapidly changing landscape

• Cloud Security

  • Cloud Security Assessment - thoroughly assesses the deployment of cloud technologies by identifying accounts, reviewing current security configurations, & providing actionable feedback on your environments, systems, & applications connected to the cloud
  • Cloud Penetration Testing - (AWS, AZURE, Google) identifying methods of attack against your cloud infrastructure itself
  • Cloud Application Security Testing - multi-phased approach includes both automated & manual testing for both technical vulnerabilities, as well as vital business logic issues that automated testing simply cannot find
  • Cloud Mobile Application Pen Testing - goes deeper by assessing not only the mobile application, but also the files it creates, web services consumed, device-resident files, and the web services utilized by the application
  • Cloud Configuration Reviews
  • Cloud API Testing - both manual and automated testing of application layer vulnerabilities as both authenticated and anonymous users

• Cybersecurity Strategy

  • Strategic Consulting - experienced offensive security experts help craft your organizations strategic security program and fine tune your in-house team
  • Application Security Program Management - assistance in building and maturing your customized AppSec program based on best practices
  • Developer Security Testing Training – teaching your dev team how to incorporate active security testing into the app development process and identify vulnerabilities early on in the SDLC

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Cyber Advisors specializes in providing fully customizable cyber security solutions & services. Our knowledgeable, highly skilled, talented security experts are here to help design, deliver, implement, manage, monitor, put your defenses to the test, & strengthen your systems - so you don’t have to.