What are Penetration Testing Services Used For?

These use cases highlight the versatility of penetration testing in addressing various security challenges and requirements across different domains and environments. By leveraging penetration testing, organizations can strengthen their security defenses, mitigate risks, and demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding sensitive data and assets.  Here are several use cases for penetration testing and why they are important:

Identifying Vulnerabilities

According to different reports, in 2023 around 69% of all vulnerabilities are accounted for by CVEs with a network attack vector.  73% of success breaches in the corporate sectors were carried out by penetration web application vulnerabilities.  Penetration testing is primarily used to identify vulnerabilities in systems, networks, and applications. By simulating real-world attacks, penetration testers uncover weaknesses that could be exploited by malicious actors. Identifying vulnerabilities proactively allows organizations to patch or mitigate them before they can be exploited by an attacker.

Assessing Security Controls

Security controls is a core defense to maintain cyber resiliency, yet according to a recent Ponemon survey about the need for continuous security validation, 60% of respondents reported modifying their security controls daily or weekly, and only 22% were highly confident that their security controls were working as intended.

By continuously validating security controls, penetration testing assesses the effectiveness of existing security controls and defenses. By attempting to bypass security measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and access controls, pentesters can evaluate a security team’s resilience against sophisticated attacks. Assessing security controls helps organizations identify gaps and weaknesses that need to be addressed to strengthen their overall security posture.

Compliance Validation

Penetration testing helps organizations validate their compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards. The most used cyber security framework was ISO 27001/27002 used by 48% of companies.  Penetration testing is often required as part of compliance audits and certifications to demonstrate adherence to regulatory requirements and industry standards. Organizations in regulated industries, such as finance, healthcare, and government, may need to undergo penetration testing to satisfy compliance mandates and obtain certifications such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, or FedRAMP. Conducting penetration tests as part of compliance audits ensures that organizations meet the security requirements specified by relevant regulatory bodies and industry frameworks.

Enhancing Incident Response

Almost 50% of organizations test cyber incident response time and planning every quarter.  Penetration testing can enhance incident response measures by simulating real-world attacks, providing valuable insights into an organization’s incident response capabilities. By observing how effectively the organization detects, responds to, and mitigates simulated attacks, pentesters identify areas for improvement in incident detection, escalation procedures, and recovery processes. Enhancing incident response capabilities reduces the impact of security incidents and minimizes downtime.

Supporting Risk Management

30% of executives said their budgets aren’t sufficient to ensure proper cyber security according to a recent survey.  The good news is that 66% of organizations expect their cyber security budget to grow in the coming year and 46% of companies have identified increased CEO support as a major driver of a cyber security-aware work culture.  Penetration testing contributes to effective risk management by identifying and prioritizing security risks based on their likelihood and potential impact. By quantifying the risks associated with identified vulnerabilities, organizations can make informed decisions about resource allocation, risk mitigation strategies, and security investments. Supporting risk management helps organizations prioritize efforts to address the most critical security threats and minimize overall risk exposure.

Evaluating Third-party Security

A study revealed that just 23% of security leader monitor their partners and vendors in real-time for cyber security risks.  By 2025, it is estimated that 60% of organizations will use cyber security risk as a key factor when determining transactions and business engagements with third parties.  Organizations often rely on third-party vendors, suppliers, and service providers to support their operations. Penetration testing can be used to evaluate the security posture of third-party systems and services to ensure they meet the organization’s security standards and compliance requirements. Assessing third-party security helps mitigate the risk of supply chain attacks and data breaches resulting from vulnerabilities in external systems.

Assessing Cloud Security

With the increasing adoption of cloud computing services, organizations need to assess the security of cloud environments and infrastructure. 41% of organizations had identified hybrid IT situations as their biggest cyber security challenge and almost 40% of CISOs expect more serious attacks via the cloud through 2024.  Penetration testing can be used to evaluate the security controls and configurations of cloud platforms, such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Testing cloud security helps identify misconfigurations, data exposure risks, and other vulnerabilities unique to hybrid and cloud environments, enabling organizations to secure their cloud assets effectively.

Red Team Exercises

It is estimated that 71% of malware attacks have a specific target, and ransomware is the #1 malware threat with over 20 ransomware attacks occurring every second resulting in an average downtime of 21 days.  Red team exercises simulate sophisticated cyber-attacks to test an organization’s overall security posture and defenses to determine their readiness against an actual attack. Unlike traditional penetration tests, red team exercises involve more advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), such as stealthy infiltration, lateral movement, and persistence. Red team exercises help organizations identify systemic weaknesses, assess the effectiveness of defense-in-depth strategies, and train security teams to detect and respond to advanced threats.