Pen-test is a way for enterprises for testing the security of their network from an exterior perspective. Companies appoint pen testers often called pen testers, who are capable enough of compromising systems and accessing data that is not supposed to be available. Of course, this is simply performed under the supervision and with complete legal consent. It provides a very eye-opening insight into how well cyber security measures truly stand up against cyber-attacks. Such type of testing can assist companies to discover where they have security glitches so that they do not become major concerns down the road.
The Three Kinds of Penetration Testing:
White-box Testing: This type of penetration test is performed with all the documentation and details accessible about a network system as it was provided by the organization itself. Penetration testers have extra information to work with; however, they are still trying to discover vulnerabilities in the system.
Black-box Testing: Unlike white-box testing, black-box testing is performed without the consent or knowledge of the target organization that is being tested, so penetration testers have to understand and figure out what data they can get access to by themselves.
Grey-box Testing: This kind of pen testing is a blend of white and black box testing techniques where penetration testers have restricted knowledge about the target company’s systems but extra data than what would be accessible in a black box test.
What We Can Expect To Observe in Terms of Cyber-Attacks This Year?
Targeted attacks are presenting no signs of declining as cyber attackers or hackers become highly sophisticated and best at infiltrating networks. Due to the fact, there will also be a better need to instruct both the folks working in cybersecurity as well as those who are just trying to maintain their information secure from falling into the wrong hands.
Additionally, we can be expecting additional attacks against mobile gadgets as more and more persons switch from their old-version computers to using tablets and smartphones. Cybersecurity will have to sustain with the ever-changing era and build up new strategies for protecting our technology against breaches.
We can also look ahead to see more malware and ransomware attacks shortly as these shapes of attack become lucrative and highly popular for cybercriminals. Therefore, companies and individuals will need to be increasingly vigilant in safeguarding their crucial information and networks from such kind of threats.
Top Penetration Testing Trends To Adapt in 2022
1. DevSecOps
DevScope is a significant factor to create safety into the DevOps model. It develops a “SaC“(security as a code) culture. While accepting this approach, one must automate security workflows. It is tremendously beneficial for the QA testers as it adopts the power of agile techniques to incorporate security tests into the development process flawlessly. In case if your company is reluctant to adopt DevOps, it offers you a reason to change and renovate. Devscopes assimilates pen tests activities by being flexible and providing rapid vulnerabilities recognition at the code level.
2. Blockchain-Centric Tech Will Increase the Stakes for Security
Crypto is on a route towards the mainstream, and it is not going to end anytime soon. Even though the blockchain tech that shapes the foundation of Bitcoin and its ilk is built with the principles of decentralization and security—and although there are several apps for blockchain in cybersecurity—it is significant to remember that this does not mean it is resistant to being hacked. Neither does it mean that security and cryptocurrency go hand-in-hand.
Take the rise of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) for instance. They are all set to be adopted by a raft of large corporations this year and beyond, however, they are also vulnerable to theft and could become the next most important focus of cybercriminals. For penetration tests, an understanding of the core technology will turn exponentially significant in the upcoming years. This is true whether your enterprise adopts crypto for consumers or leverages blockchain to safeguard data and assets.
3. Cloud-Services Attacks
Both remote and on-site workplaces now lean heavily on every kind of cloud service. Remote work has enhanced cloud security concerns, yet the threats transcend beyond the move to distributed employees. Threats count API vulnerabilities as well as traditional software issues. Flaws in the configuration as well as integration, counting authorization, and authentication, of one cloud service, can bring about broader issues. For instance, cyber attackers are leveraging vulnerable PaaS (Platform as a Service) products to extend the reach of their ransomware or malware. The rewards of the cloud are sometimes enough to outweigh the threats. Using a programmatic approach, a company can reduce the threats of increasing cloud operations and build a foundation for a safe and sound future.
4. Integrations With GRC, SIEM, and Helpdesk Systems
As constant pen tests become more integrated with patching systems and procedures, it will also be tied into overall GRC, SIEM, as well as helpdesk operations and serve to strengthen separate teams into a big cybersecurity unit. By incorporating these systems, the jobs of requesting other teams’ support to remediate vulnerabilities will be updated, automated, and organized streamlined.
When vulnerability is exposed, whether it is with a traditional piece of software or particular workflows, system, and notifications will automatically activate to inform the liable teams and suggest remedial actions. When the issue is mitigated, the continuous pen tests platform's ties into remediation tracking will notify the security team that they can obtain that fix off the to-do listing and move on to other jobs and responsibilities.
5. Artificial Intelligence(AI)-Centric Cybersecurity
Artificial intelligence (AI) can counteract attacks or cybercrime by determining patterns of behavior that denote something extraordinary or unusual may be taking place. Significantly, AI means this can be done in systems that require coping with hundreds of events taking place each second, which is usually where cybercriminals will try to strike. It is the predictive powers of Artificial intelligence that make it so constructive here, which is why more and more enterprises will be investing in these solutions as we move into 2022.
Sadly, cybercriminals or attackers are also aware of the rewards of Artificial Intelligence, and new risks are emerging that use technologies like ML (machine learning) to elude the protective ways of cyber-security. This makes Artificial Intelligence even more essential – as it’s the only hope of counteracting AI-powered cyber-attacks. The current research recently revealed that companies now believe Artificial Intelligence is important to determining and countering critical cybersecurity risks, and nearly 3 quarters of companies are using or testing Artificial Intelligence for this purpose.
6. Machine Learning (ML)
Machine learning is playing a more proactive and larger role in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity becomes simpler, less expensive, and more effective with ML. Machine learning creates patterns and manipulates them with algorithms utilizing a huge dataset. It can forecast and react to active attacks in real-time in this way. To generate effectual algorithms, this technology principally relies on complex and extensive data. The data should come from a range of sources and represent as many diverse scenarios as possible. As a result of Machine learning implementation, cybersecurity systems can calculate attack patterns and learn the cybercriminal’s behaviors. These help in the prevention of future threats and reduce the time needed for cybersecurity experts to perform basic operations.
7. The Rising Threat of Ransomware
The new research by PwC revealed that technology executives anticipate ransomware attacks to increase in the year 2022. We can blame this on the deadly disease, and the development in the amount of action performed online and in digital environments. Ransomware usually includes infecting gadgets with a virus that locks files away behind firm cryptography and threatens to demolish them unless a ransom is paid, generally in the shape of untraceable cryptocurrency. On the flip hand, the software virus may terrorize publishing the data publicly, leaving the company liable to massive fines.
Ransomware is naturally deployed via. phishing attacks – where workers of an organization are tricked into offering details or clicking a link that downloads the malware or ransomware software onto a system. But, currently, a direct infection via USB devices by folks who have physical access to gadgets is becoming ever more common. Education is a highly effective means of tackling this risk, with research revealing that employees who are aware of the threats of this kind of attack are nine times less likely to fall prey.
If you are thinking to make a career in penetration testing, you can join an online penetration testing course, the best place to start is with WsCube Tech. WsCube Tech provides a penetration testing course online as well as an offline course that provides students with all the technical knowledge and skills required for a successful career as a hacking, hacking defense, or cyber forensics expert. By enrolling in one of the courses, students will receive a certificate of completion upon successfully completing the course and earning its certification.
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