What is VAPT Services and Why your Organization Need VAPT Audits?
What are VAPT Services?
Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) are
two types of vulnerability testing. Vulnerability assessment is a passive test
that attempts to find weaknesses in a system without actually exploiting them.
Penetration testing is an active test that tries to find weaknesses in a system
by actually exploiting them. The tests have different strengths and are often
combined to achieve a more complete vulnerability analysis.
Vulnerabilities are system flaws that allow an attacker to
disrupt the integrity of a system. Vulnerabilities can be weak passwords,
software errors, incorrect software settings, viruses, malicious scripts, or
SQL injections.
A security risk is classified as a vulnerability if an
attack can be carried out as a result of its presence. If there is a security
risk, combined with one or more known examples of possible attacks, this is
classified as an exploit. Difficult-to-use programming language constructs can
be a major source of vulnerabilities.
Vulnerabilities have always been present, but they weren't
as exploited in the early days of the internet. There wasn't as much news
coverage of hackers being sent to jail for breaking into servers and stealing
valuable information. Back then, all nodes on the network were trusted, and
secure protocols like SSH, SCP, and SSL didn't exist yet. Instead, telnet, FTP,
and plain text HTTP were used to transfer important data. No one thought about
sniffing (passive listening on the network) or ARP spoofing back then.
Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) are
both security testing services that focus on identifying vulnerabilities in the
network, server, and network infrastructure. VAPT can help organizations assess
and mitigate risks, and improve their overall security posture.
Vulnerability Assessment Vs Penetration Testing:
There is often confusion in the security industry about the
differences between penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. They are
often classified as one and the same, although they are actually two different
things. Penetration testing sounds more exciting, but most people actually need
a vulnerability assessment, not penetration testing. Many projects are marked
as penetration tests, although they are actually 100% vulnerability
assessments. Penetration testing, as a rule, includes an assessment of
vulnerability.
Penetration testing is a method of assessing the security of
a computer system or network by simulating an attacker’s attack. The process of
penetration testing includes assessing the system for any technical flaws or
vulnerabilities from the perspective of a potential intruder. This analysis is
carried out by actively exploiting security vulnerabilities. Once any security
issues are found, they will be presented to the system owner along with an
assessment of their seriousness and often with a risk reduction plan or
technical solution.
Who conducts VAPT?
There is a common belief that the best candidate for a VAPT
(Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing) is a security officer from
within the organization who knows the system inside out - its strengths and
weaknesses. But it's not always that simple. A specialist with only a minimum
level of knowledge about the constructed protection system is more likely to
find so-called "blind spots" that were missed by the developers when
building and organizing the protection levels. That's why it's usually best to
hire a third-party contractor specializing in this field to carry out the VAPT.
This job opening is also a great opportunity for hackers -
more specifically, "ethical" or white hat hackers. These individuals
have a lot of experience with cybersecurity that can be put to good use in
order to improve an organization's security infrastructure.
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to finding the
best candidate for the job, as each situation is unique and will require a
different approach. The same goes for pentesting - it all depends on the strategy
and type of pentest that representatives of the organization wish to fulfill.
The Types of Pentest (Penetration Tests):
·
Pentest (white box) - A "white box"
pentest is a penetration test in which the pentester is given some information
about the organization's security structure. This method can be used in
conjunction with the organization's IT team and the penetration testing team.
·
Pentest (black box) - A pentest "black
box" (or "blind test") simulates the actions of a real attacker
by not providing the specialist or team with any relevant information about the
company, except for the company's name and some basic data.
·
Hidden Pentest - A hidden pentest, also known as
a double-blind test, is when only a small part of an organization's staff,
including IT specialists and security specialists, know that a test is taking
place. In this situation, the pentester or team must have the appropriate
documentation to avoid any legal issues that could arise from the security
team's response to an attack.
·
External Pentest - External Pentest is an attack
that is carried out against external servers or devices of the organization,
such as their website and network servers, by an “ethical” hacker. The goal is
to determine if an attacker can penetrate the system remotely and how far he
can.
·
Internal Pentest - An internal pentest is a
simulation of an attack that is carried out by an authorized user with standard
access rights. This test is done in order to determine how much damage an
employee could do if they had some personal vendettas against the management.
Why is pentest needed?
Penetration testing is important because it provides an
accurate assessment of an organization's vulnerabilities to cyberattacks. By
conducting pentests on a regular basis, businesses can identify which areas of
their technical resources, infrastructure, physical security, and personnel
need improvement. This helps them to allocate the necessary resources to
fortify these areas and prevent potential breaches.
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