Cyber threats are increasingly putting small and medium-sized enterprises at risk of business disruption, data loss and more. Fortunately, SMEs can benefit immensely from the rise of automation in cybersecurity, which provides a range of new opportunities to improve their security posture. There are 10 major benefits of automated penetration testing (also known as pen testing) platforms.
1. Budget-friendly
Many automated penetration testing platforms are significantly more affordable than traditional assessments. As a result, it has become far easier for SMEs to add a much-needed offensive dimension to their cybersecurity efforts. Moreover, switching to automated penetration testing from manual assessments can save money. These savings can then be invested into strengthening other aspects of a business’ security strategy, such as mitigating the issues uncovered by penetration testing.
2. Fewer staffing demands
By making it possible to carry out a full penetration test with the click of a button, penetration testing provides businesses with the ability to take advantage of the knowledge and skills of seasoned penetration testers without having to create a position for this or hire external consultants.
3. Faster turnaround
One major source of frustration for companies relying on traditional penetration tests is the time and effort it takes to get from the decision to perform an assessment to receiving the final report. Instead of planning assessments months in advance and then waiting weeks for the final report of traditional penetration tests, automation lets businesses carry out assessments whenever they want and provides them with the final report upon completion.
4. Continuous monitoring
In order to address mounting cyber threats, organisations of all sizes need to be able to monitor their cybersecurity posture on an ongoing basis so they can address issues as soon as they come up. This is where automation can play a crucial role. Continuous penetration testing allows businesses to monitor their organisation’s risk profile in real-time, promptly addressing issues and checking the effectiveness of those mitigations.
5. Targeted patch management
Many threat campaigns exploit seemingly less harmful vulnerabilities that companies are not as likely to prioritise. Automated penetration testing can help by revealing known flaws in the environment that should be prioritised for patching.
6. Improved password management
During an assessment, an automated penetration testing system uses various techniques to obtain password hashes and then attempts to reuse these across the network. The password hashes are also sent to a cracking server capable of revealing weak and default passwords. Businesses can use all of this information to adjust their password policy were necessary in order to prevent employees from using weak or compromised credentials.
7. Optimised configuration management
Penetration testing platforms are capable of detecting and exploiting insecure configurations in a variety of services. This information allows SMEs to address misconfigurations in their environment. If businesses take advantage of continuous penetration testing, this approach becomes especially effective, since the security benefits and potential drawbacks of different configurations can be tested on an ongoing basis, allowing them to detect and address new issues in a timely manner.
8. Enhanced network segmentation
Platforms such as Numata's Penetration Testing-as-a-Service will try to exploit shortcomings in network segmentation, providing businesses with the opportunity to address these issues in a timely manner.
9. Understanding threat detection capabilities
By simulating real-world cyberattacks, penetration testing systems let businesses assess to what extent various security solutions enable them to detect and block malicious activity on their network.
10. Compliance
Automated penetration testing makes it easy to meet compliance standards demanding regular security testing as well as more specific requirements.
Find out more about Numata’s Penetration Testing-as-a-Service and let our team of security consultants satisfy your organisation’s needs for quality results.