CYBER SECURITY ASSESSMENT & TESTING
We all know that cyber security is a big deal with modern technologies in this app-driven world, but it’s hard to know if you’re doing everything right. It’s easy for important information to slip through the cracks.
Our cybersecurity assessments along with risk management aims to identify gaps in your business cyber security controls, with attack likelihood and impact information that is contextual, followed by cyber risk remediation measures.
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Cyber security risk assessments to improve your resilience
Cyber risk assessment and testing aims at identifying technical and operational weaknesses and addressing these identified risks to maintain the cyber readiness of an organisation. The purpose of security testing is to identify vulnerabilities, contextual threats and measure the risks affecting the business assets. It is an input to the risk management programme.
Cybersecurity assessment assurances are sought at various stages of business transactions. Multiple tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) are used during testing to check the effectiveness of an organisations’ defensive controls. Ethical hacking is a similar term to security testing, as is a cyber vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT).
A proactive cyber security assessment and management approach demands regular testing to input risks based on likelihood and impact into the internal vulnerability management process. It ensures that business is analysing, classifying and mitigating cyber risks to develop and maintain cyber resilience.
How do you perform cyber security testing?
Designing and implementing strong security controls is one side of the coin. One of the primary objectives of a cyber threat assessment is to attempt to gain access by bypassing security controls and verify their effectiveness. Without cybersecurity assessment, there is no way to figure out if the implemented security measures are working as intended to protect an organisation against cyber attacks. More information is present in the security testing service FAQ section.
The following metrics collectively help a business to continuously assess, analyse and improve its cybersecurity program:
- Define specific objectives to measure information security performance in the organisation. This is usually a mix of operational security and performance-related facts and figures unless compliance goals are part of the plan.
- Regular vulnerability assessments and penetration tests on the target assets to assess the level of risk, effectiveness of information security management through checks against secure configuration baselines, patch management, logging, monitoring and a number of other data security areas.
- Internal team review of security posture, policies, procedures and implementation of risk remediation measures from cyber assessment findings.
Benefits of cyber security assessments
- Protect your business against evolving cyber attacks through cyber threat assessment
- Risk assessment and mitigation before hackers exploit the weaknesses
- PCI DSS, ISO 27001, GDPR Compliance support
- Demonstrate cyber security commitment
- Help shape IT strategy based on results
- Service quality underpins everything we do
What are the different types of security testing?
The proactive approach ensures timely identification and mitigation measures to help protect your business and its interests whether it’s your organisation or your supply chain. Cyber security assessment and management adds to your proactive security regime acting as an invaluable intput into the risk management plan.
Cyphere’s penetration testers help customers identify and assess the weaknesses in the context of their business. The following represent the most popular services in addition to our red team operations, PCI DSS testing, social engineering and tailored services.
Penetration Testing
Pen testing engagements to identify weaknesses in people, processes and technological controls.
These assessments vary in scope based on target assets such as wireless networks, web or mobile applications, networks, servers or entire organisation.
Web Application Testing
Our security consultants test and perform assessment across your internal, external web applications, web services based on OWASP methodology.
It includes source code reviews, threat modelling and database security reviews.
Cloud Pen Testing
Most organizations are migrating to cloud due to ease of use and 24 x 7 availability.
As an end user of cloud hosted solution, it is your responsibility to ensure that the security of any operating systems and applications hosted in the cloud are continuously maintained and tested.
Vulnerability Assessment
Cyber vulnerability assessments provide insight into vulnerabilities affecting your internal and external networks.
It helps to identify and quantify the potential risks threatening your environment while minimising internal costs.
Mobile App Testing
Ensuring the safety and security of user data is paramount to running any mobile applications.
Our tailored services are designed to identify potential cyber threats and vulnerabilities in your mobile applications and devices.
Managed Security Testing
Ours done for you security services providing you with a continuous snapshot of security threats affecting your networks and websites.
Minimising costs with maximum efficiency utilising our cost-effective managed cyber security services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Three different test types are black box (without prior knowledge), grey box (with some knowledge) and white box (with all prior knowledge) penetration testing. Read about pros and cons of each method here. Based on the threat scenario and access to the consultant, each type involves different scope (depth of checks to coverage of the target assets) ranging from vulnerability scanning to red team assessments.
Our security assessment methodology encompasses OWASP Top 10, SANS Top 20 Critical Controls and CIS, NIST 800-115. Any other standards needed for specific projects can be included as per customer request. See our pen test blog post for a detailed article and how practicality around cyber attacks is taken into consideration.
In order to maintain quality and add value to customer investment, we do not utilise automated scanners that run and report tests. A mixed approach involves a range of open source and commercial pentest tools in addition to multiple scripts/utilities are utilised to uncover hidden and complex vulnerabilities.
The scope of the cybersecurity assessment depends upon the asset functionality. For instance, an application is estimated based on its functionality, dynamic content and form fields, authentication, APIs, third-party modules.
Unauthorised or authorised exercises differ in timescales due to the lead time required to build knowledge about the functionality of the asset. No social engineering is included in technical assessments unless it is a tailored scope.
The majority of the pentesting projects can be conducted remotely via a VPN, IP restrictions, or similarly controlled setups. Wireless pen tests are most effective when performed onsite.
Cyber security assessment methodology
Customer Business Insight
The very first step in cyber security assessment methodology remains our quest to gain insight into drivers, business, pain points and relevant nuances. As part of this process, we understand the assets that are part of the scope.
Services Proposal
It is important to gain grips with the reality, therefore, we always stress walkthroughs or technical documentation of the assets. After asset walkthroughs, a tailored proposal ensures detailed services and rules of engagement.
Execution and Delivery
Cyphere’s approach to all work involves excellent communication before and during the execution phase. Customer communication medium and frequency are mutually agreed upon, and relevant parties are kept updated throughout the engagement duration.
Compliance specific delivery requirements such as General Data Protection Regulation , PCI DSS or others are discussed beforehand.
Data Analysis & Reporting
The execution phase is followed by the data security analysis and reporting phase. Cyphere performs analysis on the testing output, evaluates the risk impact and likelihood of exploitation in realistic scenarios before providing action plans to remediate the identified risks. All our penetration test reports address business as well as the technical audience with supporting raw data, including mitigation measures at strategic and tactical levels.
Debrief & Support
As part of our engagement process, customers schedule a free of charge debrief with management and technical teams. As one of the respected security testing companies, we believe these highly informative sessions add value to customers asset information security lifecycle. It involves a remediation plan, assessment QA to ensure that customer contacts are up to date in the language they understand.