As 2021 continues, the rise of cyber-attacks has skyrocketed for both businesses and customers. Many businesses are reactive when it comes to cybersecurity and best practices ask for a proactive mindset toward digital security. What makes a business proactive with cybersecurity?
A few proactive measures that increase a company’s resilience against cybercrime are routine audits, assessments, and penetration testing, to list a few. These testing processes play a huge role in the safety of your business, data, and employees. Cybercriminals love to exploit weaknesses within a business, and according to a study by Verizon, roughly 45% of breaches feature hacking, 7% involve malware, and 22% involve phishing schemes.
Even though roughly 68% of business leaders feel that cyber-risks are rising, fear not, there is a way to avoid costly cyber-attacks. Let’s look at some of the reasons why your business needs cybersecurity testing.
Why Your Business Needs Routine Cybersecurity Testing
1) Finding Gaps and Identifying Weaknesses
There are always gaps and weaknesses within a business and now that we live in the digital age, there are many gaps that require security. Businesses that perform penetration testing or vulnerability scans help support proactive efforts and are always in better shape once the tests finish.
2) Reduce Chances of Network Downtime
Businesses should routinely take cybersecurity tests to reduce the chances of network downtime. Penetration testing also helps inform you of the proper security measures needed to avoid these types of issues. If a network goes down, time is of the essence because now the company is losing money.
3) Supporting Stakeholders
When people come together, great things happen. When a business comes together, there are also many great people involved to support, therefore it is crucial to test regularly. So that everyone’s information involved, with the business is protected. Whether they are your business partners, employees, clients, or third-party vendors, everyone deserves a little safety and support when it comes to their information.
4) Planning for Long-Term Saving
It happens all too often; a company wants to save money, so they do not invest in cybersecurity measures because they feel it may be too pricey and then get hacked with ransomware. In the end, they spend more money and must work with a third-party vendor to support getting their data back. If companies plan and routinely test their digital landscape for weaknesses, the chances of getting hacked drop dramatically.
Bonus Reason: Meeting Compliance and Security Regulations
Regular pen testing can help bring you one step closer to complying with security regulations that are dictated by security standards like PCI, HIPPA, and ISO 27001. You want to illustrate ongoing due diligence to assessors, and by generating detailed reports from penetration testing, one can achieve that.
Next Steps
It is crucial for a business to take cybersecurity seriously. Most companies are reactive when it comes to their digital security, and that is when it is too late. Since the pandemic, cybercrime is on the rise and continues with no signs of slowing down. Employee awareness is another factor that needs to be mentioned. Employees are your frontline soldiers in the fight against cybercrime and when they don’t even know best practices when it comes to protecting data, then you need to educate them with programs like awareness training.
There are specific security tests a business can take to secure their digital landscape like penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, email phishing tests, and risk assessments, to name a few. The more employees, locations, or services a business has, the more likely a cyber-attack will occur. It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when. If you are not sure where to start when it comes to security testing, start with a penetration test from a third-party vendor. By having a third-party vendor to support your testing, you can capture quality consulting and implement best practices with a guide.
To learn more about penetration testing and how to get started, schedule a chat with an expert today.
