6 Penetration Testing Providers You Should Consider

If you're responsible for the security of your company's information, you need to be aware of penetration testing and the benefits it can provide. Penetration testing is a process of attacking a computer system to find security vulnerabilities that an attacker could potentially exploit.

In this blog post, we will discuss the 5 stages of penetration testing, who needs it, how often it should be performed, and how to select the right penetration testing company for your needs. We will also provide a list of 6 top penetration testing providers.

Who conducts the penetration testing?

Penetration testing can be conducted by two different types of people: employees or external companies.

An internal pentest is done by an employee who has a full understanding of the company's security policies and best practises but may not have the experience needed to conduct advanced attacks. External pentests are performed by third-party professionals hired specifically to test the security of a company's systems.

External pentesting companies have more experience and knowledge when it comes to attacking systems, so they are often better equipped to find vulnerabilities an attacker could exploit. However, internal pentests can be less expensive and may be a good option for small businesses or organisations without the budget for an external pentest.

What does the penetration testing include?

The five stages of penetration testing are reconnaissance, vulnerability scanning, exploitation, post-exploitation, and reporting.

1. The purpose of reconnaissanceis to gather information about a target system before executing an attack. This may be accomplished manually or using automated tools.
2. Vulnerability scanningis the practice of detecting security weaknesses in a system using automated tools.
3. Exploitation is the process of taking advantage of vulnerabilities found in a system to gain access or control over it.
4. Post-exploitationis the process of maintaining access to a system after exploitation has occurred and includes activities such as collecting data, installing backdoors, and creating new user accounts.
5. Reportingis the process of documenting the findings of a pentest, including the vulnerabilities found and the steps taken to exploit them.
   
   

What are the main benefits of penetration testing?

Penetration tests provide insight into how a company's systems would respond to an attack from the outside world. This allows them to identify potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited during such an attack and fix them before any damage occurs. The goal of a pentest is not only to find vulnerabilities but also to provide actionable recommendations for how they can be prevented in the future.

How often should you perform penetration tests?

Penetration tests should be performed at least once a year, but more frequently is better. The frequency of pentests will depend on the security risks, and your company's budget. For example, if you are an e-commerce website with millions of customers' credit card information stored in your database then it may make sense to conduct monthly or quarterly pentests.

How to select the right pentesting company for your needs?

When selecting a pentesting provider, it is important to consider their expertise and experience in conducting such tests as well as their ability to provide actionable recommendations on how vulnerabilities can be prevented in the future. Many different factors go into choosing a provider but one of the most important ones is how well they understand your business needs and what you want to get out of the pentest.

List of Top 6 penetration testing companies

Our top list of pentesting providers is as below:

1. Astra Security

Astra Security offers a full range of services including vulnerability assessments, web application security audits, network architecture reviews and more. Their staff includes highly trained experts. and they have developed the Astra Pentest tool. Features of the tool include:

• scanning for 3000+ threats
• risk scores
• remediation tips
• live-updates via a dashboard
• report exporting to various formats
  
  

2. Offensive Security

Offensive Security provides training and certifications for professionals looking to become certified ethical hackers. They also offer a range of consulting services including penetration tests, cyber security training courses and more. Red teamers with a lot of expertise in the field of information technology security make up their staff.

3. CrowdStrike

CrowdStrike offers managed threat detection as well as incident response services. They are best known for their Falcon platform which is used to detect and prevent cyber-attacks in real-time. CrowdStrike has a team of highly qualified security experts with years of expertise.

4. HackerOne

HackerOne is a vulnerability management and bug bounty platform that connects companies with hackers who can find vulnerabilities in their systems. HackerOne has a team of experienced hackers from all over the world and offers a wide range of services such as penetration tests, vulnerability assessments and more.

5. Veracode

Veracode is a cloud-based security company that provides solutions for identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities in applications before they are deployed into production. They offer a variety of services such as application security assessments, code review and more.

6. BugCrowd

BugCrowd is a crowd-sourced bug bounty platform that connects companies with hackers who can find vulnerabilities in their systems. BugCrowd has a team of experienced hackers from all over the world and offers a wide range of services such as penetration tests, vulnerability assessments and more.

Conclusion

Penetration tests are a great way to identify potential vulnerabilities in your business systems before they are exploited by hackers. They also provide actionable recommendations on how these weaknesses can be fixed or prevented from happening again which makes them an invaluable resource for any company looking to improve its cyber security posture.