Are We Performing Cyber Security Audits Seriously Or Not

We must thank IT virtualization as it led us to cloud technology. Today's IT infrastructures are already running their mission critical business applications on virtual machines.

Like the physical infrastructure, virtualization is also cursed with cyber security challenges. This article talks about a typical open source virtualization solution and depicts the steps to secure its.

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Auditing is one of the most critical components of network testing and cyber-security. It's important to conduct regular pentesting to ensure that there are no gaps within the architecture. While some companies may opt to conduct penetrating testing for compliance's sake, a handful of them view auditing as a core strength. It allows them to innovate while remaining secure within the system. Employees are also more secure in their everyday transactions and the company can scale in a leaner manner.

Security as a strategic vision

Companies need to see auditing as a core strength, rather than a process that they have to perform. From a list of pentesting companies, firms need to choose the right partner to enforce greater auditing and compliance. They also need to understand the requirements of the customers better, as they too would like to work with a brand that understands compliance and security.

That's where auditing provides the greatest value to a company. They reinforce strength and security within the ecosystem and provide a more robust approach towards network security. Additionally, it's important for managers and business leaders to take auditing seriously. The cost of cybercrime continues to rise, with major brands being shaken up by data leaks.

Whether that be a database attack or a DDoS attempt at the server, it's important to run the right types of auditing mechanism. We need to shift towards a governance model that focuses on active auditing and enforcing stricter guidelines where necessary. The right penetration testers can revolutionize the way that your company is run from a security stand-point. When companies start to view security as a value-add, they shift their perspective towards more auditing and greater pentest efficiencies.

Data from McAfee showed that more than 780,000 records were being lost just a few years ago due to cybersecurity breaches and data leaks. That's why auditing and governance should be on the top of every top-level manager's vision. It's also imperative to ensure that all leaks be fixed via continual auditing of all processes and security measures.

Reducing cybersecurity risk

Cyber-crime is on the rise, making security penetration testing that much more critical. Data from Juniper Research suggests that the total cost of cybercrime will exceed $2 Trillion this year, with over 43% of the attacks being targeted towards small and medium size businesses. The traditional notion of a hacker targeting big brands has evolved towards a more scale-driven ransom-ware type attack philosophy. Hackers are using the blockchain and AI to find the gaps in a network to attack a weak-point.

The best pentesting companies, like Valency Networks, have sophisticated tools and well-equipped talent to ensure that the gaps can be found early. This is done through auditing the network on a regular basis and finding areas where improvements can be issued.

his is also done to reduce the risk of another cyber-breach and ensure that there are no leaks within the system. Otherwise, a cyberattack can be found on your systems with little to no recourse as to what steps to take. Even from a valuation perspective, to have a net positive valuation in the stakeholders' portfolio, you need to have a more active approach towards cyber security.

That's where penetration testing services offer their greatest value. They perform network service tests, web application tests, client-side tests, wireless network tests & social engineering tests to give you a comprehensive approach. This ensures that your company and its employees are always well protected.

What's even more interesting is that a majority of the attacks take place due to compromised credentials. This is prone to happen when there are poor guidelines on account management and social interactivity. Certain information can get shared outside the network, giving hackers a point of entry into the system.

In fact, research from Microsoft shows that 64% of all intrusions occur due to compromised account information. Sometimes, it's because of an ex-employee that took their laptop with them. This created an end-point intrusion scope, which the network couldn't catch as unauthorized. It takes a few minutes for an unauthorized participant to take advantage of a vulnerability.

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Compliance to regulations and industry bodies

Compliance is one of the greatest areas of strength of a company. When it comes to achieving scale within an industry, companies must do so by remaining compliant to governing regulations like GDPR, HIPAA and PCI DSS. This ensures that the company is following best practises and is capable of handling sensitive customer information. While remaining compliant is half the battle, innovating on the security strength is critical as well.

This is how companies become better at handling their security challenges. Additionally, when it comes to understanding network strength holistically, it's important to think about parameters from a regulatory point of view. Following the guidelines laid out is a good place to start and hiring the right pentesting companies is the first step. They can provide greater insight into what changes are needed from a technical stand-point, along with sharing key strategies that can enhance the overall architecture.

From a compliance stand-point, adherence and staying connect works best in the long-run. These include formulating policies that all employees can adhere to for the long-term. As demonstrated by Verizon's 2018 Breach Investigations report, 92% of all malware is being sent to email IDs. This means that it only takes a single employee to open a malicious attachment or click on a dangerous link.

It's also critical to have the right countermeasures in place, so that any future attacks can be thwarted. An action plan, in the case of a leak, should also be drafted which should include remediation steps and addressing the breach internally. Escalating also needs to be done with the right approach, as more companies need to become increasingly transparent.