Before looking for a top penetration testing company, one must first clarify the concept of penetration testing and its implications for your organization. Penetration testing is one of the most effective methods available to discover vulnerabilities present in networks and applications, working to find out coding flaws, security misconfigurations, etc. By using an ethical hacking team to discover such security loopholes, you’re able to stay a step ahead of hackers.

A professional pentesting company will cover all aspects of the procedure as is suitable for your company’s security needs with the help of available tools and manual testing. There are different categories that can be pentested such as web applications, mobile applications, and cloud architecture. While there is literature available on pentesting available, there are a certain set of skills that your preferred service provider must possess for a successful procedure.

5 Features Offered by an Ideal Penetration Testing Company

1.    Standardized security testing

Before the main purpose of penetration testing as a protective strategy against exploitation of vulnerabilities by hackers, it’s also recommended under the compliance requirements for certain industry standards. Therefore, such procedures need to be tweaked to fit the requirements specified under each standard, such as OWASP and NIST testing methodologies.

They also include tests GDPR, ISO compliance, logic errors, tests for SANS vulnerabilities, etc. A basic list of testing procedures should be prepared by the testing provider and the firm being tested to cover all possible vulnerabilities.

2.    Transparent security process

Your chosen pentesting service provider should have open channels of communication and transparency regarding testing methods and other actions taken. Efficient companies offer detailed reports on all testing techniques, adaptive tests taken during the process, vulnerabilities discovered, the extent of exploitation, impact, multiple connected vulnerabilities, etc.

Testing teams should also be connected with the developers in the company and/or the IT team for quick communication and resolution of issues and security recommendations. There should be mechanisms to pass on the insights derived during the testing process from the ethical hacking team to the company personnel for their future reference. Availability during retesting and for opinions related to the security hardening measures are important characteristics of an ideal penetration testing company.

3.    Effective recommendations

Testing and discovering security issues is only a part of penetration testing, specifically the vulnerability assessment portion. The actual testing and understanding of the overall impact on the system due to discovered vulnerabilities require more attention. Systems, applications, networks and devices possess many kinds of security risks that need to be resolved as quickly as possible to avoid exploitation by hackers.

Since the ethical hacking team is responsible for understanding these security loopholes, they often pass on a list of detailed steps for the company’s in-house team to resolve such issues.

These recommendations should cover the development stages of the application, technical know-how, and detailed scripts of discovered vulnerabilities. Some pentesting companies offer the option of retesting after the implementation of these steps to verify the security patches. Certain companies also offer security hardening measures through proactive steps visualized through potential issues from the future. Sometimes companies offer automated pentesting which is conducted via a certain set of tools and give basic information around the vulnerabilities.

4.    Proper certification

A successful pentesting procedure will end with a certificate providing details of the same, assuring both the tested company and other agencies on the apps and networks subjected to testing. This security certificate acknowledges security for a fixed time period against possible vulnerability exploitation and is designed for public verification.

The VAPT certificate is an asset with your present and future clients ensuring them that all security measures have been taken as required under government rules and regulations.

5.    Efficient customer service

The more skilled the ethical hacking team, the more efficient the customer service. Ensuring customer support should not only come with availability but also with the ability to accept criticism of all types, proper responses for specific problems, and personalized recommendations. These attributes come from with pentesting companies with individuals who have adeqaute skills and experience in pentesting various scenarios.

The ethical hacking team should be open to all queries regarding the testing process, vulnerabilities discovered, and recommendations provided. For proper verification of your chosen service provider, there are certain cyber security certifications you can look out for the individuals carrying out the penetration testing process.

These are a few of the aspects you can check out for when deciding on an ideal penetration testing company for the services offered. Cyber threats show no signs of abatement, especially during the pandemic times when work-from-home situations and digitization requirements are increasing in demand. Hackers are always on the lookout for new methods and tools to break into secure environments for conducting malicious activities.

Statistics show that the security measures undertaken in small, medium, or large enterprises are similarly lacking, even though small firms are considered to be especially vulnerable, mostly due to their restrictive funds. Steps such as penetration testing are important for overall security to move in the right direction.