Penetration testing

As IT applications, operating systems, and networks become more pervasive, so too do threats and vulnerabilities. For instance, as companies open their networks to outside parties such as customers, partners and suppliers, the traditional boundaries that separated trusted users from unwelcomed intruders are becoming more difficult to define and manage.

One way to assess these security threats is through penetration testing tools, which is the process of determining how effectively a host, system, device, network, procedure or person meets specific security objectives. Penetration testing is invaluable because it mimics real-world attacks to identify methods for circumventing the security features of an application, system or network.

Penetration testing is useful for determining:

• How well the system tolerates real-world types of attack patterns
• The level of sophistication an attacker needs to successfully compromise the system
• Additional countermeasures that could mitigate threats against the system
• The ability to detect attacks and respond appropriately