In this era of rising cybercrimesand never-ending cyber attacks, having proactive cybersecurity policies is a must for every organization. Many organizations have realized the importance of information security. They have even set up dedicated departments with professional cybersecurity experts to ensure a robust defense mechanism against cyber attacks. Still, many IT firms around the world struggle with eliminating possible exploitation of their applications. Ever wondered why? It is because of increasingly relying on automated tools instead of manual penetration testing.
Penetration Testing Vs. Vulnerability Scan – What’s The Difference?
To understand the importance of manual pentesting, one should first learn what makes it different from the usual vulnerability scanning. Though, both methods have one common goal – that is – spotting possible bugs in an app.
The results from automated vulnerability scanning in comparison to manual are often different. In other words, automated scanning tools merely focuses on identifying the risk spots in the apps. This is primarily done using various automated scanning tools that assist in identifying more bugs in a short time.
Whereas manual penetration testing involves human effort, skill, and knowledge to find potentially vulnerable areas. Moreover, it also includes exploiting those bugs and developing proof of concepts (PoC) that can help a client better understand the risk of the issue.
Reasons Why Businesses Should Prefer Manual Penetration Testing
Here is a quick list of the main reasons why organizations should consider manual pentesting:
1. Efficient Detection Of Hidden Bugs
The main advantage of manual penetration testing is the ability to detect the weak spots in the software before a cybercriminal. While automated scanning will evaluate the app quickly, it may not effectively detect logical issues and can be prone to false positives.
With manual pentesting, the exploitation is done from a human viewpoint. Therefore, it lets the businesses figure out how an attacker would exploit the the company from a real-world perspective. Such testing also facilitates the firms to define clear ways of preventing those application bugs in the future as well.
2. Effective Validation Of App Security
Automated scanning for vulnerabilities will likely generate more false positives and negatives than manual review. Thus, an organization may not exactly determine the security status of an app.
Manual penetration testing facilitates the firms in devising robust solutions against a large number of possible cyber attacks. This also enables the company to remediate these issues before exploitation, hence saving the cost of patching after a breach.
3. Customized Strengthening Of App Security
Penetration testing, particularly, when performed by a professional pentester/pentesting firm, assists in improving the current security levels. Such pentesting helps C-level management recognize the security lapses and the possible impact of potential exploitation on the target app’s functionality.
4. Build A Credible Stance In The Market
With regular manual penetration testing, an organization can significantly minimize the occurrence of breaches and hacking attacks. This enables the firm to establish itself as a trustworthy brand for customers. Likewise, such vigilant monitoring for bugs also make their products surpass competitors.
Conclusion
While vulnerability scanning has its own benefits, manual penetration testing is vital for firms to secure their apps. Not only will it help them in diagnosing problem areas, but it also lets them fortify their defense mechanisms against cyber threats. In turn, this vigilance benefits the organization in the long run Organizations such as Indusface provide a combined automated + manual Penetration testing for applications giving a singular central view of the security posture to customers. They also provide a free trial.