Cybersecurity or Information Technology (IT) security assessments analyze and map the risks of numerous types of cybersecurity threats. For this reason, IT assessment is an essential aspect of ensuring business continuity. However, there are several types of IT security assessment, and every once in a while, a new one is invested.
So how do you know the proper security assessment for your businesses? And how can these assessments help you protect your business? Read on below to understand the six different IT system security assessments and how you can apply them in your industry.
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Vulnerability Testing
Vulnerability testing is a technical test. It helps you analyze as many weaknesses in your IT system as possible.
During vulnerability testing, the professional testers analyze the potential severity of any possible attacks on every part of your system.
They also look at possible recovery options using made-up scenarios. After a vulnerability test, the testers come up with a list of weaknesses. All these vulnerabilities are listed according to urgency.
The most urgent risks are addressed as soon as possible. So when should you perform a vulnerability test? This test is only required when you have no cybersecurity protocols in place.
The main aim of this assessment is to identify and fix as many flaws as possible. However, this activity depends on your budget, time, and priority list.
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Penetration Test
Penetration test allows you to target one specific threat for inspection. For instance, your website’s domain rights could be hacked by cybercriminals. Your customer payment data may also be stolen.
When you conduct a penetration test, the result will show you whether your current protocols are good enough to protect your customer information and domain rights.
A penetration test helps you confirm whether your software configuration, locally written code, and version management are safe. Numerous tests have been performed in advance to ensure the safety of software configuration. However, a penetration test should be performed at a higher level by experienced testers to ensure the best results.
The white box, grey box, and black box tests are part of penetration testing. The colors are used to identify the amount of information the tester will have at their disposal.
White represents a penetration test where the tester has full access to all the relevant information. This information includes the network diagrams and written code.
A grey box assessment represents a test where the tester only has partial information. On the other hand, black represents a scenario where the tester has no prior information about the system they will be testing. During black-box testing, the tester will act like a hacker trying to find weaknesses in your system using all tricks and tactics that an external hacker would.
It would be best if you considered hiring a managed IT service company such as Corptek Solutions to assist with penetration testing. Their experts handle IT security issues both on-site and remotely for their clients, depending on the situation.
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IT Audit
An IT audit maps and investigates whether your current security measures match the required compliance standard. The audit is based on both documentation and other technical aspects.
However, it doesn’t test how secure your network is. This is because it only shows how your company defines IT security.
The resulting report shows whether your IT security standards are compliant with the rules. Companies that are strict with compliance are more secure and strict. You can perform an audit if you suspect that network security isn’t up to compliance standards.
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IT Risk Assessment
An IT risk assessment helps organizations determine the acceptable level and actual level of risk. This is a cybersecurity assessment that analyzes the two dimensions of risk. These are the impact and probability of risk.
IT risk assessments can be measured both qualitatively and quantitatively. Conducting an IT risk analysis will help you protect your asset by pinpointing risks. You will also decide which actions to take to mitigate these risks.
This brings the risk levels to an acceptable level giving you overall control of your system. The risks are listed based on priority and severity.
An IT risk assessment is relevant when you want to protect your company’s assets. This is why it’s one of the most practical security assessments today.
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Red Team Testing
A red team testing is a group of individuals who work to examine a company’s information security. On the other hand, the blue team is responsible for ensuring the information is secure.
During this assessment, the blue team and the red team challenge each other to improve the effectiveness of the defending team. The red team must be an independent group to ensure that the blue team is effective.
The Red Team puts the Blue Team to test regularly, exposing them to hackers’ ever-changing and unexpected attack methods. The Red Team also monitors the effectiveness of the company’s cyber defenses.
A Red Team Assessment is essential for companies that apply advanced and sophisticated network security measures. With IT system assessments, you can accurately determine and expose any potential threats to your company.
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The NITS Cybersecurity Framework
Organizations often use NITS Cybersecurity Framework in the U.S. This is because the U.S government agencies, in collaboration with the private sector, invented the NITS Cybersecurity Framework.
They created the framework to identify and address specific components of cybersecurity. These components include detection, identification, response, protection, and recovery.
While the creators initially envisioned the NITS framework to help companies handing critical infrastructure, most mid-sized companies today also use it in their cybersecurity efforts.
Reduce Cybersecurity Risks With IT Security Assessments
IT security assessments help you map the risks of numerous types of cybersecurity threats in your company. Today, there is an increasing volume of cyber-attacks. Such attacks can cause unimaginable damage to a company.
These damages include reputational and financial harm as well as negative media attention. Conducting an IT security assessment will help you avoid this damage, secure your company’s information security systems, and protect your customer’s information.
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