Penetration Testing

Attackers penetrate networks and systems exploit vulnerable software and hardware, once they get access, they burrow deep into target systems and broadly expand the number of machines over which they have control. Most organizations do not exercise their defenses, so they are uncertain about their capabilities and unprepared for identifying and responding to attack.
Penetration testing involves mimicking the actions of computer attackers to identify vulnerabilities in a target organization, and exploiting them to determine what kind of access an attacker can gain. Penetration tests typically provide a deeper analysis of security flaws than a vulnerability assessment. Vulnerability assessments focus on identifying potential vulnerabilities, while penetration testing goes deeper with controlled attempts at exploiting vulnerabilities, approaching target systems as an attacker would. The result provides deeper insight into the business risks of various vulnerabilities by showing whether and how an attacker can compromise machines, pivot to other systems inside a target organization, and gain access to sensitive information.

What is required:
Conduct regular external and internal penetration tests to identify vulnerabilities and attack vectors that can be used to exploit enterprise systems successfully. Penetration testing should occur from outside the network perimeter (i.e., the Internet or wireless frequencies around an organization) as well as from within its boundaries (i.e., on the internal network) to simulate both outsider and insider attacks.