Famous myths about Pen Testing

Last updated on April 7th, 2024 at 11:13 am

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Pen testing is an activity where a penetration testing company tries to use its testing skills to find vulnerabilities present in software or an application. This activity can be done at an organizational level as well to ensure the security checks of the organization are working fine. There is no doubt about the astonishing growth of the pen testing industry. However, there are a few myths that still surround this industry, its activities, and the testers. If you are interested in knowing more about these pen-testing myths, we suggest you keep reading the article until the end.

Vulnerability Testing Vs Penetration Testing

A lot of people confuse pen testing with vulnerability testing. They believe both of these processes are the same at the heart but have different names. When confirmed by the testers, it turned out both of them are two very different processes. In vulnerability testing, testers work on identifying and classifying the vulnerabilities that are already known. They also produce a list of flaws and assign them a priority for the developers to solve. However, in penetration testing, testers think and operate like attackers and make a report sharing the steps an attacker can take to undermine the security of the system.

There is No Difference in Penetration Tools

The majority of the people not belonging to this industry believe that all of the pen testing tools are the same when in reality, they are a lot different. Since every software or app is different, the market has designed different tools for their pen testing. At times, a penetration testing company has to even design a tool for a project. The goal and type of software brought for testing define the tool that would be used in the process.

Automated Security is a Mess

Another myth revolving around the pen testing industry is that automated security testing should be chosen above manual security testing because it is the best solution out there. In reality, it is so not true. Automated testing is more of a programmed scanning, not penetration testing in the true sense. You must go for automated testing in just a few cases and prefer a good blend of manual and automated testing like many of the sensible testing companies these days.

Testing is All You Need

Once an organization has hired a penetration testing company as they are meant to protect you, it believes its work is done and now, it has no cyber threat to be afraid of. It is totally wrong and gets a lot of organizations in a difficult situation a lot of times. Apart from getting your software or system tested, you need to keep giving knowledge and tips regarding online security to your employees as well. Most of the smart cybercriminals have started to target humans more than machines to get into your system. Do you think your employees are ready to take that blow? If not, start preparing them with some informative sessions to keep your company on the safe side.