The nature and advancement of current IT infrastructure warrant cyber security experts to stay ahead of the curve at all times. Penetration testing was advantageous in such a way that it provided insight to the team into the underlying vulnerabilities in the system. This was however flawed as a penetration test provided a point-in-time view of the system in the past.
Continuous Penetration Testing
New vulnerabilities would occur during or after the pen test that would not be easily detected until the next scheduled testing period. Continuous Penetration Testing solves this issue by constantly attacking the system to find vulnerabilities.
By using offensive security, the organization can identify threats either by hiring ethical hackers or by using in-house pen testers.
Continuous penetration offers consistent threat analysis and detection with a demand-based approach for security experts to keep an eye on the system. As threats keep evolving, penetration test methods should also become smarter and stricter to be able to detect new vulnerabilities that may come through the CI/CD pipeline.
Performing a pen test should not just be a once or twice activity, but a proactive posture taken by the organization to protect sensitive data.
Penetration tests come in different forms. Black box testing, white box testing, and grey box testing are all methods employed for pen testing. For mobile applications and web applications, new code or a launch requires scanning for any vulnerabilities that can be exploited as an attack surface against security.
Integration of penetration testing tools into the framework can lessen the task of fully employed individuals keeping track of multiple exploits that need to be fixed.
Advanced Scanning
Artificial Intelligence can now be used by penetration testers to scan for vulnerabilities. Any changes and risks that emerge can trigger a scan by the AI which then maintains constant security on the system. Unknown risks are reduced and any new risk is dealt with as soon as it is identified. Surprises are minimized and the organization is kept under constant surveillance by cyber security teams.
Standard pen tests offer no assurance of security. Web application security requires a proactive and mature security approach down to the individuals using the system. Continuous security does not mean having multiple firewalls and security experts on standby.
Most attacks on the system are caused by individuals operating the system.
Organizational Security
Social engineering is a major part of maintaining web application security. Training employees to keep their credentials safe is only part of the job. Constant web application penetration also ensures that security teams are always alert and ready to deal with threats.
Knowledge of the system is also enhanced through participation in fixing the exploits and the security posture of the entire organization is bolstered.
Compliance Requirements
Compliance requirements will be simplified and easy to achieve. Requesting reports from pen testers will be a thing of the past. The use of AI means that reports from any point in time can be generated for auditors, the board, or filing purposes. Continuous testing prevents the occurrence of false positives as the system is retested multiple times throughout the year.
Prevention
Continuous penetration testing keeps the system in a state of readiness with all aspects of security alert for any threats. A website, web application, or code that needs to be installed is scanned immediately. It becomes easier to deal with vulnerabilities when similar assets can be scanned together to create a more effective formula for threat detection.
The state of readiness ensures that vulnerabilities are dealt with immediately after they are detected. Conventional penetration tests deal with threats after a scan. A new exploit would occur in the time between testing and would not get fixed until the next scan date.
Continuous penetration provides updates and feedback on the system in an active manner. This can be weekly or monthly depending on the frequency of tests or the emergence of vulnerabilities in the system.
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