Defining VAPT
Our economy is dependent on digitalisation. This mass reliance on digital technologies has resulted in companies increasingly operating massive IT systems, which can consist of thousands of connected devices and thousands of more dependencies on third-party software and applications. This leaves companies with an extremely complex cyber threat landscape, consisting of an array of vulnerabilities, flaws, and misconfigurations. Gone are the days when companies could just keep their antivirus software updated and assume they would be protected from threats—instead, efficient cybersecurity consists of a model that must have many layers, is more adaptive and needs to be more in tune with business requirements. A model, that must be tested by friendly forces on a regular basis.
The top two testing services are, Penetration Tests and Vulnerability Assessments, which are ‘must have’ services. In this post, we are going to help clarify the difference between these two cybersecurity services and discuss why both are vital to establishing and maintaining high-security standards.
The difference between penetration testing and vulnerability assessments boils down to one key point: penetration testing is a human-led investigation, while vulnerability assessment is an automated scan.
These two techniques are very different, but they are all-too-often mixed up, not least because some contractors advertise penetration testing while only providing an automated scan. A thorough “pentest” is always a human-led exercise and often takes at least a week. Genuine penetration testing is essential in uncovering zero-day vulnerabilities, which are vulnerabilities in a system which have not previously been used for a cyber attack. Uncovering of zero-day vulnerabilities by “pen testers” before they are found by malicious hackers is essential in preventing a devastating cyber attack.
The gold standard of security audits uses a combination of both techniques, in a process known as Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT). This is a human-directed audit which uses targeted penetration tests and automated scans to maximise both the depth and breadth of a security audit. Often, an experienced “pentester” will deploy specialised scanning tools and software that they have developed themselves to seek out flaws within a network. Effective human oversight of a vulnerability assessment will help companies prioritise their responses to vulnerabilities and avoid wasting time on the many false positive findings which are highlighted by a scan, but which have already been addressed by other means that the scan does not detect.
Penetration Test
A penetration test (or “pentest”) is effectively a friendly attack on a company’s IT systems. A contracted cybersecurity professional will attempt to break into the system using the same methods that a malicious hacker would employ. These could include exploiting unsecured or unpatched devices on the network, flaws in third-party software or human errors in the configuration of the existing security system. A thorough pentest will also include social engineering, by trying to trick employees or third parties into opening vulnerabilities in the network, or those gaps in business logic that can impair a company’s ability to secure against and manage future threats. The “pentester” will then provide a report to the company, detailing both technical and business resolutions to the exploited vulnerabilities. Technical fixes might include updating certain devices or fixing errors in databases, while business resolutions are choices like providing employees with security training or re-evaluating dependencies on less secure third-parties and connectivity.
Vulnerability Assessment
A vulnerability assessment, on the other hand, is an automated scan of a whole network. A vulnerability assessment performs a comprehensive scan of the network and provides a list of all the known vulnerabilities (flaws) detected. This allows a company to systematically resolve all the known technical flaws in their network. and with their assets.
The vulnerability assessment consists of a scan, scan analysis, peer review, reporting, and presentation of remedial activities. This is the recommended initial service any business should request. It delivers a current view of what flaws and vulnerabilities could be exploited and provides your jumping off point for a secure and active cybersecurity posture. To perform a vulnerability assessment we use a proprietary method of testing and correlate findings using NIST’s CVSS scoring with purpose-built tools and scripts created to provide a more accurate view.
VAPT and Regulation
Conducting regular VAPT is crucial for companies to protect their IT systems from attacks and ensure their compliance with new data regulation laws such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Understanding the complex nature of your IT ecosystem is essential for compliance with GDPR, which applies to any company working with European Union data subjects. Such compliance requires that companies map out exactly how their client data is secured, and who it is shared with. What their plans are in place to detect any data breaches and how they should notify authorities when one occurs.
The penalties for noncompliance with GDPR can be steep, with fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual turnover, whichever is highest.
VAPT, therefore, helps companies gain a better understanding of their IT environment and its dependencies and enables implementation of both technical and business resolutions to ensure regulatory compliance and to safeguard against future attacks.
