What is the Purpose of a Penetration Test?

A penetration test examines the attack potential on IT networks, computers, applications, or organizations. The test uncovers vulnerabilities, the remediation of which can improve the security of the tested systems and processes.

In today's world, attacks on the IT systems of companies and organizations are commonplace. Hackers attempt to paralyze workflows, steal valuable data, or manipulate information to their advantage. Anyone who thinks that only internet giants like Yahoo or LinkedIn are affected is mistaken: more than half of all German companies have fallen victim to digital economic espionage, sabotage, or data theft in the past two years, according to the digital association Bitkom.

Penetration Tests for Protection against Attacks

Through a penetration test (short: pentest), IT networks, IT systems, applications, and organizations or their processes are checked for security. The test should examine all components of the test object as comprehensively as possible. Pentesters use various tools, combined with expertise and creativity, to find vulnerabilities. All tests performed, especially found vulnerabilities, are presented in a report and discussed with the client. Together, solutions for remediating the attack points are discussed and implemented, so that effective protection against attacks exists.

Penetration Tests as Part of the IT Security Concept

Penetration tests are always a snapshot of the system. Subsequent, even inconspicuous changes can change the result for assessing the attack potential. Nevertheless, they are an essential part of an IT security concept in which IT security is checked by an independent third party. Most large companies regularly perform penetration tests to ensure IT security as part of a continuous improvement process. But smaller companies are also increasingly recognizing the advantages of penetration tests . These are indispensable if hacking attacks can be existentially threatening for small companies.