As business models continue to evolve the need for cybersecurity measures is more necessary than ever before.
A penetration test against your company’s network is a great technique to evaluate its overall security posture and find any potential gaps.
Unfortunately, it might be difficult to choose a pentesting provider because there are so many options. If you choose to hire a third party to conduct your penetration testing, it's crucial to make sure you compare cybersecurity companies and pick the right one that matches your business objectives.
Below, we'll go over the top four factors you should think about before choosing a penetration testing provider.
1. Consider What Penetration Testing Services Your Company Needs
While considering cost is crucial, quality of experience and services can have a direct correlation to costs. Therefore, it’s crucial to look for a pentesting provider who considers your cybersecurity needs and aligns with your business goals.
When comparing pentesting companies, consider inquiring about:
- The importance and relevance of each type of penetration test the provider offers.
- What customized tests are available so you can determine if the provider can meet your cybersecurity needs.
- What the process involves and what ongoing services are offered afterward.
2. Review the Company’s Certifications
When comparing companies, it’s vital to consider the certifications they hold. Some valuable industry certifications include the following:
Offensive Security Certified Professional (OCSP)
Those who obtain the OSCP certification are proven to be capable of effectively securing a network. The certification ensures that individuals are highly qualified in conducting penetration testing, antivirus protection, defense against password attacks, and much more.
Offensive Security Advanced Pentesting Training PEN-300 (OSEP)
Those with OSEP certifications are highly experienced individuals who have performed penetration tests against some of the most hardened cybersecurity stacks. OSEP-certified professionals have been trained to understand cybersecurity topics such as SQL attacks, application whitelisting, and more.
EC-Council Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT)
One of the most extensive and thorough certifications to acquire, the CPENT certification ensures individuals can perform enterprise-level penetration testing using techniques such as exploiting IoT networks, highly complex hacks against Windows, and bypassing layered security stacks.
GIAC’s (Global Information Assurance Certification) GPEN
The GPEN certification is designed to improve an individual’s ability to pentest in a live setting with realistic parameters. Those with a GPEN certification are knowledgeable in intrinsic scanning and exploitation analysis, complex password attacks, advanced pentesting techniques, and several more topics designed to improve security posture.
GIAC Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester (GXPN)
This certification validates the ability of experts to conduct sophisticated degrees of penetration testing and exploit research across even a complicated and well-defended network.
EC- Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
The CEH certification helps individuals advance their knowledge in white hat hacking and is one of the cornerstone certifications for cybersecurity professionals. Those with this certification are experts in malware detection and evaluation, common modern hacks — such as ransomware and phishing attacks — and plenty of more cybersecurity topics.
EC-Council Licensed Penetration Tester Master (LPT)
This certification validates the ability of pentesters to operate in environments with multiple layers of defense and in-depth restrictions. Individuals with an LPT certification are knowledgeable in topics, such as data exfiltration, OS weaknesses, and SQL injection attacks.
CompTIA’s PenTest+
CompTIA’s PenTest+ certification is one of the most renowned certifications in cybersecurity. Those with this certification are capable of performing high-level scoping, planning, exploit analysis, and plenty of other techniques related to cloud and mobile environments.
3. Compare Penetration Testing Services Pricing
When choosing a cybersecurity service, it’s important to consider the budget you can work with. What’s more important is to not skimp on cybersecurity, especially since many major companies — such as Rockstar Games — have fallen prey to threat actors.
When comparing your pentesting options, consider the following:
- How much are the different pentesting types?
- How much support comes with each one?
- How long will it take to complete the test?
- What kind of reports will be created and given to the company?
- How will the testing team communicate with your organization during the engagement?
4. Inquire About the Pentesting Company’s Firm Size
The size of the business is another crucial aspect to take into account when choosing the best cybersecurity provider. While a larger company may have more employees with extensive expertise — resulting in a more thorough evaluation of your cybersecurity — selecting an oversized organization could result in a lack of contact and a less thorough or personalized experience.
The ideal balance between size, cost, and experience may vary, but you must decide what is best for your company.
Find a Provider That Best Suits Your Company
To avoid losing millions of dollars and comprising your data, you must utilize the best penetration testing services available for your enterprise. Many other companies are starting to realize this and it’s more important than ever to make the right decision for your business.
Not only are the Global Ghost Team and Kevin Mitnick certified in all the aforementioned certifications, but we also work with you to customize our pentest attacks to meet your cybersecurity needs and budget. We offer external, internal, social engineering, and several other types of penetration testing services. Request more pentesting info today.
