Powering your business with Apple products because of their reputable security and privacy features? You may be surprised to learn that while Mac products are typically perceived as safer than PCs, they are far from impervious to cyber attacks.
There are many ways hackers breach Mac security defenses, and it’s crucial that your Apple infrastructure be tested just like any other tech environment.
When hiring a pentesting company for your Apple-based operations, be sure to look for a partner with the following attributes.
1. Has previous Mac-environment experience.
While there are qualified penetration testers who are quite confident working with Macs, not all are. Some pentesters focus exclusively on Windows environments, rarely or sometimes never touching Apple products. Others “cut their teeth” in the Windows operating system and have only recently transitioned to testing in a Mac-environment.
For this reason, when evaluating penetration testing companies, we recommend you ask not only about their experience in breaching corporate systems, but also for examples of work they’ve done in Mac-based office settings, specifically.
Remember, the pentester doesn’t necessarily have to have a Macbook computer to hack into your Mac environment, so judge them based on their previous work and findings, not their equipment.
2. Explains familiarity with different operating system languages.
Windows and Apple products differ in the operating systems they use and require different tactics for malicious entry.
When looking for a Mac-based pentester, ask them what programming languages they are versed in and how confident they are using each. If people within the pentesting company know Python, JavaScript, and C++, that’s a solid foundation. We advise looking for a pentester with prerequisites in understanding of the internals of iOS and Mac OS, the architecture, and FreeBSD.
3. Crafts custom attacks for your organization.
Some cybersecurity experts coin themselves “pentesters” but are really far from it. While the use of automated tools or mass phishing attacks is indeed a part of most pentesting processes, they’re merely initial steps in gaining access to Mac environments.
A thorough pentest will include four crucial phases, and the right pentester will use more than one type of pentest to assess your security posture. When questioning possible penetration testing companies, ask them about some of the tactics they use when staging and executing attacks. They should come to the table with specially designed tests for your organization.
4. Provides a detailed report of prioritized security fixes.
While screening pentesting companies, inquire about the results of the test. How do they detail their findings? You want your takeaways to be tangible, actionable steps that’ll help your security team to remediate the findings shared in the report.
Look for a company that’s willing to disclose what’s typically included in their pentesting report— or better yet, provide you with a sanitized, branded report so you’ll know exactly what you’ll be paying for. With these insights, you’ll be able to introduce your team to better security awareness training, make critical fixes and harden your cyber defenses.
Keep Up with the Latest Cyber Threats
A major way to protect your Mac-based tech environment is to stay up-to-date on the latest cyber threats. Learn how in the ebook, Elevate Your Cyber Security: 5 ½ Easy Steps to Avoid Threats.
Do you truly know how your Mac environment would stand up against a real hacker? Explore our Pentesting Services and let Kevin Mitnick and The Global Ghost Team raise your Mac security posture.
