Posted by: Hasan Sameer
August 26, 2022
It is an amalgamation of Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing, two top-class methods to ensure your IT systems’ security. Both these methods together analyze the security posture of your infrastructure and suggest measures to fortify it. The process involves performing in-depth security analysis on every element of the IT systems, applications, and networks. VAPT processes are designed to detect and eliminate every security issue from your infrastructure using various tools, techniques, and methodologies systematically.
of organizations are missing End Point Security against server attacks.
of businesses fail to carry out VAPT Cyber Security practices over their web applications.
of incidents against web applications involve Injection attacks (XSS, SQL Injection).
of organizations were compromised by at least one cyber-attack in 2021.
The concept of VAPT is there in the IT industry for a very long time now. Still, it is not a very comfortable zone for a lot of IT professionals. For this scenario, the reason is the lack of awareness. The following 10 points have the purpose of familiarizing you with the details of VAPT through facts about the topic. So, without wasting any time, let us begin…
You might know Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration testing as a cyber security measure to test your security standards. However, it has a lot more to deliver. VAPT is a holistic auditing method that analyzes every functionality of your IT systems along with checking for vulnerabilities. Hacking issues and cyber-attacks are prevalent these days. VAPT services help you to identify and mitigate the security loopholes to avoid such incidents.
The term ‘VAPT’ is a huge umbrella that covers a variety of techniques like automated vulnerability assessment, penetration testing conducted by skilled human engineers, and even red team operations. Automated Vulnerability Assessment makes threat monitoring faster and more efficient. Although you need to conduct Penetration Testing manually to target the hidden weakness. It helps you find even the weakest link in your security chain and fixes it.
The security protocol of an IT infrastructure contains several tools and techniques. To minimize the gaps, security professionals use both automated and manual testing tools simultaneously. Still, there is scope left for some security gaps. VAPT methodologies have the potential to identify even the slimmest of these gaps and mitigate them through proper channels.
IT systems and networks of an organization are susceptible to a wide range of risks and threat vectors. However, the likeability of attack by one or two attack vectors is more than the others depending upon the type of business. For example- companies that deal with critical information are more susceptible to data theft and breaches. While businesses involved in financial activities are more likely to experience credential theft and brute-forcing attacks. VAPT determines the priority levels for the risk factors through assessment of your systems and operations.
Human error is a huge factor in successful cyber-attacks. Applications used in business operations are all coded by human hands. Hence, there are chances of misconfiguration in them that might leave a loophole. VAPT can effectively solve these problems and safeguard your applications from any unwanted activities.
Security is a major concern during the SDLC process. By eliminating the security issues, VAPT improves the speed and efficiency of SDLC.
VAPT might seem like a hefty expense at the beginning. But when you compare it with an organization not conducting it, you’ll see that it saves a lot more time and money along the way than its initial cost. Eventually, it has a substantial positive impact on your ROI.
VAPT is a versatile concept that covers security testing and mitigation of threats for almost every aspect of your cyber infrastructure. You can use it for web applications, mobile applications, networks, APIs, and much more. It works for all with similar effects.
Apart from a few core components, the approach for VAPT differs for the assets under test. Additionally, the VAPT process will differ from company to company according to the size and domain of operation.
There are certain rules regulations and standards every business needs to follow. VAPT helps your organization to achieve compliance with various standards like GDPR, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS. It also assists you to enable data security compliance for storing customer data safely in your networks.
