Vulnerability Testing: Everything You Need to Know to Avoid the Painful Consequences of a Security Breach

The average data breach costs an organization up to $3.92 million today, but most data breaches can be prevented with vulnerability testing.  

The average data breach has increased by 12% in just five years, costing an organization up to $3.92 million today - and that doesn't include the 7.27% decrease in share price that follows a data breach. Some of the most notable data breaches in 2019 included a leak of the protected health information of 14,000 individuals registered with Singapore's Ministry of Health HIV registration; the setting off of over 30 false tornado sirens just prior to a major storm in Texas; and a security flaw that allowed users to eavesdrop on an iPhone's environment through an unanswered FaceTime call.

These examples are in good company. Data breaches affecting millions of people, and sometimes putting organizations out of business altogether, occur every single day both in and outside of the United States. Vulnerability testing is key to preventing these catastrophic events from affecting your organization.

Brian Loughlin of Intelice in Frederick, MD shares insights into vulnerability testing and why organizations large and small need to pay attention to all the cybersecurity vulnerabilities that exist today..

What is vulnerability or penetration testing?

Criminal hackers attempt and succeed in hacking into commercial systems to gain access to protected data every day. Motives vary but are nearly always financially driven and costly to the organization and its customers. Vulnerability testing refers to a complex, intentional process followed by professional hackers, who use IT expertise to scan the organization's systems and identify vulnerabilities before a hacker with criminal intentions does the same.

Once vulnerability testing is performed and vulnerabilities are identified, the team can begin working to resolve security issues to ensure organization and customer data are protected.

Why does your organization need vulnerability testing?

Organizations have a legal and ethical obligation to protect customer data and personal motivation to protect company data. Vulnerabilities within your systems put your organization at tremendous risk of breaches that can result in the leak of proprietary information, risk of physical security breaches, and substantial risk of compromising employee and customer data, like social security numbers and credit card information.

By performing routine vulnerability testing, you can identify and correct weaknesses in the system before harm occurs.

Who provides vulnerability testing services?

Vulnerability testing is provided by a third-party managed service provider. Even if you have a robust IT department in-house, penetration testing should be performed by a third party to avoid bias, which can compromise the process. Seek out a managed service provider that specializes in vulnerability testing to ensure the most thorough testing.

How much does it cost?

The cost of vulnerability testing depends on a myriad of factors and varies substantially from one organization to the next. It's important that you ask for a quote before choosing a managed service provider so you know exactly what to expect. However, in 100% of cases, vulnerability testing is substantially less expensive than a data breach.