A penetration test is an authorised, simulated cyber attack on your network, systems or applications. Testers look for the weaknesses a real attacker would use, prove whether they can be exploited, and give you a prioritised report of what to fix.
At least once a year and after any significant change, such as a new office, firewall, cloud service or application. Because new vulnerabilities appear every week, many businesses now test continuously with an automated platform such as TotalPentest rather than relying on a single annual snapshot.
No. Testing is agreed in advance, scoped to what you approve and designed to be non-destructive. Timings can be scheduled out of hours for sensitive systems.
It depends on the size of the network and how often you test. A traditional one-off network test is priced per test, while automated testing is a fixed subscription. Our penetration testing pricing guide compares typical industry costs.
Many insurers now ask for evidence of regular vulnerability testing, and a recent penetration test report can help with both cover and premiums. It is also expected under frameworks such as ISO 27001 and PCI DSS.
