Why is Investing in VAPT so critical for an Organisation?

VAPT is a combination of two cybersecurity services Vulnerability Assessment (VA) and Penetration Testing. VAPT full form is Vulnerability Assessment & Penetration Testing is a security service of an Organisation to prevent intruders or hackers from getting unauthorized access to the system. VAPT services focus on identifying vulnerabilities in the network, server, and system infrastructure. 

VAPT is an integral part of a comprehensive security program. The idea is to find and secure vulnerabilities before intruders exploit them. Vulnerability assessment discovers vulnerabilities but cannot differentiate between flaws that can cause damage after being exploited. Penetration Testing attempts to exploit the vulnerabilities to determine whether unauthorized access or other malicious activities in the web application.

A Short intro to VAPT

VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment & Penetration Testing) locates flaws in the system and measures each flaw’s vulnerability. It classifies the possible attack’s nature and raises the alarm before these flaws lead to any exploitation. It provides detailed remediation steps to detect existing defects and prevent future attacks. It protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and prevents hackers from getting access.

Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing are two different tasks, usually with different results within the same area of focus. VA is the process to provide a horizontal mapping into the network’s security position and the application. Penetration Testing, on the other hand, is a process of deep vertical dive into the findings. 

There are a few consecutive steps to check the vulnerability of the system. They are gathering information, planning and research, surveillance, and vulnerability detection. Penetration Testing is ethical hacking to prevent simulating malicious attacks of an organization, both internal and external. There are different penetration testing methods – External Testing, Internal Testing, Blind Testing, Double-Blind Testing, and Target Testing.

Difference between Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing 

VA and PT are the two components of the cybersecurity system. VA is the assessment-based part of the system, and PT is the goal-oriented part of the cybersecurity system.

• Vulnerability Assessment is a list-based approach. Penetration Testing is a depth-based approach.
• Vulnerability Assessment refers to detecting possible loop-holes that could be exploited in the IT system of an organization. Penetration Testing verifies if vulnerability with POC video and images.
• Vulnerability Assessment is Non-Intrusive. Pen Testing cybersecurity Precaution can be done without causing damage to infrastructure.
• Vulnerability Assessments focus breadth over depth. On the other hand, Penetration Testing focuses on depth over breadth in the cybersecurity systems layers.
• VA is the process to provide a horizontal mapping into the network’s security position and the application. PT, on the other hand, is a process of deep vertical dive into the findings.
•  Vulnerability Assessments start the process of identifying systems with security issues and their impact on the organization. Vulnerability assessment thus refers to the preliminary step in the cybersecurity network. On the other hand, Penetration testing is after stage than of an assessment system.

The above mentioned are the essential differences between these two terminologies. In simple words, Pen testing is provided after successfully determining the vulnerability of the system through Vulnerability Assessment.

How VAPT protects against cyber-attacks?  

VAPT services are used to render comprehensive loop-holes and flaws in the network. VAPT companies provide system software to protect the valuable data of an organization from malware, spyware. The whole system is end to end encrypted by VAPT. Poor design and configuration lead to vulnerability of the system. It is why VAPT companies provide a full-stack network designing while finding out the potential threats of the system. VAPT identifies the insider programming errors, which may lead to cyber-attack in the future. In simple words, VAPT testing is the risk management system for organizations.      

In any organization, especially in IT companies, it is important to save data from intruders or hackers. VAPT protects the user data, financial data, system data, and network information of the organization. VAPT also implies the most efficient security plan for the organization. 

There are rows of consecutive testing in the system of VAPT cybersecurity and privacy. The series of testing to prevent cyber-attacks –                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

• White Box Testing – This test for network and system.
• Grey Box Testing – This testing of the internal and external portion of the network and gathering a partial test for the system.
• Black Box Testing – This is a test from external networks.
• Application or Mobile Testing – This includes OWASP, PCI-DSS, MAS-TRM, IM8.
• Network Testing – Same as Mobile testing and also include network hardening and configuration review. 
• Source Code Review – Save and validate the input and output data. 

There are various kinds of penetration techniques to protect devices from malicious threats. The different penetration techniques are listed as:

• Network Infrastructure Testing
• Wireless Testing
• Application and API security review
• Remote working assessment
• Web Application Security Testing
• Social Engineering
• Mobile Security Testing
• Firewall Configuration Review

Vulnerability Assessments can also be categorized into different kinds. Standardized Government Vulnerability Assessment Services:-

• Network Mapping.
• Vulnerability Scanning.
• Phishing Assessment.
• Wireless Assessment.
• Web Application Assessment.
• Operating System Security Assessment (OSSA)
• Database Assessment.
• Penetration Testing.

Some Common Example of VAPT Tools

There are so many VAPT tools available in the market. It is generally categorized as vulnerability scanning and testing Software or Hardware. Almost each of the VAPT tools requires IP to operate its functions. The VAPT tools listed below are easy to access and cheap to purchase. VAPT tools are now developed with AI to understand the environment of an organization and its IT sector. Some VAPT tools are listed below-

• Nmap
• Acunetix
• Nessus
• OpenVAS
• Nexapose
• BurpSuite (PT)
• Parrot (PT)
• Fedora Security Lab (PT)
• Kali (PT)
• Nikto
• OWASP Zed Attack Proxy
• PTES (PT)
• Maltego

These are basic tools any ethical hackers should know to prevent data from threats. Most of the tools mentioned above are either VA tools or PT tools. 

Conclusion

We store all of our valuable data in our cyber system. So, it needs to be kept secured and protected. For an organization, it is required to continuously assess vulnerability and testing of penetration to secure all the confidential data of that particular organization. To prevent cybercrimes and protect its system, every organization should invest in strengthening its Cyber Security by applying VAPT. Reach out to us at sales@ndz.co for further enquiries!