The rise of ChatGPT has been well-documented as a cybercrime gamechanger, democratizing highly advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) so average adversarial threat actors can increase lethality at low costs. Empowering run-of-the-mill hackers to continuously punch above their weight class will only continue to amplify the volume and velocity of attacks. heightening the importance of effective penetration testing programs that help mitigate the severe business impact of breaches. On average, victims lost a record-high $9.4 million per breach in 2022.
Compounding the issue is a pattern of poor security posture across the public and private sectors. SANS 2022 Ethical Hacking Survey found that more than three-quarters of respondents indicated “only a few or some” organizations have effective Network Detection and Response (NDR) capabilities in place to stop an attack in real-time. Furthermore, nearly 50% said that most organizations are either moderately or highly incapable of detecting and preventing cloud- and application-specific breaches. It’s clear that more must be done to swing the balance of power away from adversaries.
Enter penetration testing, which can provide unrivalled contextual awareness for refining cyber defences, threat remediation, and recovery processes within an overarching risk management architecture. For organizations implementing penetration testing programs at scale, keep the following fundamental tenets top of mind to maximize impact.