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Enterprises frequently test their own cyber defenses. The only way to do so is with a network penetration test (also called a pentest). That means simulating an actual cyberattack. And while this is similar to vulnerability scanning, they are not even worth comparing.
Apples and Oranges Can’t Be Compared
Penetration testing seeks to exploit any vulnerabilities found. Whether it is your router, computer, or smart camera. Everything is subject to hacking. A pentest takes each device to their breaking point. From there, other risks become fully apparent.
There is no other way of telling. Hackers can hide their tracks, but pentests offer a way to see if there is a path in. When the light is shown and hacking methods are exposed, it gives important insight. Simius makes this information available to you. Our customers are able to see these paths which hackers might use, and block them.
Stay On Offence
By putting the cyber security of a smart home to the test, its like sharpening a knife. A fine blade is effective, while a dull edge is dangerous. The same applies to cybersecurity. It is a constant game of cat and mouse, where we always want to be the cat.
It is the core mindset behind pen-testing. At Simius, we are constantly working to develop and enhance our current services. This means we are keeping our pen-tests up to date and constantly making improvements. That way, our customers are using an effective set of tools for sharpening smart home security.
Using the Cyber Kill Chain as published by Lockheed Martin, the methods we use are geared toward ethical hacking. By simulating the cyber attack, and reporting the details, our customers are empowered with greater insight than what any vulnerability scan provides. We imitate the hackers who would otherwise act directly on your network without your knowledge. But pen-testing in this manner is both expensive and standard practice among the cyber security industry.
In other words, any holes or paths into your smart home network will not only be revealed, but validated as being present. Our methods identify those vulnerabilities while launching known exploits against them. This does not require us to be on-site with any hardware. Pen-testing is done externally, from across the internet. We have a virtual private cloud, which targets the home IP address.
How Exploits Work
Exploits are what hackers to gain secure access. The goal is privilege escalation. Any information we gather from your router, along with devices that respond, are leveraged during our pen-tests.. The bad guys however, will always want more control. But we want to give you that same control. Exploits unlock the door for cyber crime. They will install malware of any capacity, to get what they want. Usually, a reverse shell is installed. This allows hackers to reap more havoc on the network. Its is also known as shell shoveling.
Think of it like opening a backdoor using a lock pick. Hackers will also replace the lock with their own. The most basic method of using a computer or connected device, is through its shell. By penetrating the security of that shell, it leads to full control. This is what we mean by hacking the security to acquire administrative permissions. And it’s the exploit w behind remote code execution (RCE).
Data is Gold
Hackers carry out an RCE through reverse shells. This is where they steal data and spy on their victims. As with any company, data is the number one asset. The same is true for individuals.
Unfortunately, it won’t change until quantum encryption is used for all internet protocols. But we will discuss that later. For now, the goal is to ensure that current known methods of hacking are used in pen-testing.
These hacking tools should not be underestimated in their value. As such, these are essentially cyber weapons, which anyone can use. The reason why is due to the fact that once a new exploit or malware is used, it becomes available to everyone else on the internet.
Upon discovery of the exploit, it is published by cybersecurity professionals and various organizations. Similar to using vaccines as a way to immunize against disease, pen-tests work to use the viruses, trojans, and malwares already available. But they must be put to good use, so instead of causing harm, pen-tests are used to reduce the risk of a cyberattack.
Summary
In this article, we discussed the basics of penetration testing and how it enhances network security. It is generally used among heavy industry and fortune 500 companies as part of their security auditing policies. It is proven to be effective at validating whether a vulnerability actually exists, and Simius is delivering that to our customers for their benefit.
