How can enterprises take advantage of breach and attack simulation platforms?

EM360 TECH

Published on
20/04/2020 01:53 PM

They say that practice makes perfect, and cybersecurity is no exception to the rule. Often, we put our trust in solutions that promise to spring into action when needed. Having said that, there is also a number of 'always-on' solutions that give 24/7 protection.

However, while most of these are perfectly fine to use, cybersecurity is not an area you can compromise on. Sadly, cyberattacks are no longer a 'might'; organisations must operate as though attacks are inevitable because, well, they are, thanks to today's increasingly digital enterprise environments.

In this case, it's not enough to implement solutions and hope for the best. Instead, organisations should take advantage of breach and attack simulation (BAS) platforms to find out just how good their defences are.

Beating the hackers with BAS

Until recently, the only way to test your security was, well, for hackers to do so. However, BAS has since emerged as a fantastic way to see how secure your organisation is.

BAS works by running automated attacks on your network. These can either be conducted as surprise attacks or as scheduled attacks (and continuously), but the intention remains the same. BAS platforms aim to uncover any vulnerabilities or misconfigurations in your network. However, scheduled attacks are often less encouraged, as the gap between periodic testing may not be quick enough to catch something out.

What makes BAS especially effective is that it can cater for organisations' specific needs. In particular, some solutions enable you to carry out the threat types specific to your industry, and multiple types at that.

By using BAS, you can continuously improve your cybersecurity. For example, if it identifies a weak spot, you can patch it and see whether your fix is sufficient enough. Furthermore, BAS solutions can sometimes produce reports in a matter of minutes, giving you the most comprehensive view of your security as possible.

BAS is still quite new, so to help you navigate solutions to consider, we've put together our favourite three solutions.

Pcysys

Pcysys's automated testing solution continuously conducts ethical
exploits without disrupting operations. In particular, the Pcysys offering is agentless and requires no installation or network configuration, so if this is your first rodeo, it's a great way to get stuck in. In fact, the moment it starts, your cybersecurity team are free to focus on other high-value tasks with immediate effect. Better still, it will test your network through simulations of even the newest attack styles, keeping you ahead 24/7.

Picus Security

Picus Security's BAS platform makes for another fantastic offering to give you a competitive edge against attackers. Picus's BAS solution enables you to act at speed through real-time security gap identification. Organisations can also use Picus to double their threat stopping success rate in as little as a few weeks, and sustain it too! However, it doesn't just deliver results quickly; organisations can also take advantage of Picus's mitigation guidance to help them move forward.

Randori

The Randori mantra is that "attack is the best defence", and we couldn't agree more. Randori wants to help organisations regain control of their attack surface – because why should attackers have a competitive advantage in our increasingly digital landscape? Organisations are innovating for their own benefit after all, not the attacker's.

In particular, Randori Ricon provides a continuous view of a organisation's connected assets and their security status. It provides a heat map of your 'most tempting targets', enabling you to respond by reducing your attack surface. What's interesting about Randori's offering is that, based on hacker logic, it all starts with a simple email to work its magic.

Why not check out this podcast with Onfido about AI and identity verification standards?

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