Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

A critical aspect of manufacturing, energy, and transportation is Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technologies (OT). The rapid pace of digital growth makes these systems susceptible to cyberattacks. OT and ICS system security is important, making penetration testing an essential activity. This tactic makes it possible to mitigate weaknesses so they are no longer vulnerabilities. It is an effective measure of asset protection.

Cyberattacks don’t usually begin with sophisticated hacking techniques. Often, they start with something far simpler—stolen credentials. A phishing attack, a leaked database, or even weak internal security controls can provide an attacker with legitimate access to an organization's network.

Threat-led penetration testing brings together specialist offensive (red team) security skills and threat intelligence to enable businesses to proactively test and identify any weaknesses, deficiencies or gaps in their controls and counteractive measures that could be exploited by threat actors. In this article, we set out what threat-led pen testing is, how it relates to the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and the testing requirements included as part of the new EU regulation.

Web application penetration testing involves performing a simulated attack on a web app to determine weaknesses that hackers can exploit. The testing process uses emulations of real-world attacks to identify hidden attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), or cross-site request forgery (CSRF). What is the worst that could happen if you don’t continuously test your web application for vulnerabilities?

In the context of penetration (pen) testing, false positives are where the testing tools or methods identify a security vulnerability or issue that doesn’t actually exist. Essentially, a false alarm. This can happen for a few reasons, such as misconfigurations in the testing tools, incorrect assumptions, or environmental factors.

While Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) know how crucial a consistent enterprise penetration testing program is to their cybersecurity program, convincing their fellow leaders and board members to invest in pen testing amid other budget demands can be challenging. The key is to speak to these leaders in terms they readily understand, focusing largely on risk.

Are You Testing for Compliance or Preparing for Real Attacks? Cybersecurity isn’t just about checking boxes—it’s about staying ahead of threats. Many businesses rely on Penetration Testing (Pentesting) and Red Teaming to identify vulnerabilities. However, these traditional methods often assume that attackers play by the same rules as defenders. Reality has other plans.

Penetration testing (aka pentesting or ethical hacking) might sound intense—and honestly, it is—but think of it as your digital stress test. Ethical hackers mimic real cyberattacks on your systems to find weak spots before the bad guys do. The coolest part? Pen tests come in different flavors, each targeting specific risks. So, how do you know when it’s time for a pentest? How often should you schedule them? And which one is right for your business?