Nowadays, we hear about so many cyber-attacks and breaches on various systems in various organizations. As a result, it has become a top priority for companies to protect themselves from such attacks. Cyber-attacks can result in a loss of reputation and assets—consumer trust, credibility, company earnings, user data, etc. The list is endless.
So, to save themselves, many companies have devised a variety of strategies that they employ to protect their and their customer’s interests. Two methods of protection that have become a procedural necessity in these companies are simulation testing and penetration testing.
Let's start by taking a closer look at simulation and penetration testing.
What Are Breach and Attack Simulation?
Breach and attack simulation of cyber-attacks have become far too common in recent years. They’re a low-risk, continuous, and consistent way of testing that can show IT teams, business stakeholders, and other current flaws in a system.
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ABAS detects vulnerabilities by employing internal threats, data exfiltration, and lateral movement to test the strength of your system. It can work on specific data sets or methodologies to test specific vulnerabilities. Therefore, it employs unique test cases and actively seeks out vulnerabilities rather than merely satisfying and confirming that the system is free of flaws.
BAS is the outcome of combining "Red Team" and "Blue Team" pen testing and automating them on a regular basis. It can inject malware-like files onto your system to test if your system is vulnerable to detection. To carry out this type of attack, BAS can use the firewall or email to distribute malicious files.
As a result, it determines if the firewall and other security mechanisms in place are effective in protecting the organization from these threats. As a result of these factors, enterprises can determine how secure their network is and, if any vulnerabilities exist, how to address them.
What Is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing, often known as pen testing, is a security best practice that aims to improve an organization's architecture from a security standpoint. Internal security teams do penetration testing to secure the network and assets by identifying flaws in the system. Organizations require qualified professionals to complete these responsibilities. The main goal is to uncover system flaws that attackers can exploit to obtain access to sensitive information held by the company.
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Let us take an example to understand pen testing better. Assume that a business uses three separate servers, two of which have authentication enabled and the third server does not. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability and get unauthorized access to the organization's sensitive information.
To check for such vulnerabilities, qualified specialists such as ethical hackers are needed to save the organization and uncover the vulnerability before an attacker does. Pen testing is divided into stages—the tester obtains knowledge about the organization first and then looks for ways to exploit weaknesses in the system to gain access to the firm's systems and data.
Key Differences
| SNO | BAS | Pen Testing |
| 1 | Automated tools are used by these businesses to identify system vulnerabilities. | Penetration testers use manual testing to uncover vulnerabilities in an organization's assets. |
| 2 | It is a continuous strategy that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. | Since it is a resource-intensive strategy, it is not carried out continuously. It only happens when the organization introduces a new asset or website. |
| 3 | It uses advanced persistent threats (APTs) to find malicious entities. | In pen testing, each tester has their own set of procedures for locating malicious entities or vulnerabilities. |
| 4 | The behavior-based detection of vulnerabilities in devices that exist in the organization is carried out through simulation. | Pen testing never performs behavioral detection in devices. |
| 5 | It automatically provides remediation steps to determine the severity. High severity remediation steps come first. | The remedial procedures in pen testing are based on the tester too. |
| 6 | It performs activities in a controlled environment to eliminate vulnerabilities before they reach the actual server. | Testers sometimes use payloads that can stop the processing of applications. |
| 7 | There is no need for extensive cybersecurity knowledge. | It may require a skilled tester. |
| 8 | Its processes work in the background so users are not aware of them. | The team may be aware that pen testing is being carried out as it generates a lot of traffic. |
| 9 | It can find the vulnerabilities and remediate them with the patch to be issued. | Testers only identify the vulnerability the developer needs to fix. Testers suggest ways to fix it. |
| 10 | It does not follow the conventional model of testing. It’s a new technology adopted by many organizations. | Pen testing has its own standard and approaches. |
| 11 | It is not as dependent on human skills. | It completely depends on human skill. |
| 12 | It increases efficiency and reduces the cost of testing. | Manual testing depends on the tester mindset and affects the output. Therefore, pen testing can vary from tester to tester. |
Conclusion
You require a skilled penetration tester with verified skills who can execute penetration testing in a timely manner. BAS, on the other hand, does not rely on human abilities. BAS is critical in protecting an organization's assets by simulating potential assaults and then delivering remedies based on the severity.
The benefit of BAS is that it is a continuous method, which means that it can test and provide solutions anytime changes occur in an organization. BAS examines everything from a security standpoint and allows you to halt the process if the implementation is not secure.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).