Top 5 Pentesting Firms in the USA: Leading the Industry.
In this article, we will cover what penetration testing is, how it works and list some of the top companies in the business. These firms are experts in ethical hacking and information security, and they can help your business stay safe online. So, if you’re ready to take your security to the next level, read on for our recommendations.
What is penetration testing?
This is no ordinary security testing method. Penetration testing involves steps similar to a hacker’s approach. Thus making it more effective against cyber attacks. In penetration testing, an ethical hacker simulates attacks on your system to discover its weak spots. They then provide their two cents on how to go about fixing them. Fixing the problem would be more of your responsibility but your penetration testing provider can assist you with this.
Types of penetration testing:
Black-box pentesting: In this type of pentesting, the ethical hacker has no prior knowledge of the system under attack. They rely solely on what they can find out about the system during their assessment.
White-box pentesting: In white-box pentesting, the ethical hacker has full access to the system’s inner workings before starting their assessment. This information is typically provided by the system’s owner.
These are the two main types. There are others of course. For example, grey-box pentesting, which lies between black and white-box pentesting.
How does pentesting work?
This process generally involves 5 stages:
Reconnaissance: The objective of this stage is to obtain as much information about the target system as possible. In black-box testing, the tester would have to rely on public sources for most of their information whereas in whit-box testing all the essential information will be provided to them.
Scanning: In this stage, the pentester will try to find out which ports and services are open on the target system.
Gaining Access: Now that the pentester knows which services are running on the target system, they will try to gain access to it through various methods like brute force attacks, SQL injection etc.
Maintaining Access: Once the pentester has successfully gained access to the target system, they will try to maintain that access for as long as possible. This is done so that they can have enough time to gather sensitive information from the system.
Clearing Tracks: In this final stage, the pentester will try to cover their tracks so that the system administrator does not suspect anything. This is usually done by deleting log files, modifying system settings etc.
Who should opt for penetration testing?
Penetration testing can benefit any business relying on IT infrastructure. However, it is especially important for small businesses and those that manage sensitive data.
Benefits of pentesting:
- Helps you find security vulnerabilities before attackers do
- Helps you assess the effectiveness of your security measures
- Helps you improve your security posture
- Gives you peace of mind
- Helps you comply with security regulations
- Helps you save money in the long run
Top pentesting firms in the USA:
If you’re looking for the top penetration testing firms in the United States, look no further than these five companies:
Astra Security:
Astra Security is a leading provider of pentesting solutions. They offer penetration testing, web application security, and security audits. Their tool, Astra Pentest, packs a ton of features that make it ideal for penetration testing network and web applications. Its features include:
- real-time threat updates
- 3000+ tests for vulnerabilities
- interactive dashboard
- report generation
- remediation tips
Offensive Security:
This is a world-renowned provider of cybersecurity training and testing services. They offer a wide range of courses, including their popular Penetration Testing with Kali Linux (PWK) course. Not to mention they also developed and maintain the Kali Linux OS.
HackerOne:
This is a security system that links businesses with qualified hackers. Here, companies can launch bug bounty programs and pay hackers for finding and reporting security vulnerabilities.
CrowdStrike:
Their Falcon platform provides real-time visibility and protection against threats. Their services also include incident response, threat intelligence, and managed detection and response.
Breachlock:
This company provides a cloud-based platform that helps businesses automate their penetration testing process. Their platform includes features like asset discovery, vulnerability management, and report generation.
Conclusion
These penetration testing firms in the USA offer a wide range of services that can benefit businesses of all sizes. If you’re looking for the best pentesting firm within the United States, be sure to consult one of these five first.
