You can have all the tools in place: firewalls, security programs, routinely updated passwords and security team members. But that still might not be enough.

As with most anything in life, you want to set SMART goals. Setting goals that follow this guideline (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) allows you to form hypotheses and set firm parameters around your work and what potential outcomes to expect. This is no different for the Red Team whose sole purpose is to test the security measures currently in place and test how to improve or continue that in your infrastructure.

We're always trying to simplify how you go about pen-testing your organization. Anytime you make something too complicated there becomes unnecessary barriers to completion. Enjoy this free Guide to Penetration Testing to ensure you complete your penetration tests quickly and efficiently.

1. Project Scope

Before starting your pen-test, you need to determine you plan of attack. This will consist of what to include in the test and will spell out your goals.

Don’t be misled into thinking that because you have a Penetration Tester that you have a Red Team – or that because you have a Red Team you have a Penetration Tester. While some functions may overlap, you are getting two different things when enlisting the help of each.

The terms “hacking” and “hackers” often get a bad reputation. This tends to have a fairly negative connotation because of the nature these words are often used in. I’d like to think I’m not alone in envisioning some scary guy hanging out in a dark room in a black hoodie trying to break into my bank to steal my credentials or money for that matter. The way we perceive and hear “hacker” in the media has definitely misconstrued my perception of these folks.

It's true - we've had a lot of updates and releases for Core Impact over the past month. From the New Named User Pricing to the continued improvements being shipped to Core Impact and just this past week the new release of Core Impact 2017 R2 - there's been a lot happening. But trust that the product is still the most comprehensive solution for assessing and testing security vulnerabilities within your organization. Today we're going through some of the benefits you can find when using this tool.

After months of hard work by our outstanding team, I am pleased to announce the release of Core Impact 2017 R2 – the comprehensive software solution for identifying, assessing and testing security vulnerabilities that attackers will exploit.

With Core Impact you are able to identify the most pressing cyber risks to your organization by using this tool that enables you to think, and act, like an attacker. Penetration Testers and Red Teamers can safely imitate real attacks within their own networks.

Each day we are being inundated with information. This could be in the form of ads, articles or a new tool to use that will surely make our lives easier. While these applications could be very useful to the organization, they could also be the cause of breaches or the unlawful capture of your personal or business information. But there’s a way to ensure the programs you are downloading to your devices are secure – at least for now.

We spend a lot of time talking around and about bad actors, but what if we sourced them to teach us about this industry instead? We know they exist and we know they’re working towards obtaining the sensitive data on our networks. But how do their minds work and how do they work differently than those on the ethical side of hacking? Let’s look at what sets bad actors apart and how you can leverage that information towards your future security initiatives.