In today’s age cybercriminals have become more adept at using various tools and techniques to execute their sinister agenda. This creates a dangerous scenario for businesses operating in different fields. But what if you use the same approach to combat these malicious actors?
This is what offensive cybersecurity is all about. It is an organized method where you use the tactics commonly implemented by threat actors to identify potential vulnerabilities in your workplace. From penetration testing to vulnerability assessment, there are several types of this cybersecurity strategy.
Threat hunting is another important technique that you can leverage to counter cyber incidents. Do you want to learn more? Keep reading, as this article will illuminate the common types of offensive cybersecurity businesses need to know.
6 Common Types of Offensive Cybersecurity
Simply put, utilizing offensive cybersecurity means thinking like a cybercriminal. You use their methods to enhance your security infrastructure by identifying and addressing loopholes. For an effective incorporation of this method, you must be familiar with its several types. These include red teaming, external exposure monitoring, and social engineering testing. Let’s explore the six common types of offensive cybersecurity:
Penetration Testing
Penetration testing is the most commonly used type of offensive cybersecurity. Otherwise known as pentesting, this method revolves around mocking a real-world cyberattack to pinpoint vulnerabilities in your networks or systems. A pen tester simulates a hacker with the intent to identify an attack surface that can be manipulated by the real threat actors.
For this purpose, they use sophisticated methods and tools. A human vulnerability scanner is adept at locating even those loopholes that automated equipment cannot. However, as this approach itself is highly sensitive, you must acquire help from a trustworthy service provider. You can contact a reliable cybersecurity company like Help AG to achieve the milestone.
Vulnerability Assessment
Vulnerability assessment is similar to penetration testing. Its prime objective is also identifying potential susceptibilities in your cybersecurity infrastructure. But the prime difference between the two lies in the approach. While pentesting is a manual technique, vulnerability assessment is automated.
Also termed vulnerability scanning, this technique revolves around using state-of-the-art computerized programs to evaluate the vulnerability level of a system or network. Vulnerability management combines various strategies like threat intelligence analysis, risk assessment, and vulnerability scanning.
Threat Hunting
Research shows that automated tools can help you combat about 80% of cyber threats. So, what about the remaining 20%? According to experts, the remaining part can be the most sophisticated and damaging. This is where you need threat hunting, another critical type of offensive cybersecurity.
The main objective of this strategy is to pin down an unidentified threat looming over your organization. It can either be a manual process or you can take assistance from machines. This is the best way to zero in on, identify, and resolve those issues that your traditional strategy might have missed.
Red Teaming
Probably the most offensive type of offensive cybersecurity is red teaming. On the surface, it looks similar to pentesting. But when you go deeper, you will know these two strategies have varying goals. Unlike penetration testing, red teaming involves an element of surprise to assess a company’s incident response.
Like its sibling, pentesting, red teaming also simulates a cyberattack but in a more targeted manner. The internal team of a company is not informed about the simulation. Red teamers will take as much time as they need to access a company’s particular system, application, or data. This helps businesses evaluate their cybersecurity culture and incident response.
External Exposure Monitoring
In the cybersecurity landscape, two main types of threats exist; external and internal. While an internal threat comes from the inside, an external risk happens due to elements outside the company. Here are the most common types of external cybersecurity threats:
- Phishing
- DDoS or Distributed denial-of-service attacks
- Account Takeover Fraud
- Social Engineering
- Supply Chain Attacks
- Malicious Domains
- Brand and Executive Impersonation
Cybercriminals usually use platforms like the dark web to gather sensitive information about a company and launch an attack. This is where external exposure monitoring can help you. The main purpose of this offensive cybersecurity approach is to monitor your business’s digital footprint and identify any external exposure.
Social Engineering Testing
Your workplace’s systems, data, or applications are not the only attack surfaces that contain vulnerabilities. Another potential cybersecurity susceptibility exists in the form of a vulnerable employee. They can be victims of social engineering, ending up providing cyberattackers with access to your organization’s credentials or confidential information.
In social engineering testing, an expert uses the same manipulative tactics to trick your employees into giving them access. By doing so, they assist you in identifying the most susceptible link in your organization, your employees. They can simulate attacks like baiting, phishing, and pretexting for this purpose.
Implement the Best Offensive Cybersecurity Practices Now
Offensive cybersecurity is the act of mimicking a cybersecurity incident to find out potential vulnerabilities in your systems or assess your incident response. Its types include pentesting, vulnerability scanning, threat hunting, red teaming, external exposure monitoring, and social engineering testing. Contact an esteemed cybersecurity company now to implement the best offensive cybersecurity practices.