The Importance of Conducting Pentests with an External Team

Today, information security is essential for protecting organizations’ data and infrastructure. With the rise of cyber threats, penetration testing (pentests) has become crucial for identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities. Choosing between an internal or external team to conduct these tests can significantly influence the results. Here, we highlight the main reasons why hiring an external pentest team is considered a best practice.

Why Hire an External Team?

Impartiality

One of the main reasons for choosing an external team to conduct a pentest is impartiality. This ensures that no action is influenced by emotional or professional ties to the organization. As a result, vulnerabilities that an internal team might overlook due to familiarity or inherent bias can be identified. The critical and objective analysis provided by an external team offers a clear and unbiased perspective on the organization’s security.

Highly Skilled Professionals

Specialized companies like iT.eam, which focus on executing pentests, have highly qualified professionals experienced in various areas of cybersecurity. These experts have access to a range of advanced tools and techniques, often developed in-house, and possess the technical expertise to use them effectively ensuring a thorough and detailed analysis. Many companies do not offer these tools to internal teams, often due to resource constraints.

More Accurate Simulation

An internal team is familiar with the organization’s structure and defenses, which may not reflect the reality of an external attack. An external team, with no prior knowledge of the systems, simulates the conditions of a real attack more accurately. This allows the organization to better understand how an external attacker might exploit its vulnerabilities.

Time and Resource Efficiency

Pentests require significant time and resources. Hiring an external team enables the organization to stay focused on its core operations while experts handle security. This optimizes internal resources and ensures that the pentest is conducted by dedicated and experienced professionals who can identify and address vulnerabilities efficiently.

Audit Preparation

When considering security standards and regulations, audits often require pentests to be conducted independently. Hiring an external team ensures compliance with these requirements by providing independent and reliable validation of security practices. This is especially critical in regulated sectors like finance, healthcare, and government, where compliance is essential.

Fresh Perspective

From the point of view of conflicts of interest, the execution of a pentest using an internal team may mask potential weaknesses, especially if they find vulnerabilities that could reflect negatively on their own work. An external team minimizes this risk as they have no direct involvement in the organization’s daily operations. This ensures an honest and transparent evaluation focused solely on identifying and mitigating risks. Additionally, an external team brings a fresh and different perspective to the organization’s security. Familiarity with internal systems and processes can lead to a limited or complacent view. An independent outlook can identify areas for improvement that the internal team might overlook, contributing to a more comprehensive and effective security approach.

Reports

One of the key deliverables of a pentest is the report. Reports prepared by an external team are generally better received by auditors and clients because they provide independent validation of the organization’s security practices. This can increase stakeholders’ confidence in the organization’s ability to protect its data and systems while also strengthening the company’s market reputation.

Operational Efficiency

Conducting a pentest is a complex task that can divert the internal team from their daily responsibilities. Hiring an external team allows the internal team to remain focused on their core activities without significant interruptions. This improves operational efficiency while ensuring that the pentest is performed effectively without compromising day-to-day operations.

Conclusion

Conducting a pentest with an external team offers numerous advantages that can enhance the organization’s security. Impartiality, expertise, the ability to simulate real attacks, access to advanced tools, time and resource savings, compliance with regulations, reduced conflicts of interest, a fresh perspective, audit readiness, and reduced internal workload are just some of the benefits.

While internal teams are essential for maintaining ongoing security, combining their capabilities with the expertise and objectivity of an external team provides a more robust and effective security strategy. Therefore, hiring an external pentest team is a recommended practice for any organization seeking to strengthen its cybersecurity posture.