Find Out What an Attacker Could Reach With Penetration Testing Services

It shouldn't. Testing is planned around your business, with agreed testing windows and a list of systems that are off limits, such as a server that can't go down during business hours. Testers avoid actions that could damage data or take systems offline, and if something unexpected comes up, testing pauses and you're told right away.

At least once a year for most businesses, and after major changes such as a new office, a new firewall, a move to the cloud or a new system that holds sensitive data. Some rules set their own schedule: the FTC Safeguards Rule calls for annual penetration testing unless you have continuous monitoring, and PCI DSS requires testing at least once a year and after significant changes.

External testing starts outside your network, the way an attacker on the internet would, and targets your firewall, remote access and anything else exposed online. Internal testing starts inside, as if an attacker had already stolen a password or infected a laptop, and shows how far they could move from there. Many businesses need both, because serious attacks often begin with a foothold inside.

Yes, when it's authorized. A penetration test only runs with written permission from the business that owns the systems, and the scope sets out exactly what testers may and may not do. If some of your systems are hosted by a provider, such as a cloud platform or a website host, their rules may apply too, and we check those before testing starts.

Yes. Attackers rarely choose targets by size. They look for easy ways in, and small businesses often have fewer defenses. A focused test on the systems that matter most, such as remote access, email accounts and the server or cloud apps that hold customer data, can be sized to a smaller business and still show where the real gaps are.

Scanning and testing do different jobs. Continuous vulnerability scanning, included in BCA's Growth and Complete plans, finds known weaknesses as they appear. A penetration test shows which of those weaknesses, alone or combined, an attacker could actually use. Scanning keeps you current between tests, and a test tells you how well your defenses hold up.

You get a report that ranks each finding by severity and explains how to fix it, and we walk through it with you. BCA then helps close the gaps, starting with the most serious, and arranges a retest to confirm they're fixed. Keep the report: insurers, auditors and clients often ask for evidence of recent testing.