The attack surface for businesses keeps growing as new vulnerabilities appear in today’s rapidly changing technology landscape. If you want to know where the holes are in your network before hackers can exploit them, you need to hire a company that specializes in penetration testing.

What is the importance of penetration testing?

To learn how potential attackers might use vulnerabilities in your system to gain access to sensitive data and systems, penetration testing is essential. It helps your IT security team prepare for potential breaches by revealing the most vulnerable networks, systems, or applications.

Conducting annual penetration tests is a prudent move in today’s ever-changing digital threat landscape. The five best penetration testing firms of 2023 are listed below.

1 BreachLock

Overview
BreachLock is a leading provider of penetration testing services, with accolades from both industry experts and customers. It makes use of cutting-edge technology, AI, and a tried-and-true methodology to provide customers with complete, audit-ready reports on time and within their budget constraints.

BreachLock’s Cloud Platform is the delivery mechanism for all services; from there, customers can initiate automated scans, request manual penetration testing, or retest vulnerabilities with a single mouse click. Experts in this field are looking for sophisticated security flaws that machinery might miss.

Services
BreachLock’s penetration testing services consist of four phases: implementation, analysis, correction, and retesting. To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the pen testing engagement, it utilizes a combination of human expertise, AI, and automation technology.

At the beginning of the relationship, BreachLock and the client work together to define the parameters of the service to be provided, confirming what aspects of the service will be included and what will be left out. Once everything is planned out, a project manager decides how long the actual implementation will take.

The penetration test is carried out by simulating an attack on the system in order to identify its weak spots. BreachLock’s pen testers take every precaution necessary to secure their clients’ systems and data, using both manual and automated methods.

BreachLock provides a preliminary report outlining remediation guidance to manage the critical risks uncovered.

After the client has implemented the suggested fixes, the pen testing team performs a second round of testing to ensure the fixes are effective.

BreachLock’s penetration testing services are performed entirely in-house by certified ethical hackers aided by automation, artificial intelligence, and cloud infrastructure. Clients can benefit from the rapid turnaround and individualized, expert guidance at a fraction of the price of conventional pen testing.

2 Aardwolf Security

Overview
The United Kingdom is home to Aardwolf Security, a cybersecurity firm that focuses on penetration testing. They are highly recommended for companies looking to assess and remedy security flaws. Web application assessments, vulnerability scanning, and code reviews are just a few of the services they offer to protect clients’ most valuable digital assets from hackers.

Aardwolf Security was founded in 2015, and since then, the company has made a name for itself in the competitive field of cybersecurity by focusing solely on penetration testing. Their dedication to protecting their customers from cyber threats and equipping them with cutting-edge defenses is unwavering. What sets them apart is their ability to personalize their services for each client and their dedication to answering any questions that may arise down the road.

The company is proud of its team of certified consultants, all of whom hold credentials from CREST and the Cyber Scheme. These certifications have verified their knowledge, abilities, and skills in the field of cybersecurity. With more than a decade of experience, clients can rest assured that they will receive first-rate service from this penetration testing consultancy. They focus on manual methods to find flaws that automated scanners miss, and they do so affordably.

Aardwolf Security is pleased to provide specialized penetration testing. They are able to provide economical options without lowering service standards. The mobile ecosystem, IT infrastructure, digital assets, and financial resources of a company are all well-protected thanks to their proactive approach to cybersecurity. When you work with Aardwolf Security, you’re teaming up with someone who cares deeply about protecting your business from cyber threats while also giving you an excellent return on your investment.

Services
Countless options are available from Aardwolf Security. Each one is customized to fit the specific needs of the customer. In addition to the other services they provide, web application and API penetration testing are detailed below.

Web Application Penetration Testing

Penetration testing for web applications seeks out and fixes security flaws in the code. Problems like faulty software and data integrity or outdated and vulnerable components due to sloppy coding or configuration will be brought to light.

At Aardwolf Security, we combine the best of both worlds when it comes to testing our products. When applied together, they guarantee that web application penetration tests produce no false positives. The company has an efficient 6-step process for finding and fixing security flaws.

Reconnaissance: Analyzing the current state of security within an organization and forecasting future needs with the help of Open-Source Intelligence.

The consultants use automated scanners to investigate the server’s IT infrastructure and reveal any superficial flaws.

Manual evaluation is the most time-consuming because it necessitates testing authentication, authorization, session management, etc., in great detail.

With the client’s approval, the consultants then take advantage of the problems that were uncovered during the scanning and manual evaluation.

Reporting: Following exploit attempts, Aardwolf Security generates a thorough report outlining the consequences of all system flaws and the suggested fixes.

After the client has implemented the software system solution, the company offers free retesting of the web application to verify that all vulnerabilities and issues have been fixed.

The company offers comprehensive maintenance services, guiding businesses through the process of implementing high-quality security measures.

API Penetration Testing

Application programming interface (API) penetration testing is an analysis of an API’s (API) safety. This method of ethical hacking involves exploiting known security holes and providing recommendations for strengthening defenses against intrusion.

Aardwolf Security performs in-depth security assessments of APIs by mimicking the methods, instruments, and procedures of malicious hackers in order to identify flaws that could compromise the security of sensitive information. For API testing, it adheres to a strict methodology:

The first step in conducting any successful test is planning, which entails outlining the parameters of the test and collecting all relevant data.

During surveillance, the pen tester learns as much as possible about the target API, including its features, data structures, and security protocols.

To find security flaws in the application programming interface (API), a pen tester will use a combination of automated tools and manual testing techniques to conduct a vulnerability analysis.

When the pen test is complete, a report is generated outlining the results, vulnerabilities found, potential consequences, and suggested countermeasures.

Once the flaws have been fixed, the pen tester will retest the API to see if any new problems have arisen.

Through detailed reporting that includes a description of each vulnerability, specific examples of each issue, and a recommendation for the best way to fix the issue, Aardwolf Security advises on the best ways to fix the vulnerabilities detected in the sections as mentioned above.

The UK-based cybersecurity company employs certified pen testers who provide a comprehensive, meticulous, and custom approach to meet the specific challenges and requirements of each client’s application, systems, and infrastructure.

Aardwolf Security is capable of improving an organization’s defenses against cyberattacks by spotting and fixing vulnerabilities using a combination of automated tools and manual methods.

Read More: Cybersecurity Trends to Watch: Staying Ahead of Evolving Threats

3 CrowdStrike

Overview
CrowdStrike employs cutting-edge threat intelligence to learn about the actions and strategies employed by cybercriminals to compromise an organization’s IT infrastructure and cause disruptions in business operations. The company’s penetration tests go far below the surface of the attack to find the weak spots in the security and offer ways to patch them.

Experts in incident response, forensics, and red team engagements give it the ability to configure and run a solution that safeguards the critical infrastructure of a modern business.

Services
CrowdStrike provides penetration testing services for a wide range of environments, including wired and wireless networks, mobile and web applications, and internal threats. By pinpointing and fixing security flaws, they make the system less vulnerable to attack.

In addition, they reveal weak spots in security that criminals can exploit. With CrowdStrike’s help, clients can see the big picture because the company’s IT department will no longer have any excuses for missing complex threats.

CrowdStrike’s penetration testing services can examine a client’s security tools for flaws and determine how well they fare against complex cyberattacks. The company promises to safeguard its personnel, operations, and infrastructure from outside attacks by using its insider knowledge of the methods, techniques, and procedures employed by malicious actors.

4 FRSecure

Overview
Security solutions from FRSecure are proven to improve safety. It employs a hacking team that has won awards for its ability to find security flaws in a system before a malicious actor does. The team puts forth significant effort to provide organizations with means of data protection, including but not limited to training, resources, and threat intelligence.

Services
Internal and external systems, web applications, physical bypass, red team, and wireless network security are all part of FRSecure’s penetration testing services. They are provided by a top-tier crew that has extensive cyber security experience, relevant credentials, and a firm resolve to always do better in this area. Before conducting a vulnerability analysis, the pen testers collect relevant documentation to ensure that the services provided are in line with the client’s business goals.

When conducting a penetration test, FRSecures employs Open Source Intelligence techniques to gather data that its specialists can use to improve the quality of the scan. In addition, it offers post-exploitation analysis and reporting that identifies security vulnerabilities and suggests countermeasures.

Information security is all FRSecure does. It promises to give businesses an objective recommendation that will improve their security. Its clients can use attack simulation services like purple teaming, social engineering, and vulnerability scanning to strengthen the security of their most precious possessions.

5 UnderDefense

Overview
Security professionals and consumers all over the world know and trust UnderDefense’s cybersecurity solutions. It is equipped with the knowledge and cutting-edge tools necessary to anticipate, detect, and counteract the evolving threats in the cyber world. Security services such as threat detection, incident response, and penetration testing are the company’s bread and butter.

Services
UnderDefense’s penetration testing services are geared toward identifying security flaws and mitigating vulnerabilities. Internal and external pen testing, red teaming attack simulation, and Internet of Things (IoT) security assessments are just some of the services offered by this company.

It also has three ways of simulating attacks: a black box for testing vulnerabilities from the outside with little information, a gray box for testing vulnerabilities from the inside with some knowledge, and a white box for testing vulnerabilities from the inside with full access to systems, applications, and architecture documentation.

UnderDefense employs the best penetration testing strategies, such as the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES), the Open Web Application Security Project’s Top 10 Application Security Risks, and the Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual. After finishing the analysis, it generates a detailed report detailing what was discovered, along with suggestions for fixing the security holes.

UnderDefense’s pen testers are experts in incident response, managed detection & response, and virtual CISO, in addition to their many other certifications and awards. No matter how complicated a security problem may be, they can provide a thorough overview and appropriate recommendations for fixing it.

Read More: Cybersecurity Best Practices: Safeguarding Your Business from Attacks

Conclusion

There are far-reaching consequences for businesses when vulnerabilities go unchecked or undiscovered. Defenses need to advance to keep up with the increasing sophistication of cyber threats as businesses grow. If you want to protect your company’s finances, you should hire one of the top five penetration testing firms in 2023 and fix any vulnerabilities as soon as possible.