VAPT Process: Understanding Audit Types & Cybersecurity Benefits

Testing and assessment of security in your organization is important to know the limits of your security infrastructure. VAPT plays an important role in determining the security posture of your organization. It is often advised to get VAPT as a service from professionals which enhances organizational security.  

So, let's learn about the concept of VAPT and how you can integrate it in your organization. 

What Is VAPT? 

VAPT stands for Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing. It is a methodological approach to improve your organization’s security posture by identifying, prioritizing, and mitigating vulnerabilities in the infrastructure. It helps organizations stay in compliance with different industry standards throughout the year.  

VAPT is the process of finding and tackling all the security vulnerabilities in your infrastructure. The main objective of VAPT is to mitigate these risks and help you stay complaint with different industry standards throughout the year.  

VAPT is performed by security experts who have expertise in offensive exploitation. Basically, VAPT is a proactive “Hacking” activity in which organizations pay ethical hackers to deliberately find loopholes in the system and exploit them to gain control. This step checks the readiness of your organization.   

Different Types of VAPT 

• Organizational Penetration Testing 

Organizational penetration testing is a holistic assessment stimulating real-world attacks on the organizational IT infrastructure. This includes cloud, APIs, web/mobile applications, networks, and physical security.  

Pen testers typically employ a multi-pronged approach, leveraging vulnerability assessments, social engineering techniques and exploit kits to identify vulnerabilities and relevant attack elements.  

• Network Penetration Testing 

This method uses ethical hacking methodologies to test your network defenses for exploitable data storage and vulnerabilities. Standard techniques include scanning, exploitation, fuzzing, and privilege escalation.  

By using a phased approach, the testing experts map the network architecture, identify systems and services, and leverage various automated tools to gain unauthorized access of your system. This includes some manual techniques too that can mimic real-world behavior.  

• Website Application Penetration Testing 

Website application testers use manual and automated tools to investigate weaknesses in authentication, authorization, input validation and business logic. Professional pentesters try to inject malicious codes, exploit logic flaws, manipulate sessions and mitigate the risks before attackers get to them.  

• Mobile Penetration Testing  

Mobile penetration testing uses static and dynamic analysis to find out vulnerabilities in a mobile application’s codes, APIs, and Data Storage. This helps you strengthen your security posture.  

Pentesters often focus on areas like insecure data storage, exploiting business logic vulnerabilities, intercepting sensitive data in transit, and finding flaws in the inter-app communication or API integrations to identify CVEs and Zero days.  

• API Penetration Testing 

This process mimics real-world attacks by meticulously creating requests to determine vulnerabilities like broken authentication, injection flaws, IDOR, and authorization weaknesses.  

Pentesters can also use automated tools to automate attacks, manipulate data packets and identify exploitable business logic vulnerabilities like payment gateway manipulation.  

• Cloud Penetration Testing 

Cloud pentests aim at achieving vulnerabilities in your cloud configurations, APIs, storage mechanisms, and access controls. It uses a combination of automated tools and manual testing investigations for zero-days and cloud-based CVEs using various techniques.  

These include SAST, DAST, API fuzzing, Serverless function exploitation, IAM, and cloud configuration techniques.  

 

How to Choose the Best VAPT Provider for Your Company? 

Choosing the right VAPT partner can be difficult for organizations. But this blog is supposed to simplify it for you. So here are some pointers that you must look for before opting for VAPT as a service by any provider.  

• Understand Your Needs 

Before seeking options, evaluate your organization’s need. Always consider the size and complexity of your IT infrastructure. Also, the provider must align with the regulations you follow, your budget, timeline and the desired scope of VAPT.  

• Go for Deep Methodologies 

Ask the VAPT providers who can leverage established methodologies like the OWASP Testing Guide or PTES to ensure an extensive assessment.  

Don't hesitate to ask them about the methodologies they use and how they can customize it to your unique needs.  

• Seek Transparent Communication 

VAPT can take around 10-15 business days, so you should choose a provider that fosters open and transparent communication throughout the VAPT process.  

They should always provide you with regular updates and clear explanations of the findings. They should offer you a collaborative remediation approach to minimize bottlenecks and maximize the VAPT cycle’s efficacy.  

Partner With the Best 

Cybercrime is evolving faster than anything. Cyberattacks on organizations is a common practice nowadays. Attackers keep looking for loopholes and vulnerabilities that can be exploited to gain illicit access to systems.  

VAPT can prevent all these attacks by finding vulnerabilities in your systems. Organizations must have security features aligned with their vision. Professional cyber security companies like Cyber Cops can help you attain the standard of safety that suits your organization. These companies offer VAPT as a service catering to all the unique organizational requirements.  Professionals have the expertise of all the elements related to the field of cybersecurity. They can help you create the best IT infrastructure as per your requirements.