Why a Simple Scan Is Never Enough
Organisations often ask, 'what is network penetration testing, and why is it important?'
Think of your business’s network as its central nervous system. It connects your employees, hosts sensitive data, and runs the most important applications.
But how certain are you that it’s secure? Many businesses rely on a firewall and antivirus software, believing this protects them. This can be a costly mistake.
The only way to know for sure if your defences work is to test them. This is the core purpose of network penetration testing.
What is Network Penetration Testing?
Network penetration testing is a simulated cyber-attack on your digital network. The goal is to find exploitable vulnerabilities.
A certified security expert, or 'ethical hacker,' uses the same tools and techniques as a malicious attacker to try and breach your network. But we do it in a safe and controlled manner.
The goal is to find security weaknesses before a real attacker does. This is a proactive, offensive approach to security that gives you a real-world picture of your risk.
Pentesting vs. Vulnerability Scanning: An Important Difference
It's crucial to understand that network security penetration testing isn't the same as a vulnerability scan.
A Vulnerability Scan is an automated tool that scans your network for known vulnerabilities. It produces a large report of potential problems, which can include many 'false positives'.
A Penetration Test is a manual, human-led process. Our experts use automated tools for initial discovery. But then we manually verify and exploit the vulnerabilities we find. We think creatively, chaining many small flaws together to demonstrate a real-world impact, just as an attacker would.
As ENISA (the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity) explains, a scan just points out a potential hole. A manual pentest shows you if someone can actually get through it and hurt your business.
The Real-World Cost of Not Testing Your Network
Ignoring network penetration testing is a gamble. A single network breach can be devastating, leading to:
- Significant data loss
- Operational downtime
- Severe reputational damage
Attackers rely on businesses having unpatched software, weak configurations, or poorly-secured services.
The ENISA Threat Landscape’s 2023 report highlights this, identifying ransomware as the top threat, responsible for 34% of incidents. Attackers often enable this by exploiting known vulnerabilities in network software. The report also ranks DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks as the second-highest threat (28%), which directly target your network's availability.
A network penetration test is your best defence against becoming a statistic. It proactively finds the security gaps that lead to a ransomware attack and tests your network's resilience against the same techniques attackers use.
Without this testing, you’re just guessing about your security. You’re hoping your defences are configured correctly, but you have no proof.
Our Network Penetration Testing Methodology
A professional network pentesting methodology is a structured process. While the specifics change based on whether we’re testing from the outside (external) or inside (internal), the general network penetration testing steps follow a clear path, aligned with EU guidelines.
Step 1: Scoping and Reconnaissance
We work with you to define the 'rules of engagement.' What parts of the network are in scope? What are the test's objectives?
Then, we begin 'recon' work, gathering information about your network just like an attacker would.
Step 2: Scanning and Vulnerability Analysis
We use a range of tools to scan the target network, identifying open ports, running services, and potential vulnerabilities. This gives us a map of your network's attack surface.
Step 3: Manual Exploitation
This is what separates a real pentest from a scan. Our experts manually attempt to exploit the vulnerabilities we found.
We try to gain access, escalate our privileges, and move through the network to see how far we can get.
Step 4: Reporting and Your Remediation Checklist
Our final report isn't just a list of problems for you to decipher. It’s a clear, prioritised, and actionable guide. We show you the exact network penetration testing steps we took, the risk each flaw poses, and the precise technical guidance your team needs to fix it.
Why Network Security Penetration Testing is Vital
Investing in a proper audit is about proactive defence and regulatory necessity.
- Find Flaws First. You identify and fix critical weaknesses before an attacker can exploit them.
- Verify Your Defences. You get real-world proof that your security investments (like firewalls) are working correctly.
- Protect Your Reputation. You prevent the catastrophic financial and reputational damage of a data breach.
- Achieve GDPR Compliance. Regular penetration testing is a core requirement for demonstrating 'appropriate technical and organisational measures' under GDPR.
The 7ASecurity Difference: People, Not Just Tools
At 7ASecurity, we know that automated tools don’t find critical breaches; expert humans do. Our entire philosophy is built on providing manual, expert-driven security audits that find the complex flaws automated scanners miss.
We:
- Think like attackers.
- Probe for logic flaws.
- Provide clear, no-nonsense reports.
- Offer free fix verification to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.
Whether you need to test your internal network or your external perimeter, our team has the expertise to give you a true assessment of your security posture.
Network Security Pentesting Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an internal and external network pentest?
An external test simulates an attacker from the public internet, probing your firewalls and public servers.
An internal test simulates an attacker already inside your network (like a rogue employee or malware) to see what data they can access.
How often should my business get a network penetration test?
We recommend a full network penetration test at least once per year. You should also conduct testing after any significant changes to your network infrastructure, such as adding new servers, cloud environments, or office locations.
Will a network penetration test take our systems offline?
No. We perform our tests in a controlled, safe manner. While we use real attacker techniques, we don't perform 'Denial of Service' (DoS) attacks.
Our goal is to find vulnerabilities, not to cause operational disruption.
How does network penetration testing help with GDPR compliance?
GDPR requires organisations to implement 'appropriate technical and organisational measures' to protect personal data. Regular network penetration testing is a valuable way to demonstrate this due diligence, proving you’re proactively testing your security controls.
How is network pentesting different from application pentesting?
A network pentest focuses on your network infrastructure, your servers, firewalls, and how they connect.
An application pentest focuses on a specific piece of software, like a mobile app or website, to find flaws in its code and logic.
Secure Your Network's Perimeter and Core
Don’t wait for an attacker to test your network for you. 7ASecurity provides the technical expertise and attacker mindset needed to identify your real-world risks, helping you secure your data and protect your reputation.
