Penetration Testing Mülheim an der Ruhr

A penetration test, or "pentest" for short, is a security check that emulates an attack by a malicious party on a network or application to identify security vulnerabilities. This test is coordinated in advance and conducted in such a way that no system is damaged. At the end of the test, you will receive a report that includes the problems and vulnerabilities found, along with suggestions on how to fix them.

In a white-box test, the pentester receives all relevant information about the target system(s). The advantage is that this approach saves time - and thus costs. It is also generally true that white-box tests are more effective in improving the security of IT systems and should usually be preferred.
Generally speaking, black-box testing can be a suitable means of uncovering security issues against a specification (e.g., a Web API interface), but is very poorly suited to identifying flaws within specific components. In the latter case, white-box testing should be the preferred means.

An IT security audit examines the security of a company's IT systems from a holistic perspective. Security threats can arise not only from attacks, but also from technical incidents, organizational deficiencies or force majeure.
Security audits often take place as part of an ISMS (information security management system) and examine not only technical security elements but also compliance with the company's own standards and guidelines, security processes, employee training (keyword information security awareness) and similar aspects. Some security audits also include elements of a vulnerability scan.
However, a security audit usually does not go into as much technical detail as a manual penetration test.

The terms "penetration tester" (also "pentester" for short), "white hat hacker" and "ethical hacker" are often used interchangeably. The terms "ethical hacker" and "white hat hacker" cover all hacking activity aimed at improving IT security. What they all have in common is that activities that are illegal or do not comply with the Code of Ethics are refrained from.
Formally, a penetration test is only an "ethical hack" with very clearly agreed rules, a formal procedure as well as a defined goal.

In black-box testing, the pentester attempts to attack the target without any prior knowledge of addresses, systems, applications and processes. The main argument for this approach is that this scenario comes closest to the real world and thus simulates a real attack scenario. However, this is only partially true because a real attacker does not have just a week or two like a contracted pentester, but has the entire time, including months or years, to prepare the attack. In fact, some of the most successful hacker attacks have taken place over a period of up to 12 months.
This bias means that black-box testing is often inconclusive and gives customers a false sense of security. Redlings therefore recommends black-box testing only in exceptional cases. The argument that attackers (must) implement a black-box approach also only works to a limited extent, since a long preparation time can lead to extensive internal informtions.

As with any business service, the cost of a penetration test varies significantly depending on several factors. significantly depending on several factors.

Scoping details such as network IP addresses, complexity and number of (web) applications and employees for social engineering are key factors in determining project size. Taking these variables into consideration, our team works diligently to, align the scope details with your organization's security requirements.

Nevertheless, some empirical values that can serve as an initial guide can be mentioned. A high-quality, professional pentest performed by experts usually costs usually from about €10,000, but can be for large projects also significantly above this amount.

Redlings also offers discounts for multi-year contracts ("continuous pentesting") to ensure, that your company has a consistent pentesting partner, and can can stretch the security budget further.