Why Should I Choose a CREST Penetration Test?
Penetration testing is a critical part of many security programs across industries and is mandated by a growing number of security and privacy regulations, including HIPAA and PCI-DSS. Choosing the right service provider to meet your specific penetration testing needs is critical for compliance, and also to identify and mitigate risks to your data, applications, infrastructure and users.
Pen testing is not “one size fits all” because every IT environment is different. And all pen tests are definitely not created equal, especially when testers may have privileged, high-risk access to your network and/or data.
But with so many services out there, why choose a Council of Registered Security Testers (CREST) Approved penetration test from a CREST accredited provider like Pivot Point Security?
To Credibly Demonstrate Security and Compliance
One of the top reasons why organizations need penetration testing is to provide attestation that they are in compliance with requirements and/or guidelines from customers, regulators, partners and other stakeholders, and can adequately protect sensitive data.
A penetration test that is formally based on recognized, best-practice methods aligned by a recognized body like CREST is a major advantage when you need to demonstrate that your business is secure and compliant. A CREST Approved penetration test conducted by a CREST accredited provider offers this higher level of credibility and peace of mind for you and your stakeholders.
To Ensure the Provider is Reliable
Currently there are no professional certifications or credentials required to conduct penetration testing. Anyone wishing to do so can represent themselves as a penetration testing service provider.
Many providers, reputable or not, have no formal processes, policies or procedures in place to ensure a high level of service quality with each engagement, and to safeguard their clients’ data and systems. They may rely on proprietary or ad hoc methods that don’t fully address clients’ risk management and compliance needs. Likewise, individuals performing pen tests may or may not have the needed skills or competence. Issues like these can make procuring pen testing services a gamble.
With a CREST certified provider, you know you will get the benefit of qualified testers, best-practice methods and reliable results, including safeguards to protect the systems and data under test.
To Guarantee Satisfaction and Complaint Resolution
If you have questions or concerns about the competence or performance of a penetration testing service provider, what recourse do you have? That depends largely if not entirely on the provider—unless it is a CREST accredited company.
CREST validates that its member companies utilize best practices across methodology, staff, tools, policies, controls, reporting and more. From this basis, CREST provides an independent complaint process for buyers that ties directly back to the provider’s accreditation. This takes the form of a binding and enforceable Code of Conduct that CREST member companies agree to, which describe the CREST aligned standards of practice they uphold. Members further agree to align their complaints process with that of CREST, as a starting point for any complaint resolution.
CREST members must reapply annually and are fully reassessed every three years to ensure their methods are up to date. Individuals that hold a CREST qualification have also signed a personal Code of Conduct, to ensure they adhere to the ethics, policies and methods of the CREST member company they are working with.
When you buy a CREST Approved penetration test, you can be assured of a trusted provider using highly skilled, qualified and ethical testers who will deliver an outstanding service outcome exhibiting best practices throughout. The combination of an independently assessed and validated service provider employing verifiably qualified professional staff and adhering to strict ethics and codes of conduct provides an unbeatable level of confidence in the penetration testing services you are buying.
How Pivot Point Security Can Help
Pivot Point Security is CREST Accredited and ISO 27001 Certified. We can deliver the specific testing approach you need to ensure that you can prove your network is secure, inside and out! Our proven penetration testing methodology follows CREST standards, and our CREST Registered Tester (CRT) certified testers are dedicated to providing quality assessments and accurate, reliable attestations.
