fb pixel
If you suspect an active attack on your business, call our emergency hotline at: 612-399-9680
If you suspect an active attack on your business, call our emergency hotline at: 612-399-9680

Blue Team Alpha Insights

The Blog

Home » Offensive Security
cybersecurity privacy lock to show why cybersecurity is important

Why Cybersecurity Is Important

Introduction In today’s digital age, the importance of cybersecurity cannot be overstated. Consider this: in 2023, the average data breach cost was $4.45 million, according to a report from IBM. The same report shows that organizations leveraging security AI and automation extensively save $1.76 million compared to organizations that didn’t. These figures underscore the rising costs of data breaches and the critical role that strong cybersecurity practices play in safeguarding our digital world. Understanding Cybersecurity At its core, cybersecurity is the practice of protecting our digital world from a wide array of threats. It extends far beyond the prevention of

Read More »
image of penetration test being performed

The Who, What, Where, When, and Why of Penetration Testing

Penetration testing is a common buzzword in the information security industry, but what does it mean? If you walk into a room of 10 security providers, you will probably hear 11 different answers. There is no standard of penetration testing, some firms conduct vulnerability scans and call it a penetration test, while others put hands on keys and conduct attack emulations. This article will help educate and guide you around the topic of penetration testing. What is Penetration Testing? Penetration testing, or pen testing, is a comprehensive and systematic approach to identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities and weaknesses within your organization’s

Read More »
red team hacker

What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing, or pen testing, is a realistic cyberattack simulation by an ethical hacker to assess the security of computer systems, networks or web applications. Organizations use this technique to identify and verify system vulnerabilities and determine whether their security controls work effectively. Penetration testing involves a series of steps designed to simulate a modern attack behavior. The process starts with target reconnaissance and system mapping, followed by vulnerability scanning, and finally, exploitation and post-exploitation activities. The primary goal of penetration testing is to identify system weaknesses attackers are most likely to exploit to gain unauthorized access or cause damage.

Read More »

Why Incident Response Experience Makes for Great Pen Testing

Cybersecurity incidents provide responders with valuable cybercrime threat intelligence. Unlike penetration (pen) testers who only do testing, testers with incident response experience are familiar with trending attack tactics, and this real-world experience is invaluable. Traditionally, incident response and penetration testing utilize two different skill sets. Typically, cyber experts specialize in either red team (role of the attacker) or blue team (role of the defender). Purple team (people who can do both) are rare and very special. Think of it like chess: those who can see both sides of the board can anticipate the next move. They know where their opponent

Read More »

Penetration Testing: What is it? How is it Priced?

Penetration (pen) testing is a method of testing network or application security. Executed by a third-party service, experienced testers attempt to access a network utilizing the same tools and attack vectors as threat actors to identify any gaps in a company’s cyber defenses. Their findings are then reported back to the company in detail.  Types of Penetration Testing Internal This type of pen testing focuses on assessing any internal network weaknesses.   One kind of internal pen testing is blackbox testing. This is when a company provides the pen tester an IP address. They attempt to use that address to gain

Read More »