Why Changing Pentesting Companies Could Be Your Best Move

TL;DR

• Changing pentesting vendors may be essential if your current provider lacks vigilance or repeatedly fails to identify security vulnerabilities. Getting a second opinion on pentesting is always a good idea.
• An effective pentesting partnership delivers efficiency gains through comprehensive program-level insights, offering a profound understanding of your systems and the risks that are most relevant to your company.
• Exercise diligence in your pentesting vendor selection and don’t settle for the status quo if the findings you’re getting aren’t vetted by security experts, prioritized based on your business context, and delivered with step-by-step remediation guidance.

Introduction

A common challenge we hear from customers is that they’re required to rotate pentesting companies periodically. Whether it’s to comply with regulations, or to meet industry best practices, changing pentesting companies is a project that can introduce risk to the performance of your pentesting program if done too quickly.

At NetSPI, we’ve worked with many customers who are facing the decision of whether to rotate away from their current pentesting company. Switching pentesting vendors is a critical decision that’s often driven by regulatory compliance or the need to uphold the highest security standards. We compiled our insights to guide you through this transition and keep your pentesting program running smoothly.

We’ll explore signs that indicate it’s time to change vendors, key considerations for comparing pentesting companies, and the advantages of forming a robust partnership with a skilled team of security experts.

Saying “Goodbye” is the Hardest Part… Signs You Should Change Pentesting Companies

We’ll start by saying that getting a second opinion on pentesting is always a best practice. It’s typical for our customers, especially larger ones, to benchmark NetSPI against other pentesting companies to compare the quality of findings. We call this a bakeoff, and even though there’s no baking involved, it gives us a chance to show NetSPI’s high standard of performance, which is the sweetest treat of all.

We also need to touch on situations when rotating your pentesting vendor is mandated by law for compliance. For companies in highly regulated industries, such as finance and healthcare, it’s common to face mandatory vendor rotation periodically.

This is actually a good thing!

Back to our first point, getting a second opinion is always helpful. The biggest risk to the quality of pentesting is the team becoming complacent and accidentally overlooking findings that a fresh set of eyes can see. Remember, threat actors aren’t limited by scope, so having a pentesting team that brings creativity to their approach will make your security better in the end.

In some cases, pentesting vendors, including NetSPI, can navigate the requirement to rotate pentesting companies by offering a completely unique team within the company, even in a different country, if needed. This creativity can allow our customers to bypass the administrative aspects of new vendor onboarding, while complying with the mandate to rotate pentesting teams.

Lastly, if you sense a tone of complacency, or you feel the findings your pentesting vendor delivers only meet the status quo, then it’s a good time to consider a bakeoff.

At NetSPI, we methodically train our security consultants to be highly thorough in their tests, and we see this pay off time and time again when customers thank us for presenting a critical finding that another team missed. If you feel it’s time for change, you may be surprised by the insights that a new perspective can bring to your pentesting program.

Criteria to Consider when Comparing Pentesting Companies

Let’s assume you’ve made the decision to change pentesting companies. The next step is to prepare your criteria for evaluating new partners. Taking time to think critically is crucial at this step because it will influence the overall success of your pentesting program.

When researching penetration testing firms, consider these qualities to ensure the best fit: 

1. Quality and Expertise: Look into the vendor’s track record and the level of expertise their team brings. High-quality service and knowledgeable support can significantly impact the success of your project.
2. A Platform with Historical Account Information: Consider whether the vendor’s solution offers comprehensive access to historical account data. This can be a game-changer for making informed decisions, tracking progress over time, and sharing your security stance visually with broader teams.
3. Onboarding, Account Access, and Administrative Aspects: Assess the ease of onboarding, the simplicity of accessing accounts, and the overall efficiency of administrative processes. Smooth operations in these areas contribute to a better user experience from the start. Trust us; that’s why we have an entire team devoted to customer onboarding and project management.
4. Security of Systems: Evaluate the potential vendor’s security measures to protect sensitive data. At the end of the day, your pentesting vendor is another company in your supply chain, and ensuring their data security protocols meets or exceeds standards like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is essential. 

Remember that your criteria are not limited to this list. However, it serves as a solid foundation for evaluating potential pentesting companies.

So, What Does a Quality Pentesting Partnership Look Like?

We have six words to summarize what a strong pentesting partnership looks like: efficiency gains through program-level knowledge.  

In other words, when you have a strong partnership with a high-quality pentesting partner, the outcomes of your engagements will be more valuable to your security.

A few factors to consider:

Familiarity with the Environment

The more familiar a pentesting team is with your environment, the quicker they’re able to bring value to engagements. Reduced setup, preexisting familiarity with your systems, and added business context all contribute to knowing what’s actually important to you. This type of familiarity is only gained through long-term partnerships.

Central Platform for Historical Data

A modern approach to pentesting includes a central platform that brings visibility and prioritization to assets, vulnerabilities, and exposures. If your partnership offers a solution in addition to the pentesting team’s expertise, then it opens the door to providing deeper findings, a.k.a., the kind of info the C-suite cares about.  

A platform approach enables pentesters to view historical testing data, collective insights from different testing types, and a visualization of the actual path an adversary could take to gain access to identified assets. 

A strong pentesting partnership will consistently bring value to your overall security program. Gone are the days of siloed, point-in-time testing. Having a pentesting provider that can offer complementary solutions, such as attack surface management (ASM) with 24/7/365 visibility, enhances your security with a risk-based approach tailored to your business.

Ready for a Second Opinion on Pentesting?

Changing pentesting vendors can seem like an undertaking, but it’s often necessary for compliance, improved security, and better results. The best pentesting partnerships bring together a thorough understanding of your environment, access to historical data for informed decisions, and a team that can provide a fresh and innovative approach to security. With these elements in place, the value and efficiency of your pentesting program can be significantly enhanced.

If you’re considering whether it’s time for a change, remember that a new perspective from a trusted, competent partner could be exactly what your security program needs. Contact NetSPI for a consultation today.