Enterprise Network Consulting

NodeZero from Horizon3.ai is a leading-edge penetration test (pentest) platform that supports continuous, simultaneous, automated assessment of your internal and perimeter network to help you find, prioritize, fix, and verify cybersecurity vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can exploit them. Penetration tests enable you to operate proactively to keep attackers from hijacking data, disrupting productivity, or causing financial or reputational loss. (For information about penetration testing, refer to Progent's penetration testing services.)

NodeZero's Breach and Attack Simulation tools can use the latest cyber attack techniques by steadily pivoting throughout your network and linking vulnerabilities until a clear attack vector is uncovered. NodeZero then benignly exploits the security gap as proof of the weakness, assesses and ranks the potential havoc that might be caused by a true malicious attack, documents the findings, and offers AI-powered guidance for resolving any problems uncovered. NodeZero's reports point out systemic issues where making a single repair can eliminate multiple attack paths. Once you have closed the reported security gaps, you can run NodeZero's 1-click verification option to make sure your fixes were successful. NodeZero can also generate compliance reports mandated for SOC2, HIPAA, GDPR, and other common compliance standards.

Progent can provide the expertise of a NodeZero Certified Operator (NCO) to help you to design and carry out comprehensive penetration tests of your perimeter and your internal network in order to accurately assess your present cybersecurity profile. Progent can assist you to configure and run NodeZero pentests customized for your network environment, understand NodeZero results, and fix problems according to their potential impact on your network. Progent can also help you to create a cohesive cybersecurity strategy that streamlines management and delivers optimum protection for on-prem, cloud-based, and perimeter IT resources.

Internal and External Pentests
Internal pentests with NodeZero proceed as though your network perimeter has been breached and run a pentest of your internal infrastructure to find what security vulnerabilities may exist that expose your network to serious compromise. To assist you to prioritize your mitigation work, the NodeZero dashboard shows which internal vulnerabilities could result in the most havoc to your organization and which ones allow the most attack paths. External pentesting with NodeZero is cloud-hosted and deploys the latest hacker tactics to breach your network perimeter.

Common Security Gaps that PEN Tests Can Help Detect and Fix
Threat actors tirelessly check IT networks for vulnerabilities by using an expanding set of tools and procedures. Although there are many different kinds of cybersecurity blind spots, here are a few of the most common issues malicious actors attempt to exploit:

• Software applications that have not had current updates and security patches installed
• Code injection flaws that allow threat actors to input code in a web application that tricks the application into running malicious instructions or permitting control of important resources
• Zero-day vulnerabilities in software that neither the target organization nor the software vendor know about yet and so have not had a chance to develop a solution
• Authentication vulnerabilities that make it easier to break into a network or pose as a valid user
• Configuration weaknesses that cause gaps in cybersecurity systems like opening risky ports or leaving cloud storage containers available to anyone with the right address
• Unpatched operating systems security gaps
• EOL products for which cybersecurity patches are no longer created
• SQL Injection (SQLI)
• Easy-to-guess passwords
• Cross-Site Scripting
• Insecure Direct Object References
• Improper device configurations
• Stale objects
• Open systems access
• Outdated methodology security deployments vs modern best practices
• Failure to deploy out-of-band 2FA protected communications (e.g. Man In The Middle Attacks)

• Phishing Impact Testing: Estimate the amount of havoc that could be inflicted by an attacker using phished credentials and recommend efficient and effective fixes.
• PCI-DSS Compliance Testing: Perform in-depth penetration testing and reporting to show compliance with the PCI Data Security Standard. Compliance reports can be submitted to auditors.
• Trip Wires: Set up honeypots that allow you to react rapidly to indications of active threats in high-risk parts of your network.
• Kubernetes Testing: Pentest Kubernetes clusters, uncovering issues such as container escapes, RBAC misconfigurations, and hidden exposures.
• Cloud Pentesting: Uncover identity and access management (IAM) vulnerabilities and faulty configurations in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure/Entra, and Kubernetes.
• Rapid Response: Rapidly respond to emerging threats before they have a chance to cause major damage.
• Insider Threat Attack: Anticipate the extent of harm a hostile insider could cause.
• Segmentation Testing: Show your internal attack surface like IPs, ports, services and applications before running simulated attacks.
• Active Directory Password Audit: Expose vulnerabilities in your Active Directory password policy, streamline remediation, and generate a prioritized report of risky accounts.

Benefits of Progent's Penetration Testing Services
Progent can provide low-cost external pentesting services on a one-time or periodic basis. NodeZero's autonomous testing technology offers fast testing and delivers a full assessment of your outward facing cybersecurity profile. Progent's "ethical hacking" services can provide a multitude of advantages.

• Meet Requirements of Cyber Insurance Providers: For many cyber insurance companies, regular pentesting is required to obtain or retain coverage.
• Identify Perimeter Security Gaps: External penetration tests help organizations discover vulnerabilities in their external-facing systems, such as websites, servers, and network devices.
• Realistic Threat Simulation: Penetration tests play out realistic attack scenarios, giving companies a greater comprehension of their susceptibility to a multitude of cyber threats.
• Compliance Mandates: Many regulatory frameworks (e.g., PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR) mandate periodic security assessments, including external pentests. Failing to comply may have legal and economic consequences.
• Risk Mitigation: Identifying and fixing security gaps proactively can lower the risk of data theft, economic losses, and damage to an organization's reputation.
• Third-Party Vendor Risk Assessment: Organizations can utilize external pentests to assess the cybersecurity of third-party vendors, ensuring that these partners do not introduce weaknesses into the supply chain.
• Better Incident Response: A pentest can assist organizations refine their incident response practices by identifying shortcomings in their ability to discover and respond to cybersecurity incidents.
• Security Awareness: Conducting penetration tests can improve awareness among employees and stakeholders about the urgency of security. It can also help teach them on best online practices.
• Build a Security Baseline Evaluation: A pentest can build a baseline for security, enabling companies to measure the effectiveness of security enhancements over time.
• Competitive Advantage: Demonstrating an emphasis on security by means of regular penetration testing can help you gain competitive advantage, indicating to customers and stakeholders that their information is secure.
• Security Budget Rationalization: Penetration test results can provide tangible evidence of the necessity of increased spending in cybersecurity measures and products.
• Internal Policy Assessment: Companies can validate whether their internal cybersecurity policies are effective in thwarting external threats.
• Reducing Attack Surface: By uncovering and addressing vulnerabilities discovered during a pentest, organizations can reduce their target surface size and cause it to be harder for hackers to break into their systems.
• Incident Simulation: Organizations can launch sophisticated but benign attacks, allowing their cybersecurity teams to practice dealing with realistic threats in a safe environment.
• Continuous Improvement: Periodic external pentests help companies follow their security enhancements in a fast-evolving threat landscape, ensuring that they stay prepared for the latest threats.
• Legal and Regulatory Cover: In case of a security breach, possessing documented proof of regular penetration testing efforts can offer a level of legal and regulatory protection by evidencing reasonable care in cybersecurity.

Contact Progent for Penetration Testing Consulting
To find out additional information about Progent's services for NodeZero-based pentesting, call Progent at 800-993-9400 or see Contact Progent.

Ransomware 24x7 Hot Line: Call 800-462-8800
Progent's Ransomware 24x7 Hot Line is intended to help you to complete the urgent first steps in mitigating a ransomware assault by containing the malware. Progent's remote ransomware expert can assist you to locate and isolate breached devices and protect undamaged assets from being penetrated. If your system has been penetrated by any version of ransomware, act fast. Get immediate help by calling Progent's Ransomware Hot Line at 800-462-8800. For details, visit Progent's Ransomware 24x7 Hot Line.