Enterprise Consulting

NodeZero from Horizon3.ai is a cutting-edge penetration test (pentest) product family that supports continuous, concurrent, automated assessment of your network so you can identify, prioritize, remediate, and confirm security weaknesses before threat actors can take advantage of them. Pentests enable you to work preemptively to block cybercriminals from hijacking data, disrupting productivity, or inflicting financial or reputational loss. (For information about penetration testing, refer to Progent's penetration testing services.)

NodeZero is able to use modern cyber attack methods by relentlessly probing throughout your IT network and linking vulnerabilities until a clear attack vector is exposed. NodeZero then safely exploits the security gap as evidence of the weakness, assesses and prioritizes the potential havoc that might be caused by a true malicious exploit, documents the findings, and generates AI-based guidance for resolving any problems uncovered. NodeZero's reports highlight systemic issues where making a single fix can eliminate multiple attack chains. After you have closed the discovered security weaknesses, you can execute NodeZero's 1-click verification feature to confirm your fixes worked. NodeZero can automatically generate compliance reports mandated for SOC2, HIPAA, GDPR, and other common compliance standards.

Progent offers the talents of a NodeZero Certified Operator (NCO) to assist you to plan and implement comprehensive penetration tests of your perimeter and your internal network in order to accurately evaluate your present cybersecurity posture. Progent can help you to configure and run NodeZero pentests tailored for your IT network, analyze NodeZero reports, and fix vulnerabilities based on their potential for damaging your network. Progent can also assist you to create a unified cybersecurity strategy that simplifies management and delivers maximum cyber defense for on-prem, multi-cloud, and perimeter network resources.

Internal and External Pentests
Internal penetration tests with NodeZero assume your network perimeter has been breached and run a pentest of your internal network infrastructure to determine what security vulnerabilities may exist that subject your network to attack. To assist you to prioritize your mitigation activity, the NodeZero dashboard makes it clear which internal vulnerabilities could cause the most damage to your information system and which ones allow the most attack vectors. External pentesting with NodeZero is cloud-hosted and utilizes the latest hacker techniques to break through your perimeter defense.

Common Security Gaps that PEN Tests Can Help Identify
Threat actors incessantly check IT environments for weaknesses by using an expanding set of utilities and techniques. Although there are many kinds of cybersecurity gaps, here are some of the most frequently encountered issues hackers attempt to exploit:

• Apps missing the latest revisions and security patches installed
• Code injection problems that allow attackers to input code in a web application that tricks the app into carrying out malicious commands or permitting control of sensitive resources
• Zero-day vulnerabilities in software that neither the intended victim nor the vendor are yet aware of and thus have not had time to work on a fix
• Authentication issues that make it easier to break into a system or pose as a valid user
• Configuration vulnerabilities that create gaps in security systems such as opening risky ports or leaving cloud storage buckets available to anybody with the right address
• Unpatched operating systems
• End-of-Life technology for which security patches are no longer created
• SQL Injection
• Weak account credentials
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
• Insecure Direct Object References
• Improper device configurations
• Unpurged stale objects
• Open systems access
• Old methodology security {implementations vs today's best practices
• Failure to deploy out-of-band 2FA protected communications (e.g. Man In The Middle Attacks)

Advantages of Progent's Pentesting Services
Progent can provide affordable external pentesting services on a one-time or periodic basis. NodeZero's autonomous testing technology delivers fast results and delivers a full assessment of your outward facing security posture. Progent's "ethical hacking" services can provide a multitude of advantages.

• Meet Requirements of Cyber Insurance Providers: For many cyber insurance providers, regular pentesting is required to obtain or keep coverage.
• Identify Perimeter Weaknesses: External penetration tests help organizations discover vulnerabilities in their external-facing systems, such as websites, servers, and network devices.
• Realistic Threat Scenarios: Pentests play out realistic attack scenarios, offering companies a better understanding of their susceptibility to various security threats.
• Compliance Requirements: Many regulatory standards (e.g., PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR) mandate regular security evaluations, including external pentests. Failing to comply may result in legal and economic consequences.
• Risk Mitigation: Identifying and fixing vulnerabilities proactively can reduce the chances of data theft, financial losses, and damage to an organization's reputation.
• Third-Party Vendor Risk Assessment: Companies can use external penetration tests to evaluate the cybersecurity of vendors, verifying that these partners do not introduce weaknesses into your organization's supply chain.
• Better Incident Response: A pentest can help organizations fine-tune their incident response procedures by exposing shortcomings in their ability to discover and respond to cybersecurity events.
• Security Awareness: Conducting penetration tests can raise awareness among stakeholders about the importance of security. It can also help educate them on safe online practices.
• Establish a Security Baseline Assessment: A pentest can establish a baseline for cybersecurity, enabling companies to track the effectiveness of cybersecurity enhancements over time.
• Competitive Advantage: Demonstrating an emphasis on security by means of periodic penetration testing can help you gain competitive advantage, assuring customers and partners that their information is secure.
• Security Budget Justification: Pentest results can provide substantive evidence of the need for expanded investment in security initiatives and products.
• Internal Policy Validation: Organizations can assess whether their internal cybersecurity policies are effective in preventing external attacks.
• Reducing Attack Surface: By uncovering and addressing security gaps exposed during a pentest, companies can reduce their attack surface size and make it more difficult for hackers to compromise their networks.
• Incident Simulation: Companies can simulate targeted attacks, allowing their security groups to practice responding to realistic threats in a safe environment.
• Ongoing Improvement: Periodic external penetration tests help companies follow their cybersecurity enhancements over time, helping them remain prepared for the latest threats.
• Legal and Regulatory Cover: In case of a cybersecurity break in, having tangible evidence of regular penetration testing activity can offer a degree of legal and regulatory protection by demonstrating reasonable care in cybersecurity.

Contact Progent for Penetration Testing Consulting
For additional information about Progent's services for NodeZero-powered 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 designed to guide you to carry out the time-critical first step in mitigating a ransomware attack by putting out the fire. Progent's online ransomware engineer can assist businesses to locate and quarantine infected devices and protect clean resources from being compromised. If your network has been penetrated by any version of ransomware, don't panic. Get immediate help by calling Progent's Ransomware Hot Line at 800-462-8800. For details, see Progent's Ransomware 24x7 Hot Line.