What is penetration testing?

7th April 2025

Sometimes, the best way to combat cyber-criminals is to think like a cyber-criminal!

Imagine you’re putting up a tent. You follow the instructions (or wing it, as the case may be), putting all the various poles and pegs in: when you’re finished, what is the first thing you do?

If you’re anything like me, you give the tent a little shake. It is intended to be your shelter from the elements, your protection from the wild, so you test it, to ensure it won’t immediately collapse or fly away.

To continue the metaphor (I do like myself a metaphor!) the tent is your cyber security setup, designed to keep your systems and data safe from external factors. That little shake, that test to see if the system can withstand the elements: that is what a penetration test does.

Penetration testing, or pen testing for short, refers to when cyber security providers (including us) simulate a hack on your systems, with your full knowledge and permission. By testing your systems, any vulnerabilities become evident and can be corrected before a real cyber criminal has the chance to exploit them.

A team of ethical hackers hatch a plan to infiltrate your systems, deciding what areas to focus on. They then scan for vulnerabilities, gain access, and see how you cyber security measures react. Finally, the team provides feedback as to if your security is good enough or if it could be improved in certain areas.

Do you feel like a pen test could benefit your business? It is a simple way to put your security measures to the test, with the report you receive afterwards providing constructive ways forward.

If you would like to know more about penetration testing, including the pen testing that we do at Interfuture Security, please contact us HERE.