Horizon3.ai Vice President for EMEA, Keith Poyser, has issued a warning to businesses, stating that the neglect of penetration testing, the self-assessment of a company’s IT infrastructure to test its cyber resilience, is a common occurrence in the business world. This statement was made during the release of findings from the Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024, which revealed that 50% of businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past 12 months. This figure climbs to 70% for medium businesses and 74% for large enterprises.
Poyser explains, “You only know how resilient an IT network really is to cyberattacks if you put it to the test. Only penetration tests can determine whether hackers can penetrate from the outside or whether an organisation is actually protected against cyber criminals.” He further emphasizes that while many organisations have implemented key security measures, they underestimate how easily cyber criminals can bypass these defences.
The security expert also highlights the importance of addressing human vulnerabilities in addition to technical vulnerabilities. He notes that 95% of cyberattacks succeed due to human error, such as opening phishing emails or using weak passwords. Poyser urges organisations to adopt autonomous penetration testing platforms, such as Horizon3.ai’s NodeZero, which offers simulated cyberattack testing on internal, external, cloud, and hybrid IT infrastructures.
Poyser also stresses the need for ongoing, machine speed, automated penetration tests to keep up with the evolving threat landscape. He states, “Simply upgrading defence systems isn’t enough though. To truly safeguard against evolving threats, organisations are advised to regularly assess their security through ongoing machine speed, automated penetration tests.”
In conclusion, Poyser urges all board members, managing directors, and IT managers across all industries to regularly conduct penetration tests to consistently monitor and strengthen their cyber resilience. He also recommends that organisations request a free demonstration of Horizon3.ai’s NodeZero platform to enhance their security measures.