Vulnerability Assessment

California is the top state for data breaches in the United States and can cost businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars to recover from one single breach. We seem to see new headlines announcing fresh news of cyber attacks happening weekly – and these are only the ones that reach the news.

Small and medium-sized businesses, organizations, and foundations are hit hard and often by cyber attacks, however, the rest of the world goes on while we try to recover the pieces we are left in.

In today’s digitally advanced world which has encompassed most business processes, such as communication and storage, the need for a strong cyber security system is critical. A vulnerability assessment can be a huge asset to ensuring you have the best security measures set in place for your company.

What is a Vulnerability Assessment?

Vulnerability assessment services are designed to find holes in an organization’s infrastructure, both offline and online, that could become opportunities for cybercriminals to hack into networks and systems, accessing highly sensitive information. Varsity Technologies expert team and proven assessment methods find vulnerabilities in your infrastructure before cybercriminals get the chance.

Cybercriminals continue to find smarter methods for gaining access to your important data. Even with reputable cybersecurity integrated into your organization’s infrastructure, there are still opportunities for criminals to find vulnerabilities that weren’t considered vulnerable at the time of implementation. Many organizations have security holes and vulnerabilities within their networks that they may not be able to catch if they are to conduct the vulnerability assessment themselves – without the help of a dedicated IT professional. Having a third party like Varsity Technologies complete the assessment ensures vulnerabilities are found that those within a company may have become “nose blind” to – increasing the rate of success.

How are Vulnerability Assessments Conducted?

An experienced team member who specializes in cybersecurity will conduct a review of your business or organization’s infrastructure. They will use their knowledge of previously found vulnerabilities, current news on cybercriminal methods, and a keen eye for detail to find potential holes in your networks and systems that cybercriminals could easily find or take advantage of. From there, we will provide your team with possible solutions, updates, and other necessary steps to take to patch up vulnerabilities and promote an overall stronger security system. We will also recommend tried and proven cybersecurity programs and software to utilize that will maximize your organization’s protection in the future.

A vulnerability assessment will involve a number of steps initiated and managed by Varsity Tech:

Name and analyze network and system resources. These include both hardware and software.
Identify who is using and has access to specific data resources and who shouldn’t
Assign levels of security importance to these resources
Identify any potential threats and vulnerabilities
Discover a strategy that will resolve the most serious threats first and complete the easier tasks needed to promote security
Implement policies and processes that will minimize the consequences of an attack if it were to still happen

Other types of testing can be done to complete the vulnerability assessment to its maximum potential, such as:

Penetration Testing

Varsity can simulate an attack on your company’s IT infrastructure, both on a local network and on the Cloud using penetration testing, also known as pen-testing. Penetration testing provides a more objective view of potential threats in a system or network and finds out whether your current security measures put into place are actually working. Varsity will use our own hacking tools and resources to essentially test your defences and find out what information we can gain access to. We will then report our findings to you and offer recommendations to resolve any vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability Scan

A vulnerability scan will find anything your antivirus systems might miss such as malware that has been uploaded to your networks. It will seek out the behaviour of systems and computers themselves instead of just looking for a sign of an unapproved application. We will also utilize our vulnerability scan to ensure compliance with standards and certifications your business should have implemented.

Choosing the right IT professionals to conduct your vulnerability assessment means choosing a team who are experts in protecting your brand, and intelligent team members analyzing information sets, using well-thought-out plans, and implementing them in the best possible way to protect you and your business. Among Varsity’s cyber security service offerings, a vulnerability assessment is an excellent first step and tool for minimizing the chance and impact of a cyberattack.

Hoping that Varsity can help pinpoints and vulnerabilities within your networks so you can better protect your employees and clients? Let’s chat. Reach out for a conversation today.