Chris Blunt, CEO of brokenStones has recently qualified to be a Penetration Tester. 

The certification means that Chris is now a qualified Penetration Tester to a standard recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It also means he has met the technical standard set out for conducting penetration tests on Public Sector and CNI (Critical National infrastructure) systems and networks. 

Penetration testing, otherwise known as ‘ethical hacking’, is a way for gaining assurance in the security of an IT system by attempting to breach some or all of that system's security, using the same tools and techniques as a hacker might. These tests are used to identify vulnerabilities in a systems defence system so that they can be improved upon. A well-scoped penetration test can give confidence that the products and security controls tested have been configured in accordance with good practice and that there are no common or publicly known vulnerabilities in the tested components, at the time of the test. 

Security threats are seen as one of the biggest threats to businesses today. A successful cyber-attack can have huge, widespread impacts on a business, from financial loss to damaged reputation and a loss of trust from customers. So, it is extremely important to ensure your business has strong cyber security. 

Chris Blunt, CEO of brokenStones, said "Over the last 18 months we've seen a huge increase in cyber-attacks on small businesses, whilst SMEs have been busy doing what they can to adapt to the new ways of working, Cybersecurity has often been badly overlooked. It's time organisations of all sizes, especially small ones start sitting up and taking cyber security seriously. The fact is most larger organisations are breached because of the inadequacies of a smaller company in their supply chain. Is that you?" 

In addition to this qualification, Chris also holds the CISSP qualification (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) which he achieved last year. This is a worldwide security qualification demonstrating an extremely wide range of knowledge regarding Cyber Security, the UK recognises this as a Level 7 Award (which is the same as a Master’s Degree). There are also less than 8,000 CISSP Qualified Members in the UK, and Chris is one of these. 

Chris’ new qualification means that he will soon be able to offer penetration testing to his clients so that they can ensure they are as secure as possible. The only real way to assess if your current security will stand up to cyber criminals is to subject them to vigorous testing via penetration testing, which brokenStones will soon be able to offer as a service. This vigorous testing is important, and Chris encourages businesses to undertake a penetration test. 

Penetration testing is important for several reasons, the main reason being that they are preparation for an attack. If businesses can assess where the weaknesses lie in their cyber security, they can then implement stronger security to fix this before an attack is able to take place. Therefore, stopping any future cyber-attacks. Stopping these attacks are crucial to businesses as they can have serious impacts, from financial damage to data breaches and a loss of customer trust in the business. That’s why it is important to test and improve your security before a cyber-attack has the chance to take place. 

Chris Blunt said "Whether you're confident you've got strong security principals in place, or you know there are gaping holes, commissioning a Pen Test helps verify what is in place is effective and highlight where the gaps are. The sad fact is most cybersecurity breaches could have been prevented if only someone knew where the holes were. To put it more bluntly, when you're sat in front of your customers explaining the reason their data was breached, or you can't deliver on your promises to them, and they learn that you'd not even bothered to check your own security provisions, what are they going to think? How are you going to feel?"

If you want to protect your business then give Chris a call on 01543 222444.