Penetration Testing in Toronto: 5 Reasons to Test Immediately

What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing, or pen testing, is a form of white hat hacking (not done with malicious intent) intended to identify vulnerabilities within your IT system. Simple issues like missing security updates in Outlook can allow cybercriminals to hack your company network. Essentially, Toronto pen testing experts work to identify these security gaps by simulating a cyber attack to see how successful they are at exploiting holes in the system. From here, you can then fix the problem areas of your cybersecurity, resulting in a more resilient network that is better equipped to prevent business-ending cyber attacks.

There are several levels and variations of penetration testing. Each of them is designed to analyze the different areas of cybersecurity Toronto businesses are working with. Let’s look at these variations.

External pen testing

Toronto penetration testing services will often start with an external pen test, simulating a cyber attack coming from outside your organization. This is a very common form of attack in which cybercriminals penetrate your network security via ransomware or other methods to shut down operations and overcome data protections to steal critical information.

In this scenario, a white hat hacker will mimic the behavior of an external criminal. They start by trying to bypass any encryption you’re using within your network, or find and exploit software backdoors due to missing patches. This form of penetration testing is also important for exposing IT vulnerabilities and outdated technology that could leave you open to zero-day exploits. Using the results of the test, you can remediate these network vulnerabilities with technology updates or added IT solutions.

Internal pen testing

Some of your biggest IT threats are within your organization. The reality is that human error is a major cause of data breaches. Whether by permissions misuse, accidental data sharing, or password issues, there are many ways that internal behaviors can jeopardize your data security. While sometimes internal cyber breaches are intentional by malicious employees, many more are done by accident. For example, the city of Calgary, in Alberta, accidentally leaked the data of over 3K employees through an erroneous email, resulting in the city facing over $92M in damages.

According to the 2023 Cost of Insider Threats Global Report by Ponemon Institute, the cost of internal breaches has risen to $16M. This makes internal cyber threats potentially more damaging than external ones. This is why Toronto penetration testing services like BSWI also recommend internal penetration testing.

This testing looks at the entire infrastructure of the network from within your organization. This simulated hacking looks for weak points in which staff can unintentionally harm your cybersecurity. We look at things like the integrity of your data storage, the accessibility and confidentiality of your accounts, and authentications to pinpoint weaknesses.

Black box testing

Black box testing refers to a penetration test in which the testers don't have any knowledge of the system at all. Here, the ethical hackers probe and test the inner workings of your network and various IT tools without insight into their frameworks to pinpoint system gaps. This is useful because usually, hackers won’t have knowledge of your IT infrastructure from the onset of the attack either.

Black box testing targets the functionality of your systems as a whole, and how equipped they are to keep intruders out. By focusing on the user’s experience, ethical hacking professionals prod your cyber defenses the way a real-life threat would. This makes the test and performance more realistic of typical cyber-attacks. You can then build your defenses around the behaviors witnessed through the test to create more precise protections.

White box testing

White box testing is where everyone involved knows what's going on. Because the white hat hacker is familiar with the technology you’re using, they can be more granular in their penetration efforts.

In this case, your Toronto penetration testing services provider will focus on techniques attacking the internal coding and structure of your various software and network tools. The goal here is to find gaps or bugs within the system that need to be addressed in order to fortify your technology stack. Remember, application security is a fundamental component of your overall cybersecurity.

Which Is the Best Penetration Test for Toronto Small Businesses?

All of these forms of penetration testing seek to solve different types of cyber attacks from different perspectives, making them all highly valuable to any small business. While we recommend you consider getting all of these penetration tests, ultimately you should start with the penetration test that is specific to your network infrastructure, your fiscal security, and/or your wireless networks. Whatever your priorities and systems are, our team at BSWI can help you select the best penetration test for you.

For example, we've had a Toronto client who was concerned about their staff members working from home. Because they had 200 users working at home or were hybrid, they wanted to make sure that their network was secure under these circumstances. Therefore, we did a custom penetration test to see what vulnerabilities were present in this specific situation.



We have another client who represents a major bank in Canada, but for them to retain their client, they need to meet the stringent security requirements that the bank imposed upon them. One of these requirements is to have penetration testing done to ensure that their operation is secure. So every year, we conduct focused penetration testing to ensure that they are meeting all of their bank client’s security requirements. Specifically, we look for whatever's going on, what vulnerabilities are present, and how hackers can get access that can threaten the core areas of their network and data. This ensures that they are always vigilant against new threats as well.

BSWI also serves clients who want cyber insurance, and in order to receive coverage, they need to follow a cyber insurance checklist. Pen testing is often a requirement on that list, so we can tailor our penetration tests around insurer requirements to ensure customers are both safe and compliant. We've also focused our penetration tests around specific technologies like Microsoft and Copilot.

Whatever Toronto penetration testing company you choose to work with, be sure to ask them how they structure their testing and how they can provide a personalized pen test tailored to your specific needs.

5 Reasons You Need Cyber Penetration Testing in Toronto Now

BSWI has encountered many small businesses that question why penetration testing in Toronto is even necessary. It’s necessary because over 60% of cyber-attacks are conducted on small businesses. You need proactive, in-depth security measures in place to keep your company’s IT protected.

Penetration testing helps your company identify exactly where hackers and data thieves can penetrate your network. This in itself brings a lot of benefits. Here are just a few.

1. Penetration testing can save you from cyber costs

Data breaches and cyberattacks are some of the leading threats to business growth and functionality today. Currently, the average Canadian cost of a significant data breach is over $5M. Even worse, 60% of small businesses close shortly after a major hack. Between losing work time and dealing with the associated costs of a cyber attack, most small businesses can’t recover.

Because penetration testing can help you pinpoint specific areas of IT vulnerability, you’ll be able to protect your data and network more effectively. These tests reveal clear, actionable steps to strengthen your network in a way that you’ll be far more empowered to prevent and/or survive a cyberattack.

2. It helps maximize your IT security planning and spend

Penetration testing provides a snapshot of where your network's strengths and weaknesses currently are - a great reason to conduct these tests at least annually. This real-time glance at your cybersecurity does a couple of things for you. For one, it indicates the overall health of your IT tools and network and gives you an idea of how a cyber threat, such as a virus, is detected, isolated, and dealt with. In this sense, you gain a clear understanding of what’s missing in your cybersecurity as a whole.

Penetration testing helps eliminate the guesswork to provide concrete areas where you should prioritize more resources and spending needed to fully protect your system. This also goes for security planning. Penetration testing forces you to examine how equipped your company is to deal with specific threats like ransomware malware, and how prepared your team is to isolate the threat from your network to protect your data.

Some clients find that investing in a secured operation center like BSWI helps alleviate the demands on their main staff while also providing more effective network security. This is because within minutes we identify threats and shut them down right away - all while you and your team prioritize customers. Even if it happens at midnight or two in the morning, we can isolate threats and deal with them before they become problems for you. Instead of purchasing a bunch of IT services all-a-cart, relying on a secured operation center can generate significant cost-savings.

In the end, you won’t know what you need or where you can focus your time and money most effectively without a penetration test.

3. Eliminate network uncertainties

Uncertainties are as dangerous and inconvenient in your IT network as they are in overall business. One of the major benefits of a pen test is that it helps you eliminate uncertainties with your technology. You’ll learn about open ports within applications or identify programs in use that leave you vulnerable to hackers.

An external penetration will illuminate what hackers can see from the outside of your company that you might not have considered, revealing what data is most vulnerable and exposed. Or, maybe a different pen test will reveal that you have an ESS server that’s still online and putting you at risk because it's out-of-date software.

Internal pen tests will help you understand what mistakes or employee accessibilities are leaving you vulnerable. For example, in the internal pen test that we do, we try to assess how well-trained your team is to prevent cyber breaches. We’ll get them on the phone or send them an email with a farse link to see if they’ll click on it or give away sensitive information. Knowing your team’s level of preparedness will establish core areas to focus on for their cyber training. This in itself eliminates uncertainties in dealing with key information and protects your network from the inside out.

Remember, in cybersecurity, what you don’t know can be used against you. You must remove all uncertainties within your network’s security.

4. It helps build long-term IT security strategies

Toronto businesses need long-term security strategies in place so that they can remain adaptable to rising IT threats. Collaborating with a managed IT service provider to undergo pen testing, along with a vulnerability assessment, gives you clear ways to address looming issues with your cyber protections and helps you develop a strong foundation of protection.

Because pen testing pinpoints where system vulnerabilities are in real-time, you can immediately work to build and layer IT protections on top of this issue, creating a more sustainable cybersecurity network. Every single layer you can add to protect your systems improves your overall network security. This means that there will be less work to protect your IT network in the long run because you are already factoring in layers of security periodically.

For example, say you have an antivirus - which gives you protection from viruses getting into your system. This is great, but there still might be loopholes in your program. Our team will identify this and work with you to correct the issues - but more importantly, our penetration testing will also reveal other tools that can enhance your overall protection. We always recommend endpoint detection response (EDR) software in addition to firewalls and antivirus because they give you more long-term protection. The beauty of a penetration test is that it reveals how tools like EDR work to eliminate threats in the first place.

Penetration testing is also valuable for seeing how effective your data protection and data recovery process are. There are all kinds of programs a Toronto penetration testing company like BSWI can use to validate that backups are working and secure. We’ll not only make sure that you have prevention measures but that you also have a reliable backup in place should all security levels fail. After all, no backup, no company. In terms of long-term business sustainability, the data backup aspect of penetration testing is critical to ensuring that you are equipped to survive a catastrophic event.

5. It’s affordable

Another reason to undergo penetration testing in Toronto is that it’s highly affordable. Considering that a data breach could result in millions in financial losses or even business failure, you can avoid all these costs by simply being proactive and strategic with your cybersecurity.



At BSWI, we only charge $500 for a standard penetration test. With this, we go through your systems to identify significant system gaps that could cost you and your customers significantly in terms of data loss and theft. From here, we help you identify resources, technologies, and processes that we can implement to resolve these issues and leave you with the peace of mind that your IT network is protected.

Affordable, Effective Toronto Penetration Testing Services

Some things you cannot leave to chance. This is especially true for your company’s IT network. Could you function if your data was rendered inaccessible and stolen? Could you afford to recover following a major breach? Why take the risk when penetration testing can help you prevent these costly threats in the first place?

Our seasoned team of cybersecurity professionals has been providing local Toronto penetration testing services for over 20 years. We’ve seen cyber threats rise and change over time, which helps us know how to test your network for the best results. Our mission is to help you protect and grow your IT network for long-term success. It all starts by just calling us at 416-805-9296 or signing up for a free IT network analysis.