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When it comes to searching for the best certified ethical hackers for hire in Canada, what should you know? What criteria should your organization be basing its choices on?

These are questions we field frequently here at Packetlabs. Today, we'll guide you through what it means to be a certified ethical hacker, the difference well-trained cybersecurity professionals make on your penetration testing efforts, and so much more.

Let's dive in:

What Does it Mean to Be a Certified Ethical Hacker?

Whether your organization is investing in penetration testing or a more overarching cybersecurity risk management plan, leaning on the experience of ethical hackers is critical.

But let's start from the top. A certified ethical hacker is a skilled cyber professional who understands and knows how to look for weaknesses and vulnerabilities in target systems and uses the same knowledge and tools as a malicious hacker; however, in direct contrast to malicious hackers, ethical hackers lawfully assess the security posture of a target system(s).

For example, all Packetlabs pentesters must have a minimum of OSCP (a globally recognized and industry-leading ethical hacking certificate offered by Offensive Security) to guarantee that they are qualified to find weaknesses in systems that other professionals may overlook.

Other certifications that we recommend organizations seek in ethical hackers (that our team possesses) also includes, but are not limited to:

• CISSP

• GWAPT

• GXPN

• GMOB

• GSNA

• OSCE

• OSWP

• CISA

Why Investing in the Best Certified Ethical Hackers for Hire in Canada Matters

Shortening the average cyberattack is far from the only reason for organizations to invest in certified ethical hackers.

In 2023 alone, 40% of Canadian organizations have faced over 250 security-related threats, 73% claim that it takes over a week to recover from a cyberattack, and 62% say gaps in their in-house IT team's security skills reduce their ability to prevent cyber-related incidents. These statistics point to a rising trend where organizations of all sizes (and across all industries) are suffering avoidable financial losses as the result of preventable cyber breaches.

By investing in a quality team, you ensure that:

• Cyber insurance requirements are not just met but surpassed

• Threats are prevented before they occur, saving millions in financial and reputation-related damages

• Quick engagement starts with steady communication is guaranteed

• No outsourcing is being paid for: instead, highly specialized ethical hackers are providing the most thorough pentest for your organization

• There are no false positives found

Here at Packetlabs Ltd., we take cybersecurity beyond the checkbox. Packetlabs is a SOC 2 Type II accredited cybersecurity firm specializing in penetration testing services. To strengthen your security posture, we offer solutions such as penetration testing, adversary simulation, application security and other security assessments.

On top of employing only OSCP-minimum certified ethical hackers, the Packetlabs difference boils down to our 95% manual penetration testing. Instead of outsourcing our work or relying on automated VA scans, we guarantee zero false positives via our in-depth approach and passion for innovation: our security testing methodology is derived from the SANS Pentest Methodology, the MITRE ATT&CK framework for enterprises, and NIST SP800-115 to ensure compliance with the majority of common regulatory requirements. Our comprehensive methodology has been broken up based on which areas can be tested with automation and those which require extensive manual testing.

Alongside recently celebrating our twelfth year in business this year, our 95% manual penetration testing yielded a partnership with the SickKids Foundation, which was another one of our 2023 highlights: the SickKids Foundation is a fundraising organization based in Toronto that supports the Hospital with sick children. With over 1.5 million active donors, the foundation collects and manages sensitive information, which could result in reputational damage and loss of donors if breached.

Penetration Testing Options

Penetration testing is not one-size-fits-all.

At Packetlabs, our flexible offerings encapsulate:

• DevSecOps: DevSecOps is integrated early in your development cycle and acts as an extension of your development team to flag vulnerabilities within your existing detected management systems

• Red Teaming: Red Teaming is a full-scope simulated attack designed to get a holistic review of the level of risk and vulnerabilities across people, processes, and tech in an organization

• Purple Teaming: Purple Teaming is our collaborative testing exercise where the Packetlabs red team works with your internal security operations team (or blue team) to bridge the gap between offensive techniques and response efforts

• Cyber Maturity Assessments: A Cyber Maturity Assessment supports the tactical direction of your cybersecurity strategy. As the first step in strengthening your security posture, this assessment generates the roadmap to strengthen your overall security program

• Compromise Assessments: A Compromise Assessment uncovers past or present threats like zero-day malware, trojans, ransomware, and other anomalies that may go unnoticed in standard automated vulnerability scans

• OT Assessments: OT Cybersecurity Assessments simulate the likelihood of an attacker reaching the control centre from an external and internal perspective with production-safe testing

• Ransomware Penetration Testing: A ransomware penetration test evaluates the preparedness and risk of a ransomware attack and identifies gaps in people, processes, and technology, to determine the likelihood and readiness for a ransomware attack

• Cloud Penetration Testing: Multiple perspectives help with strengthening your security posture. These include Cloud Penetration Testing, which simulates an attacker in the environment, and a Cloud Penetration Review, which provides insights into cloud-specific vulnerabilities originating from an insecure configuration. Each of these services can be conducted separately or, for maximum effectiveness, combined as an enhanced cloud security bundle

• Objective-based Penetration Testing: Following a preliminary penetration test, objective-based testing conducts a more advanced simulated cybersecurity attack. The test is conducted by persistent ethical hackers who deploy multiphase attacks to gain access to your organization's data so that you can discover gaps and vulnerabilities unique to your organization and test your ability to detect and respond to threat actor

• Application Security Testing: More targeted in scope than a regular pentest, application security testing uncovers vulnerabilities residing in your web and mobile apps. Application Security Testing actively explores your application from an attacker’s perspective

• Infrastructure Penetration Testing: An infrastructure penetration testing assessment uncovers vulnerabilities in your IT and network systems and provides a tailored approach to each environment

These are in addition to the Packetlabs Portal, which enables you to quickly view findings, prioritize efforts, request retests after remediation, and monitor progress.

How Penetration Testing Shortens the Average Cyberattack Lifecycle

When it comes to how long the average cyberattack lasts in 2023, the average across North America, as of 2023, is an estimated 24 days.

However, this is dependent on an organization's cybersecurity efforts. Other stats surrounding the length of cyberattacks in 2023 include, but are not limited to:

• On average, companies take about 197 days to identify and 69 days to contain a breach according to IBM

• Ahead of the year's close, there have already been 5 billion cyberattacks in 2023 around the globe

• The average cost of a cyberattack has risen by 15% over the past three years, now sitting at a staggering USD $4.45 million

However, ensuring that an organization's cybersecurity is up to regulatory standards can help diminish both the risk of an attack and the financial and reputational losses that may be faced in the wake of a successful one.

"Is Having Cyber Insurance Enough?"

No, having cyber insurance alone is not enough to ward off expensive and damaging cyber threats.

While organizations look to insurance to transfer risk, reports have indicated there are many exclusions and limitations to this strategy. To start, cyber insurance in Canada has very low coverages forcing many organizations to seek high coverages with out-of-country insurance providers. Unfortunately, having a policy also does not mean your damages will be covered.

Penetration testing provides the most value when coupled with a particular business change. During mergers and acquisitions, IT teams are scrambling to unify their operations and ensure each side is not exposing the other to cyber and financial risk. A penetration test is an excellent fit and helps measure risk, and prioritize remediation before the networks are integrated to maintain the integrity of each.

In short, there is no replacement for investing in the best certified ethical hackers for hire in Canada. Only qualified professionals can deliver penetration tests that mitigate organizational liability.

Conclusion

By considering the unique needs of their systems and infrastructure, certified ethical hackers in Canada can help you and your team select the most suitable type of security testing.

If you're reading this, you are already in the market for a pentest. Contact our team today for your free, zero-obligation quote or download our Buyer's Guide below to take the next step.