Access "The penetration tester is alive and well"
This article is part of the January/February 2011 issue of Cloud initiatives are changing roles for information security managers
The malingering debate over the viability and lifespan of penetration testing as an art form and penetration testers as a species is getting tiresome. Tiresome because those doing the arguing generally confuse terms, juxtapose vulnerability management with pen-testing, and generally don't understand what white-hats do during an enterprise poke-and-probe. Let's get it straight once and for all: Pen-testing is not dead. Some vendors and expert types would like you to believe that and will try some Jedi mind-tricks to convince you -- for only a second, hopefully -- that you can, for example, automate penetration testing. You can't. Automated scans are great and are the center spoke of vulnerability management programs. They help with asset discovery and generally are good at telling you what machines are lacking which patches and if you've got a cockeyed configuration or two. But that's not a pen-test, and too many companies are confounding that as a pen-test. Pen-tests are conducted by people who are contracted to infiltrate your organization and hammer away ... Access >>>
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What's Inside
Features
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Information security roles growing in influence
Information security managers are getting more of a say in enterprise cloud initiatives and mobile device projects.
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The state of critical infrastructure security
Stuxnet put the spotlight on critical infrastructure protection but will efforts to improve SCADA security come too late?
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Information security roles growing in influence
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Enforcing endpoint security
by Lisa Phifer, Contributor
Enforcing endpoint security requires careful planning and deployment.
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Enforcing endpoint security
by Lisa Phifer, Contributor
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Columns
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Schneier-Ranum Face-Off on whitelisting and blacklisting
Security experts Bruce Schneier and Marcus Ranum debate whether network security should be based on whitelisting or blacklisting.
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The penetration tester is alive and well
Automation hasn't killed the penetration tester – yet.
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Old information security challenges persist
by Dave Shackleford
A look back at articles from the past shows that the same information security problems persist today.
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Schneier-Ranum Face-Off on whitelisting and blacklisting
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