In the field of cybersecurity, both Penetration Testing and IT Security Auditing are critical assessment tools, which have different approaches and objectives but share a common mission: strengthening the security of information systems.
What is the Penetration Test service
Penetration Test is a proactive process that simulates real-world attacks with the aim of identifying and assessing vulnerabilities in systems, networks, applications, and APIs. The goal is to uncover specific security gaps such as:
- Unpatched software
- Insufficient data input sanitization
- Misconfigurations
- Social engineering
The analysis is based on the current state of the environment (a snapshot in time) and results in a detailed report highlighting vulnerabilities and their potential impacts.
What is the IT Security Audit service
In contrast, IT Security Audit adopts a passive approach and focuses on assessing the long-term security posture through the evaluation of policies, procedures, and configurations of network devices and applications. Key areas of assessment include:
- Backup settings
- Firewall configurations
- Antivirus module configurations
- Domain Controller settings
- Network device settings
The result is a compliance report with recommended corrective actions, focusing on strengthening security mechanisms over the long term.
Similarities between Penetration Test & IT Security Audit
Despite their differences, both approaches:
- Identify common weaknesses such as unsupported operating systems and weak password policies (e.g., brute force attacks)
- Are based on international security standards like ISO 27001, NIST, and OWASP
- Aim for compliance with regulatory frameworks such as NIS2, GDPR, and PCI-DSS
- Are conducted periodically for continuous security improvement
Source: https://simasecurity.gr/penetration-test-vs-it-security-audit/