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Proactive vs. Reactive: Rethinking Penetration Testing & Modern Cybersecurity Strategies 

Cybersecurity Proactive vs. Reactive

Cyberattacks are an ever-present threat to modern businesses, and attackers are becoming more sophisticated. For many organizations, the question is no longer if they will experience a breach, but when. The traditional reactive approach to cybersecurity increasingly proving insufficient in addressing the complexities of today’s attack surfaces. Responding to threats after they occur is no longer sufficient.

One cornerstone of proactive cybersecurity is penetration testing (pentesting). Pentesting simulates real-world attacks to uncover vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them. Yet, despite significant investments, many organizations will still suffer breaches, downtime, and disruptions. A recent survey found businesses spend an average of $165,000 annually on pentesting, or 13% of their cybersecurity budgets.

The reasons for this disconnect lie in the challenges of incomplete visibility, rapidly changing attack surfaces, and outdated testing methodologies. When adversaries like SALT Typhoon—a state-sponsored group targeting U.S. telecommunications—can operate stealthily across unmonitored systems, businesses cannot afford to rely on incomplete or static pentesting methods. To counter such advanced threats, businesses need to rethink their approach to cybersecurity, starting with having a comprehensive and complete understanding of their attack surface.


Where Traditional Pentesting Falls Short

Pentesting is a powerful tool for uncovering vulnerabilities, but its effectiveness depends on its ability to simulate the attacker’s perspective comprehensively and accurately, and repeatedly. Unfortunately, many traditional pentesting tools and methodologies fall short of addressing the needs of modern, dynamic attack surfaces.

Key Challenges with Traditional Pentesting

Mismatch Between Pentesting and IT Changes
Businesses are making IT changes far more frequently than they can test their systems. Cloud migrations, application updates, and new deployments occur constantly, while pentests are often conducted quarterly or annually. 73% of enterprises reported changes to their IT environments at least quarterly, however only 40% reported pentesting at the same frequency. This means critical vulnerabilities sit untested for potentially months at a time, while average time to exploitation dropped to 5 days in 2023.

Incomplete Attack Surface Coverage
Traditional pentesting tools often fail to account for the full extent of an organization’s attack surface, including:

– Shadow IT, such as untracked systems or unauthorized applications.
– High-range open ports.
– Misconfigured or hidden cloud assets.
– IPv6 infrastructure.

These blind spots make it easier for advanced threats like SALT Typhoon or Flax Typhoon, who are suspected in the recent U.S. Treasury breach, to exploit yet-to-be-patched systems and establish persistent access to critical networks.

SixMap addresses this challenge by continuously discovering and mapping every internet-facing asset tied to your organization, ensuring no vulnerability goes unnoticed.

Network Downtime from Testing
Nearly half of businesses (43%) report unplanned downtime due to breaches. Ironically, many organizations are hesitant to embrace pentesting because previous tests have caused network disruptions. This creates a cycle where vulnerabilities remain untested due to fear of downtime, leaving systems exposed.

Static Testing Models
Traditional pentesting methods provide a snapshot in time, which quickly becomes outdated as new assets are added and existing ones change. With attack surfaces constantly evolving, static testing leaves businesses vulnerable between assessments.


    Learning from Advanced Threats: SALT Typhoon and Telecommunications Hardening

    Recent events, such as SALT Typhoon’s state-sponsored attack on U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, demonstrate the risks of unmonitored attack surfaces. These adversaries exploited weaknesses in shadow IT and outdated systems to infiltrate networks and remain undetected for extended periods.

    CISA’s guidance on hardening telecommunications infrastructure highlights the importance of visibility and proactive measures to defend against such threats. Although focused on telecoms, the principles apply universally: businesses must gain a complete understanding of their internet-facing assets and assess vulnerabilities continuously.

    SixMap aligns with these recommendations by helping businesses:

    • Identify, map, and scan assets that traditional tools overlook, such as cloud instances and shadow IT.
    • Provide actionable insights for remediation before vulnerabilities can be exploited.
    • Continuously monitor for changes, ensuring no blind spots develop over time.

    The Case for Proactive Security

    To counter evolving threats and avoid the pitfalls of traditional approaches, businesses need to embrace a proactive model of cybersecurity. This approach starts with comprehensive attack surface management and integrates continuous, real-world testing.

    Understanding the Dynamic Attack Surface

    An organization’s attack surface represents all the entry points that an adversary could exploit. With today’s digital transformation, this includes:

    • Internet-facing assets (e.g., APIs, web applications, and cloud servers).
    • Legacy systems and forgotten endpoints.
    • Shadow IT created without IT department oversight.
    • IPv6 infrastructure and other less commonly scanned protocols.

    Without a full understanding of these assets, pentesting efforts are inherently limited. Continuous discovery and mapping—like the services offered by SixMap—provide the foundation for effective testing by ensuring organizations are always aware of their complete attack surface.

    Continuous Testing for Continuous Defense

    Proactive pentesting requires more than periodic assessments. Businesses need continuous, automated testing that adapts to evolving infrastructure and threats. This enables them to:

    • Simulate attacks from an adversary’s perspective, uncovering exploitable gaps.
    • Identify new vulnerabilities as they emerge.
    • Validate risk exposure across the entire attack surface.

    By integrating vulnerability intelligence, SixMap empowers businesses to move from reactive responses to proactive defenses.


    Benefits of a Proactive Approach

    The evolving cybersecurity landscape demands a proactive approach. Advanced threats like SALT Typhoon and other state-sponsored attacks on critical infrastructure demonstrate the risks of unmonitored attack surfaces and outdated testing methods. By embracing comprehensive attack surface management, continuous testing, and real-time intelligence, businesses can stay ahead of these challenges.

    Shifting from reactive to proactive cybersecurity delivers measurable benefits, including:

    • Reduced Breach Risk
      Continuous testing and comprehensive attack surface management significantly lower the likelihood of successful attacks, even from advanced threats like SALT Typhoon.
    • Cost Savings
      Preventing breaches is far more cost-effective than responding to them. Proactive measures reduce the financial and operational impacts of attacks.
    • Minimized Downtime
      Automated and agentless tools like SixMap ensure vulnerabilities are addressed without causing network disruptions or system impacts, alleviating concerns about testing-induced downtime or resource allocation.
    • Regulatory Compliance
      Proactive pentesting and attack surface monitoring help businesses meet or exceed industry standards for cybersecurity.
    • Enhanced Visibility and Prioritization
      Businesses gain a real-time understanding of their vulnerabilities and can prioritize remediation efforts based on the highest-risk issues.

    SixMap’s solutions provide the visibility, precision, and continuous monitoring businesses need to defend against even the most sophisticated adversaries. By understanding your attack surface and proactively addressing vulnerabilities, you can reduce risk, save costs, and ensure your business remains secure in an ever-changing threat environment.

    Contact SixMap today to learn how our attack surface management and proactive pentesting solutions can safeguard your organization and strengthen your defenses.