Security Series: Part 2 - Best Practices and Strategies on Regular Security Audits and Penetration Testing
Businesses face constant threats from cyberattacks and data breaches. One of the most effective ways to safeguard your company is by conducting regular security audits and penetration testing. These two practices help identify vulnerabilities in your systems and ensure your security measures are strong enough to defend against potential threats.
This blog will cover why these assessments are essential, share examples of companies that suffered from neglecting them and outline best practices to help you strengthen your security posture. Additionally, we’ll discuss how Fortinet and Acronis, key partners of Britannic, offers solutions to support these efforts.
Why Regular Security Audits and Penetration Testing Matter
Proactive Measures for Cybersecurity
A security audit examines your organisation's security policies, tools and controls to ensure they are working effectively. Penetration testing simulates real-world attacks to find vulnerabilities by actively attempting to exploit weaknesses. When combined, these practices provide a complete picture of your security strengths and weaknesses.
- Identifying Weaknesses - Audits highlight areas that need improvement, such as outdated systems or insufficient access controls. Penetration testing adds another layer by testing these systems in a real-world scenario.
- Strengthening Defences - Regular assessments help you stay ahead of potential threats, ensuring that your security infrastructure is always up to date.
Case Studies - The Cost of Skipping Security Audits and Penetration Testing
Several businesses have paid the price for failing to conduct regular security audits and penetration tests. These examples highlight how neglecting proactive measures can lead to severe financial, regulatory and reputational damage.
1. Interserve (2020)
Interserve, a UK construction and services company, suffered a cyberattack triggered by a phishing email that deployed malware. Although antivirus software detected the attack, the alert wasn’t investigated. The company also lacked regular vulnerability scans and penetration testing.
- Impact: In 2022, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) fined Interserve £4.4 million. By 2023, the total cost, including adviser fees, had risen to more than £11 million.
- Lesson: Routine security audits and penetration testing would likely have exposed these weaknesses, preventing the financial and reputational fallout.
2. T-Mobile (2021)
In 2021, T-Mobile suffered one of the largest data breaches in telecom history. Hackers exploited weaknesses in T-Mobile’s systems, exposing personal data, including Social Security numbers, for up to 76 million customers.
- Impact: The fallout stretched into 2024, when T-Mobile settled with the FCC for $31.5 million after repeated breaches between 2009 and 2021.
- Lesson: More rigorous penetration testing and security audits might have identified the flaws before attackers did. The cost of skipping these steps ran into the tens of millions.
3. 23andMe (2023)
In late 2023, 23andMe was hit by a credential-stuffing attack, where hackers used login details stolen from other breaches. Initially affecting 14,000 accounts, the attack ultimately compromised more than 7 million profiles due to interconnected account features.
- Impact: Sensitive genetic and personal data was exposed, leading to class-action lawsuits and reputational damage.
- Lesson: Penetration testing against authentication workflows could have highlighted weaknesses in password reuse protection and multi-factor authentication.
Best Practices for Conducting Security Audits and Penetration Testing
1. Schedule Audits Regularly
- Security is never “done.” Threats evolve daily, so a one-off audit won’t protect you for long.
- Frequency: Conduct a full security audit at least annually and align with compliance frameworks like ISO 27001 or PCI DSS. For sectors such as finance or healthcare, quarterly audits may be necessary.
- Penetration testing: Run pen tests at least quarterly or immediately after major changes such as system migrations, cloud adoption or deploying new applications.
- Tip: Tie your audit calendar to board reporting cycles. This ensures security findings translate into executive-level accountability and budget planning.
2. Automate Where Possible
Manual audits are essential, but automation dramatically improves speed, consistency and coverage.
- Continuous monitoring: Tools like Fortinet’s FortiSIEM analyse logs, events and behaviours in real-time, alerting you to anomalies without waiting for the next scheduled audit.
- Scalable scans: Automated vulnerability scanners can cover thousands of endpoints quickly, freeing up security teams to focus on interpreting results and prioritising fixes.
- Benefit: Automation reduces “blind spots” — no more waiting weeks to spot a misconfigured firewall rule or an unpatched server.
3. Collaborate Across Teams
Security is a shared responsibility, not just an IT task.
- Cross-functional input: Include compliance, legal, HR and operations in your audit and testing cycle. For example, HR policies around staff onboarding/offboarding can create security gaps if not reviewed.
- Tabletop exercises: Run simulations where teams walk through how they’d respond to a breach uncovered during testing. This exposes weaknesses in processes, not just technology.
- Culture: Encourage a “security-first” mindset by involving leadership. When executives participate in testing debriefs, it signals the importance of investing in prevention.
4. Document and Prioritise Findings
Audits and pen tests produce long lists of vulnerabilities — but not all are equal.
- Prioritisation: Classify risks based on severity (e.g. CVSS scoring), exploitability and business impact.
- Action tracking: Assign clear ownership, deadlines and remediation plans to every critical issue.
- Example: A critical misconfigured firewall should be patched immediately, while lower-risk findings (like outdated printer firmware) can be scheduled into routine maintenance.
5. Test People as Well as Technology
Cybercriminals often exploit human error before they exploit systems.
- Phishing simulations: Regularly test staff awareness and response.
- Privilege audits: Ensure employees only have access to the systems they need. Dormant accounts and excessive privileges are easy entry points.
- Insider threats: Include monitoring for unusual employee behaviour as part of your audit scope.
6. Close the Loop with Continuous Improvement
Audits and pen tests aren’t box-ticking exercises. The value lies in what you do next.
- Measure progress: Track how many vulnerabilities are fixed, how quickly and whether repeat issues reappear.
- Feedback loop: Feed lessons learned back into policies, training and technical controls.
- External validation: Consider an independent audit every few years to benchmark your maturity against industry peers.
How Fortinet and Britannic Can Support Your Security Efforts
Technology is only as strong as the processes that support it. That’s why pairing best practices with the right solutions makes the difference between being exposed and being resilient.
- FortiGate next-generation firewalls: Protect your network perimeter with advanced threat detection and prevention, keeping malicious traffic out before it reaches critical systems.
- FortiWeb application firewalls: Safeguard customer-facing applications from exploits and injection attacks, which penetration tests often uncover.
- FortiSIEM: Automates monitoring and incident detection, reducing the time between identifying vulnerabilities and remediating them.
- Acronis Cyber Protect: Complements audits with integrated backup, patch management, and disaster recovery - essential when vulnerabilities lead to unexpected downtime.
Example: Financial services organisations that combine Fortinet’s FortiSIEM with Britannic’s managed services often achieve faster threat response times and clearer visibility of risks in business terms. This integration helps shift cybersecurity from being seen as an IT issue to becoming a board-level priority.
With Britannic’s consultative approach, these technologies are integrated into your wider IT strategy. We help you build a framework where regular security audits and penetration testing feed directly into proactive remediation and continuous improvement.
Conclusion: Stay Ahead of Cyber Threats
Cyberattacks are no longer a matter of “if” but “when.” The difference between organisations that survive and those that suffer catastrophic damage often comes down to whether they conduct regular security audits and penetration testing.
By exposing vulnerabilities before attackers do, businesses can strengthen defences, protect customer trust and stay compliant with ever-stricter regulations.
With Britannic, and trusted partners like Fortinet and Acronis, you gain not just tools but the expertise to embed proactive security into the DNA of your organisation. Don’t wait for a breach to test your resilience. Build it now.
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