Penetration testing and vulnerability assessment have incorrectly become interchangeable terms. While both seek to highlight weaknesses in perimeter security, they are distinct processes. Only vulnerability assessment does so in a safe manner. Perform vulnerability assessments to measure perimeter security instead of penetration tests.
Why Conduct an External Security Analysis?
Internally originating threats get most of the press due to the higher dollar cost of each incident. Externally originating security threats must not be ignored since they outnumber internal threats by a 2:1 ratio. Conducting an external security analysis ensures that the network perimeter is kept secure and information assets are protected from external threats.