• 27 September, 2024
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Types of Penetration Testing: Complete Guide

Cyber security experts understand the threat of cyber-attacks exists now more than ever. As businesses undergo digitalization of their processes and procedures penetration testing and checking their systems for weaknesses becomes crucial. Penetration testing methodology helps experts find flaws and gaps within the applications, networks, and systems. By simulating the real-world attacks pen testing allows experts to secure organizations from these attack vectors. Keep reading to understand all the different types of penetration testing.

Penetration Testing Types: Complete Guide

Penetration tests are mainly divided into two broad categories depending upon:

1. Amount of knowledge tester has about the application
2. Testing Scope(network or application security testing)

What are the Different Types of Penetration Testing

1. Black Box Penetration Testing

Black Box Testing

As the name suggests, black box testing is done to test the target system against external threats. In this methodology, the ethical hacker doesn’t know anything about the system/application. Hacker does external enumeration and exploits the system as an external attacker would.

Reason to conduct Black Box testing

• Testing is done from outsider’s perspective
• No knowledge of the inner workings of the application
• Helps conduct unbiased testing

Benefits of Black Box testing

Black box testing gives an accurate depiction of attacks from real-world hackers.

Some of the other benefits of black box testing are:

• Identifies all vulnerabilities that are susceptible to attacks from an external attacker’s point of view.
• These can range from security misconfigurations, ingress violations, XSS, SQL injections, etc.
• Performs unbiased and most cost-effective security posture of an organization from an outsider’s viewpoint.

2. White Box Penetration Testing

White Box Testing

White box testing, also known as glass box testing. In this testing methodology, the hacker is given everything there is to know about the system. Whitebox testing means performing tests from a developer’s perspective.

White Box Testing

Reasons to conduct White Box testing:

• Perform Testing with complete knowledge of internals of the application.
• Find vulnerabilities that a nefarious insider be could exploit.
• Perform White Box testing on critical components.

Benefits of White Box testing

Some Benefits of white box testing are :

• Tests both internal & external vulnerabilities.
• Ability to test the design of the application, architecture, and source code for vulnerabilities.
• Findings from whitebox testing can help you assess the quality of the code.

3. Grey Box Penetration Testing

Grey Box Testing

Grey box testing falls in between white and black box testing. Sometimes referred to as translucent box testing. In this type of testing, partial information about the application is known to the tester.

Reasons to conduct Grey Box testing:

The Grey box testing methodology can

• Be used to perform a more focused assessment.
• Mimic the actions of someone who knows your system.

Benefits of Grey Box testing

Grey box testing can

• Provide a realistic risk analysis.
• Very cost-effective and less time-consuming than whitebox testing.
• Provides a more in-depth analysis than a black box testing.

4. Network Penetration Testing

Network Penetration Testing

Network penetration testing includes all the tests that are conducted around the organization’s network.

Network penetration testing includes tests around.

• Firewall Configuration & Bypass Testing
• Stateful Analysis Testing
• DNS Attacks
• Secure Shell (SSH)
• SQL Server and MySQL Testing

Benefits of Network Penetration Testing

Benefits of network Penetration Testing include but are not limited to:

• Optimized network configurations.
• Complete assessment of your network.
• Identify vulnerabilities that can allow an attacker to gain access to your network.

5. Application Penetration Testing

Application Penetration Testing

Application penetration testing includes tests performed to validate the security of web applications. These tests include but are not limited to testing the application’s mainframe which includes ActiveX, Silverlight, javaApplets, APIs, etc.

Things that come under Application Penetration Testing

• Input Validation Errors.
• Session Management
• Insecure Direct Object Reference
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
• SQL Injection

Benefits of Application Penetration Testing

Why perform Application Penetration Testing?

• Application penetration Testing will allow you to test the security of your web applications.
• Help your business gain trust from your customers by knowing your applications are secure and testing for PCI DSS Compliance.

6. Wireless Penetration Testing

Wireless Penetration Testing

Wireless Penetration Testing consists of tests performed around all wireless devices used within your organization. These devices include but are not limited to Laptops, tablets, cell phones.

Includes but not limited to.

• Wireless Access Points
• Admin Credentials
• Wireless Protocols

Benefits of Wireless Penetration Testing

Why you should perform Wireless Penetration Testing

• Ensure that your Wifi is secured from unauthorized access.
• Allows you to find vulnerabilities within your laptops and cell phones that can be leveraged by a malicious attacker to gain access to your network.
• Optimize Wireless configurations.

7. Social Engineering Penetration Testing

Social Engineering Penetration Testing

This type of penetration testing is performed by tricking employees into giving out sensitive information. Most times it includes the employees password or some other confidential data. The human factor is the weakest link in any security program.

Social engineering Tests include

Remote

Involves tricking an employee to give away sensitive information over electronic means.

Physical

Involves the gathering of sensitive information through physical means such as following an employee into there workspace or blackmailing them.

Benefits of Social Engineering Penetration Testing

You should perform Social Engineering penetration Tests because

• Helps you identify security weaknesses with your employees.
• Help you fine tune your security training. (Human Security)
• Simulate real-world attacks.

8. Client-Side Penetration Testing

Client-Side Penetration Testing

This testing methodology consists of tests against software installed on the client’s workstations. These tests include but are not limited to.

Web Browsers. (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)

Content Creation Softwares. (Adobe FrameMaker, RoboHelp etc.)

Media Players

Benefits of Client-Side Penetration Testing

Why you should perform Client Side Penetration Testing

• Allows you to perform security tests against software your customers use day in and day out.
• Find vulnerabilities that can affect your End users.
• Help you optimize your software configurations.

Conclusion

Now that you know all the different types of penetration testing it’s time to get started testing. Contacting a professional penetration testing company will allow you to have someone walk you through your options. Here at Cyber Security Hive we offer professional services at affordable prices. We have the expertise and tools to help businesses of all sizes improve their security posture.

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