Cybercriminals are continually innovating new tactics and becoming more aggressive. This has increased the importance of effective security countermeasures more than ever before. Penetration testing is one of the most effective ways to discover exploitable weaknesses and protect your applications from attacks before cybercriminals find and abuse them. Pen testing can be applied to a variety of software, applications, networks, and systems regardless of your organization’s size.
There are three main types of penetration testing, each using different methods and tactics to approach and attack your systems.
A black box penetration test is one in which the tester has little to no knowledge about the product or application being tested. In this type of test, the ethical hacker acts as a malicious hacker with no internal information about the organization. The ethical hacker will then attempt to gather information on the application and exploit any uncovered vulnerabilities.
Objective: Find vulnerabilities that would be exposed to an outside hacker.
Best Suited For: Organizations who wish to know how secure their software is to the unknown.
White box penetration testing, also known as clear box testing, is just the opposite of a black box test. In this method, the tester is given all of the information about the application they will be testing. This includes things like source code, network infrastructure, and system architecture. White box testing is usually performed in an insider attack simulation.
Objective: Find vulnerabilities that would be exposed to someone inside the organization.
Best Suited For: Organizations who wish to test the security of core systems.
Grey box testing is a combination of white and black box testing. In grey box testing, the tester will have some knowledge of the application that they are testing. An example of this would be simulating an attack by a current or former employee who has insider information about the organization.
Objective: Find vulnerabilities that would be exposed to someone with limited access.
Best Suited For: Organizations who wish to test how well their software can stand up to former employees and other parties with limited access.
This may come as no surprise, but there is a specific process that penetration testers will take. Understanding the different phases will help you better understand what to expect from your own penetration test.
The planning phase of penetration testing begins once you have hired a pen tester to test your security policies and application. The pen tester will identify the systems, networks, and applications that they will be testing. They will then develop a plan of action that will be used to test your security and identify vulnerabilities.
Activities: Identify Systems, Networks, Applications To Be Tested.
The discovery phase is also known as fingerprinting. In this stage, the pen tester will gather as much information about the system as possible. This includes usernames/passwords and system data. The tester will also conduct a vulnerability scan to identify exploitable weaknesses.
Activities: Gathering Information, Vulnerability Scan, and fingerprinting.
This is the phase where your pen tester will begin to attack your system. In order to gain access to the system, they will need the appropriate security privileges.
Activities: Attack Vector Testing.
In the reporting phase of penetration testing, your ethical hacker will create a report detailing their findings. The report will provide you with the vulnerabilities that were identified and give you options on how to fix them. The report also includes how the business could be impacted if the vulnerability was exploited.
Activities: Reporting Vulnerabilities and suggesting remediation efforts.
Aside from identifying potential vulnerabilities in your system’s security, penetration testing can do so much more. Below are some additional benefits of penetration testing.
While vulnerability scans can identify potential risks to your organization, penetration testing takes it a step further. Penetration tests attempt to exploit found vulnerabilities to see the real-world risk they pose.
By stacking lower-risk vulnerabilities together and triggering them in a certain sequence, a penetration test can reveal higher-risk vulnerabilities that automated scans wouldn’t detect.
Business continuity is all about preparing for possible cybersecurity events and dealing with them before they occur. By identifying vulnerabilities within your system and piecing together how they can be attacked, penetration testing can help you discover how attacks can affect your organization and how quickly your network defenders can find them.
Using the reports created by your penetration tester, you can prove to the C-level that your organization requires more people, technology, and processes to keep your applications secure.
After a security breach, a penetration test can help you figure out what vectors the attackers used to gain access. This paired with forensics can help you determine if your newly implemented security controls are working.
Talk to our Cyber Security Expert
If you’re looking for a company to perform penetration testing, Cyber Security Hive is the place to look. We provide penetration testing services to our clients in the USA, UK, UAE, and India with proven results. Here’s why you should trust us with your applications.
World-Class Experience: Cyber Security Hive has years of experience in performing penetration tests for all types of industries. Our team of certified experts knows how to perform the best penetration test your application will ever see.
Pen Test Combined with Testing Methods: Our penetration testers use a combination of automated tools and hands-on manual testing to see what vulnerabilities your systems may have.
Custom Pen Testing: Not every penetration test is the same. We take the time to understand your business and provide you with customized penetration testing.
Real Solution: Our experts don’t just find vulnerabilities and leave you to fix them. We provide you with a detailed report with recommendations on how to solve them.
Penetration testing can be applied to nearly anything that is connected to the internet. Allow professionals to perform penetration testing on your web applications, networks, operating systems, and even your overall IT structure.