What Is A Pen Test: With the context of cybersecurity, penetration refers to the practice of evaluating a computer system’s or network’s security by attempting to exploit vulnerabilities that a malicious attacker could use to gain unauthorized access or execute other destructive acts.
Penetration testing, commonly known as “pen testing,” is a type of ethical hacking carried out with the approval and supervision of the entity that controls the system or network under test. The purpose of pen testing is to find and fix vulnerabilities in a system so that it can be more secure and prevent unauthorized access or other sorts of assaults.
A team of qualified security professionals will attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in the system or network using a range of tactics and tools similar to those used by hostile hackers during a penetration test. Attempting to gain unauthorized access to the system or network, stealing sensitive data, or inflicting various sorts of damage or disruption are all examples of this.
Penetration testing can assist organizations in identifying security flaws and developing methods to reduce the chance of a successful attack. Organizations may strengthen their overall security and protect against potential data breaches or other types of cyber assaults by discovering and resolving vulnerabilities before they are exploited by hostile actors.
Stages In Penetration Testing
The stages of a typical penetration testing procedure can vary depending on the test’s unique aims and scope, but they often comprise the following:
Planning and Reconnaissance – At this step, the penetration testing team will collaborate with the organization being tested to identify the test’s objectives, scope, and methodology. They will also do reconnaissance activities in order to obtain information about the target system or network, such as detecting potential vulnerabilities and attack routes.
Scanning and Enumeration – The penetration testing team will use specific tools and techniques to scan the target system or network for vulnerabilities and obtain additional information about the target environment at this step.
Exploitation – At this point, the penetration testing team will try to exploit any found vulnerabilities in the target system or network in order to gain unauthorized access or carry out other harmful operations.
Post-exploitation – Once the penetration testing team has gained access to the target system or network, they will do additional testing and analysis to evaluate the depth of the compromise and find any new vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
Reports and Remediation – Once the testing is completed, the penetration testing team will write a report outlining their findings and recommendations for enhancing the target system’s or network’s security. This information can then be used by the organization being tested to remediate any detected vulnerabilities and improve their overall security posture.
Types Of penetration Testing
Depending on the specific objectives and scope of the test, there are several types of penetration testing that can be performed. Some examples of frequent types of penetration testing are:
Network Penetration testing focuses on discovering vulnerabilities and evaluating computer network security, including wired and wireless networks, firewalls, routers, and switches.
Web Application Penetration testing focuses on discovering vulnerabilities and assessing the security of web applications such as e-commerce websites, online portals, and web-based corporate applications.
Wireless Penetration testing focuses on detecting vulnerabilities and verifying the security of wireless networks, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections.
Social Engineering Penetration testing focuses on attempting to persuade employees into giving critical information or granting illegal access in order to assess an organization’s security.
Physical Penetration Testing focuses on an organization’s physical security measures, such as building access controls, security cameras, and alarms.
Red Teaming is mimicking a real-world assault on an organization’s systems and networks in order to evaluate the efficiency of the organization’s security measures and response procedure.
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