Penetration testing is a part of ethical hacking, where it focuses explicitly on penetrating only the information systems. If you are interested in cyber forensics and ethical hacking, you should be familiar with this. This is because cybersecurity jobs are expected to rise by 18% within 2024.
So, for those who are new to the subject, you should know that penetration testing is a bit different from ethical hacking. This is because ethical hacking is solely focused on the protection of the information system.
So, let us now delve into the stages of penetration testing.
The Different Stages of Penetration Testing
The testing can be broken down into several phases, discussed below.
- Agreement Phase
There exists a mutual agreement between the parties in this phase. The agreement consists of high-level methods and the exploitation levels. The production server cannot be brought down by the attacker even if the testing has been done at non-peak hours.
- Reconnaissance
The person performing penetration testing relies on various hacking tools (NMAP, Hping) to obtain information about the target. The attacker gains as much information about the target as possible, like the IP addresses, domain details, mail servers, network topology, etc.
- Scanning
The attacker tries to spot vulnerabilities in the system using tools such as NMAP and Nexpose. The attacker scans the network with various scanning tools, identification of open share drives, open FTP portals, services that are running, and much more. In case of static scanning, the application code is scanned by either a YTool or an expert application vulnerability analyst.
- Gaining Access
In this phase, the attacker attempts to exploit the vulnerability using the Metasploit tool. Here, the target can be a system, firewall, secured zone or server. One has to identify the ones that are exploitable enough to provide you with access to the target.
- Maintaining Access
In this phase, the attacker tries to install some backdoors into the victim’s system. Again tools like Metasploit are used. This step is aimed at ensuring that the access is maintained that even if the system is rebooted, reset or modified.
- Clearing Tracks
The person, performing the penetration testing, clears all evidence of the attack in this stage. However, the exploitation phase is controlled in penetration testing so as to ensure that the mayhem on the network is limited. The attacker will try to acquire the data, compromise the system, launch dos attacks, etc. Usually, a dummy flag is placed in the critical zone so that no serious damage is done.
- Reporting
In the final stage, the ethical hacker documents a report which consists of the vulnerabilities spotted. He or she also mentions the tools used to exploit, and the success rate of the operation. Now, it is up to the management on how they will address the risk. They can accept the risk, transfer it or ignore it.
Some of the tools that the attacker uses are:
- NMAP
- Nessus Vulnerability Scanner
- WIRESHARK
- BackTrack
- John the Ripper
- BeEF
- Metasploit
- SQLMap
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Types and Methods of Penetration Testing
There are namely four types and methods of penetration testing. It has been discussed below.
- Internal and External Penetration test:
When the penetration test is conducted from outside the network, it is referred to as external penetration testing. Simulation of this scenario is called internal penetration testing, if the attacker is present inside the network. The knowledge about the system and the target will be abundant compared to a test conducted from outside, as the attacker is an internal person.
- Third Party Penetration Test
Another form of internal penetration testing is when an in-house security team conducts the test. Usually, companies hire third-party organizations to conduct these tests, this is referred to as third-party penetration testing.
Security breaches have increased by 11% since 2018, which is why these tests are essential.
- Double-Blind and Blind Penetration Test
The penetration tester is provided with no prior information but the organization name, in a blind penetration test. The penetration tester will have to do all the homework. Although time-consuming, but the results received would be more close to the practical attacks.
On the other hand, the double-blind test is similar to a blind test, but the security professionals will not know when the testing will start. The process will test the systems, controls and the awareness of the security teams if and when a real attack occurs.
- Gray Box, Black Box, and White Box
In the white box penetration test, the penetration tester is given the complete knowledge of the target. He or she knows the IP addresses, controls in place, code samples, etc.
In a black box penetration test, the attacker has no knowledge of the target. However, the tester can still have all the information that is publically available about the target.
In the grey box penetration test, the tester has partial information about the target. Here, the attacker is having some knowledge of the target like URLs, IP addresses, etc. But, they do not have complete knowledge or access.
Significance of Penetration Testing
Now a question might arise, “Is Penetration Testing so crucial for a business?” Well, let us find out. Penetration testing makes sure that:
- Shortcomings in the architecture are identified and resolved before a hacker can find and exploit them.
- Gaps are addressed so that the companies can meet the various standards and compliance procedures.
- The Security protocols are in place and that it cannot be breached easily. The test also ensures the responsive steps, and the attacks that have to be stopped.
Hence, the areas where this testing finds application is:
- Network services: It spots vulnerabilities in the security of the network infrastructure (for example, firewall testing)
- Client-side: It finds vulnerabilities in software on a client computer, such as an employee workstation (for example, media player)
- Wireless: This test examines all the wireless devices used in a corporation (for example, tablets or smartphones)
- Web application: Security weaknesses will get discovered (for example, Outlook)
- Social engineering: Getting confidential information by tricking an employee of the corporation to reveal such items (for example, phishing)
If you are writing a paper on penetration testing, make sure you include the above mentioned points. And if you wonder, “Can I pay for essay online?” then you should look for various educational service providers online.
Author Bio: John Mark is an ethical hacker, and he has helped numerous companies secure their network over the years. He is also a blogger, and he provides different means to protect confidential company data from unauthorized breaches. At present, he is associated with MyAssignmenthelp.com, where he is looking after the security protocols.