What Is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing imitates cyberattacks on apps, networks, the cloud, containers, mobile devices, and more. Simulating cyberattacks in different areas helps provide insight and strengthens your cybersecurity to protect your business information. Being proactive with pen testing helps uncover hidden and exploitable vulnerabilities.
These authorized tests use the same tactics, methods, and procedures hackers employ to attack vulnerable systems. Since 12 Points Technologies is permitted to identify and exploit systems, networks, and applications our penetration tests are considered ethical hacking. Businesses can benefit from pen testing to improve the overall security of the system being tested.
Methods of Penetration Testing
Not all penetration tests are equal. Depending on the goal of the test, the level of information provided to the tester varies.
- Black Box: No information is given to the tester, who can only use public information such as websites, email addresses, and domain servers.
- White Box: Information is given to the tester, representing an insider scenario. This includes network diagrams, source codes, login information, and hardware and software details.
- Gray Box: Testers receive limited information, such as user credentials with some privileges, access to a few specific internal systems or applications, and some details about technologies or software used.
An organization’s budget and the system being tested also influence the type of penetration test. Black box tests are used for external assessments, white box tests for scenarios involving company insiders, and gray box tests simulate a user with some level of insider knowledge, balancing the perspectives of both external and internal threat assessments.
End-User Testing
At 12 Points Technologies, we also offer end-user testing. End-user testing involves assessing the security awareness and behavior of the end users (employees) of a system. The goal is to identify how susceptible employees are to scams, such as phishing, pretexting, baiting, and other tactics that rely on human interaction to compromise security. This type of testing can include:
- Phishing Simulations: Sending fake phishing emails to see if users will click on malicious links or provide sensitive information.
- Pretexting: Creating a false scenario to trick users into revealing confidential information.
- Baiting: Leaving a device (like a USB drive) in a place where users might find it and see if they plug it into their computer.
- Tailgating: Attempting to gain physical access to restricted areas by following an authorized person without their permission.
End-user testing helps organizations understand how their employees might respond to real-world attacks and provides insights into necessary training and awareness programs to improve their overall security posture.
The Penetration Testing Process
It is best practice for businesses to have pen testing done by someone who isn’t already working as your managed service provider to avoid conflict of interest. Many of the employees who conduct penetration tests are experienced developers with degrees or are self-taught. All methods of penetration testing follow a similar process.
- Reconnaissance: Hackers gather as much information as possible, which can be public or private, online or offline.
- Scanning: Once enough information is collected, pen testers use tools to test for weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the system’s security, applications, network infrastructure, configurations, etc.
- Exploitation: This involves attacking the identified vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
- Analysis: The final step is to report and explain the results of the test.
The penetration testing report includes the identified vulnerabilities that were exploited, the accessed sensitive information, and the duration the pen tester remained undetected within the system. Finally, the security personnel analyze the data to adjust an organization’s security measures to protect against future threats.
Is Your Business Ready for a Penetration Test?
As a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions, our penetration testing services can identify vulnerable areas before they are exploited by hackers. At 12 Points Technologies, our experts help identify vulnerabilities in systems by providing ethical hacking and end-user testing. To learn more about our penetration testing services, contact us today!
Related Posts
