Penetration testing is a part of the software testing process that helps identify how the application responds to various breaches and attacks. However, with technologies advancing rapidly, the threats are becoming more complex and even harder to avert.
This makes penetration testing an ongoing process, not one that is to be done merely on an annual basis.
However, just like everything else, experts conducting pen tests often face a variety of challenges that hinder their progress.
Here are some of the most common challenges we, as a leading penetration testing company, face when working with clients:
Logical Flow
Penetration testing on websites comes with its own set of challenges. Websites act differently. This often leads to dramatic changes in the penetration testing process.
For example, some websites might require visitors to go through a verification process before they can be redirected to the main page while others might require no authentication at all. This obviously impacts the testing process.
Session State Management
One of the most common problems for professionals conducting tests is to stay logged into a particular system while testing it.
Developers use a wide array of tracking systems to monitor traffic inflow into different software. Therefore, testers are required to manually define limitations according to the specific software testing parameters. More than often, attacking the software to check vulnerability will result in invalidation of the current session.
Custom URLs
Another challenge faced during the penetration testing of web applications is the presence of different URLs that act in varying ways when implemented.
While some of them are quite straightforward and can be tested in simpler methods, others expose testers to a dramatic number of possibilities in the types of attacks that should be tested.
False Positives or Negatives
It often becomes close to impossible to pinpoint the vulnerability that is associated with a specific software.
In addition to that, there is always the possibility of creating an attack for the test process that leads to a false positive or negative signal. Therefore, working further becomes difficult as the results are merely real. This often leads to overlooking underlying key problems.
These are some of the most important challenges faced by testers when performing penetrations tests on websites, web applications and software.
If you are looking for penetration testing services, work with a company that knows its way around all of these challenges and more. Get in touch with us to find out how we provide world class web security audits and penetration testing.