You might have heard your IT vendor or a regulatory examiner say the words “pen test” and how your organization might want to get one done, but what exactly is a pen test?
Penetration Tests:
Penetration tests, or pen tests, are simulated cybersecurity attacks to assess any vulnerabilities present at that time. They allow IT and security professionals to understand how well security controls work, to identify response systems, and if it can detect intruders and weaknesses.
The pen test is performed to discover vulnerabilities without harming your network or exposing your data. For the layman, it is a form of ethical hacking that helps improve your web security.
Objectives of Penetration Testing:
Penetration tests are performed to find potential breach sites and vulnerabilities, simulate cybersecurity attacks by penetrating weak systems, applications, and services with various tools, and to discover how much data can be accessed with a prolonged simulated attack.
Types of Penetration testing:
There are many different kinds of penetration tests, with each having a different method and scope. As the customer, you should understand what each type of test does to determine the best one for your business.
Some common types include:
External Network Penetration Test:
This is a black-box test that uses footprint analysis to find information about the network and organization available publicly, such as its IP addresses, ranges, and important personal information.
These are used to find potential vulnerabilities in the system.
Internal Network Penetration Test:
This uses a white or grey box designed to mimic how the user’s account is hacked.
Selecting the Right Penetration Test:
Penetration tests can be customized to search for vulnerabilities in mobile and web apps and wireless networks. Before choosing a penetration testing service provider, figure out which approach suits your organization best.
The tests can be customized in the following ways:
Black Box Tests:
Black box tests are objective security assessments performed without any knowledge of the tested network system, as seen by third parties. These test software security operations, instead of its structure, without damaging the network.
White box tests:
These are performed after a full understanding of the internal system and structural design to be tested and tests software for gaps in code and security.
Grey Box Tests:
As indicated by the name, grey box tests combine both black and white box testing features to evaluate the level of security from the perspective of an actual account user.
These tests allow deeper access into the software or product and give more information about the internal system from an outside and insider’s perspective.
Clearly, selecting the right testing approach is crucial for organizational success. Lean Security can help you understand your organizational testing needs and provide AI-powered web and mobile application testing services with state of the art technologies.
To find out more about penetration testing, contact us here or call us at +61 (2) 8078 6952 to book a consultation with our experts.