PEN'TEST

Penetration testing (also known as pen testing or ethical hacking) is an authorized, simulated cyberattack on a computer system, network, or web application, performed to evaluate security posture and identify exploitable vulnerabilities.

Core Phases of a Penetration Test

• Planning & Reconnaissance: Defining the scope and goals of the test, and gathering intelligence (e.g., system architecture, IP addresses, open-source data) to understand target behaviors.
• Scanning & Vulnerability Analysis: Utilizing automated tools and manual analysis to determine how target systems respond to intrusion attempts or where structural flaws exist.
• Exploitation: Launching targeted attacks—such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), or privilege escalation—to breach system defenses.
• Maintaining Access & Lateral Movement: Assessing how deep an attacker can pivot within a network or how long they can maintain persistent presence to simulate real-world advanced persistent threats (APTs).
• Reporting: Compiling technical findings, risk prioritization levels (critical, high, medium, low), and actionable remediation steps.

Common Types of Penetration Tests

• External Testing: Targets public-facing assets like web applications, firewalls, and domain name servers (DNS) from an outside perspective with no prior system access.
• Internal Testing: Simulates a malicious insider or an attacker who has already breached the perimeter firewall, evaluating lateral movement and internal privilege boundaries.
• Web/Mobile Application Testing: Focuses specifically on software logic, APIs, inputs, and authentication frameworks to uncover application-layer flaws.
• Physical Testing: Evaluates physical controls—such as locks, cameras, biometric sensors, and guard protocols—through on-site simulation.
• Social Engineering: Tests human security awareness through controlled phishing, pretexting, or baiting vectors.

Testing Methodologies (Knowledge Levels)

• Black-Box Testing: The tester has zero prior knowledge of the infrastructure or source code, simulating a blind external attacker.
• White-Box Testing: The tester has full access to system architecture, network diagrams, and source code, allowing for comprehensive depth analysis.
• Grey-Box Testing: A hybrid approach where the tester is given partial knowledge or low-level credentials, simulating an attacker with limited internal footing.