Penetration testing

Penetration testing (pentest) is a targeted simulation of a cyberattack on IT infrastructure, which is conducted by IS specialists to assess the level of its information security.

The purpose of the pentest is to identify threats and vulnerabilities that can be used by an attacker, for example, to steal data, and to form a detailed report with recommendations on how to eliminate them and improve the company’s IS level.

Stages of the pentest

Planning and Exploration. Define the scope and objectives of the pentest, collect the necessary data, and identify the systems to be tested.

Scanning. Use automated tools to understand how the system responds to various intrusion attempts. Scanning.

Gaining access.Utilizing vulnerabilities that were discovered in the previous step and attempting to break into the system.

Maintaining access. Checking whether the vulnerability can be exploited to achieve a persistent presence on the system.

Analysis. Analyze the results, generate a report with the threats and vulnerabilities discovered and recommendations for remediation.

Varieties of penetration testing

Penetration testing can be divided into three main types, each characterized by a different degree of knowledge about the system and a different level of information disclosure.

Black box testing“. The pentester has no prior knowledge of the system, so he simulates an attack by an external hacker.

White-box testing“. Pentester has complete knowledge of the system to conduct comprehensive and thorough testing. White-box testingPentester has complete knowledge of the system to conduct comprehensive and thorough testing.

Gray Box Testing . Pentester has partial knowledge of the system. Such a check simulates an attack by a privileged user..