Penetration Testing - Benefits, Difference from VA + skills needed for pentesting

What is Penetration Testing?

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What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing (which is sometimes referred to as “pen-testing” and “ethical hacking”) is the method of assessing the applications on your computer network or system for weaknesses and vulnerability to threats such as cyberattacks and hackers.

The pen test can be performed on IP address ranges, individual applications, or solely based on an organization’s name.

Why is Penetration Testing important?

Security is a major concern in today’s business environment, and penetration testing is one of the most important ways to ensure that your data, systems, and processes are secure from malicious attacks.
Companies that perform penetration testing have the edge over their competitors as they have fewer security breaches and can identify vulnerabilities before hackers.
Penetration testing provides companies with a risk assessment of their current level of security and helps them take necessary steps to improve it based on industry best practices.
Performing penetration testing regularly helps companies identify security gaps and fix them before they are exploited by hackers or other malicious entities.
Regular penetration testing activity also helps identify gaps in security controls and address them before they result in a breach.
Most companies that do not perform penetration testing are often the victims of cyber-attacks as they do not have a proper security system to protect their data, systems, and processes from malicious attacks.

When and How Frequently Pen Testing is required?

Penetration testing should be carried out regularly (at least once a calendar year) to ensure consistency in IT and network security management by showing how new vulnerabilities (0 days, 1 day, 2 days) could be targeted by malicious hackers.

Alongside regularly scheduled analyses and assessments as mandated by regulations like GDPR, PCI-DSS tests should also be performed at times when:

Applications or network infrastructures are added.
Significant modifications or upgrades are made to infrastructures or applications.
New office locations have been established.
Security patches are put on.
The policies for end-users are changed.

Difference Between Vulnerability Assessment (VA) and Penetration Testing (PT)

Vulnerability Assessment	Penetration Testing
This involves discovering and measuring the weaknesses in a computer network or system. It identifies vulnerabilities to breach security safeguards and compromise systems.	Creates an inventory of vulnerabilities that are ranked by severity. It helps determine the route the attacker follows to gain control of the system(s).
Usually, it is conducted by staff members in-house with authentic credentials; doesn’t need a specialist level	It is best to get help from an outside company that is independent and switch between two or three. It requires a good amount of expertise.
Assessments help to determine, define and identify security weaknesses or vulnerabilities within a computer network or system or organization to prioritize security concerns.	Pen tests find weaknesses with specific objectives in mind. They want to understand what a cybercriminal could do to exploit a vulnerability to attack the security of a company or computer network or system.

Difference Between Red Teaming and Penetration Testing (PT)

Red Teaming	Penetration Testing
Red Teams, in contrast, don’t attempt to create an extensive list of the weaknesses of your business. A Red Team engagement aims to identify a method for an area, exploit it, and then increase the level of your system to access the most lucrative data they can access.	The goal of pen tests is to discover the security holes possible, exploit them, and gain access to each vulnerability’s risk rating.
Red Team attacks are more than a free-for-all. They employ any means they can to access your system through wireless exploits and security vulnerabilities in software to physically enter your office and take confidential information. This is why Red Teams spend an impressive amount of time during the pre-attack phase of testing penetration.	Pentest for penetration is divided into six distinct kinds, and the majority of the company’s pentests focus on a specific area for each engagement. The focus area is narrow, and the pentester operates within a limited field of view, allowing them to concentrate on certain attacks.
Red Teaming goes much more in-depth, with the usual Red Team project extending from three to six weeks. Sometimes, it can be even longer, depending on the size of the company and its complex systems.	Red Team attacks are more than a free-for-all. They employ any means they can to access your system through wireless exploits and security vulnerabilities in software to physically enter your office and taking confidential information. This is why Red Teams spend an impressive amount of time during the pre-attack phase of testing penetration.

Skills required to do an effective Penetration Testing?

Pen testers must thoroughly know information technology (IT) and security systems to identify weaknesses. The skills might include:

Network and application security
Programming languages, especially for scripting (Python, BASH, Java, Ruby, Perl)
Threat modelling
Linux, Windows, and macOS environments
Security assessment tools
Cloud architecture
Remote access technologies
Pentest management platforms
Cryptography
Technical writing and documentation

Get certified by:

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
CompTIA PenTest+
GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester (GWAPT)
Certified Penetration Tester (CPT)
GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN)
Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)

SharkStriker Penetration Testing Offerings

Our skilled penetration testers provide shark-like capabilities to assess your organization’s security posture. In short, probe every detail of your IT infrastructure and observe how it holds up against cyber attacks.

We test everything from firewalls and web applications to networks and cloud environments.

Frequently Asked Question

What are the 5 stages of penetration testing?
What are the four penetration testing types?
What is a penetration test, and why do I need IT?

There are five stages of the penetration testing life cycle, which are as follows:-

Planning and reconnaissance
Scanning
Gaining Access
Maintaining access
Analysis

There are many penetration testing methodology to meet the specific objectives and threats of a company. Here are some of the most commonly used kinds of pen tests.

Internal Pen Testing
External Pen Testing
Insider Threat Pen Test
Wireless Pen Testing

Pen tests, also known as penetration testing, also known as pen test A penetration test, also known as a pen test, can be described as an effort to assess the level of security in the IT infrastructure by attempting to exploit weaknesses.