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.

How is Penetration Testing different from Vulnerability Assessment?

Many people confuse penetration testing with Red Teaming. Specialised security consultants deliver these services, but there are some key differences between them.

Goals

The goal of pen tests is to discover the security holes possible, exploit them, and gain access to each vulnerability’s risk rating.

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.

Attack Vectors

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 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 entering 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.

Time

There’s a vast distinction in the amount of time dedicated to Red Team operations vs. pentests. Because penetration tests are concentrated on certain types of engagements, with clearly specific scopes, an average pentest takes between 2 and 3 weeks.

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.

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.