What Is Penetration Testing? Understanding Penetration Testing Steps

Did you know the average cost of a data breach is $3.92 million?

As software and other computer technologies get more complicated every year, so do cyber threats. Unfortunately, this opens the door to more security issues that can leave your business and customer information exposed to hackers.

If you’re looking to avoid prevent data breaches that can bring your business to its knees, penetration testing can help.

Wondered what pen testing is and how it works? Keep reading for the answers you’re looking for.

What Is Penetration Testing?

It takes a lot of work to put together a robust security policy. The internet is becoming a more significant part of business by the day. As companies keep moving their products and work online, threats are going to keep growing.

Even if you have developed a cybersecurity policy for your business, it’s hard to know if it’s effective if you never test it. That’s what a penetration test will do for you.

A penetration tester will use standard hacking techniques to try and breach your business. They’ll use a mix of social engineering and advanced hacking techniques to test the security you have in place.

What Are the Types of Penetration Testing?

Not all penetration testing is the same. Each testing type out there will help discover different kinds of vulnerabilities. Below are the most common testing types you need to be aware of.

1. White-Box Test

A white-box test is when a company has something specific they want to test. They give penetration testers information to guide them in their testing. This information includes external server information, internal company devices, and source code to applications.

These tests are often more in-depth than other types of tests. Since the attacker has information about their target, they can do more to test systems to make sure they’re secure.

2. Black-Box Test

A black-box penetration test is more free-form than a white-box one. In these tests, the tester is given little or no information about their target.

Companies primarily use black-box tests to mimic external attacks. Testers use standard hacking techniques to break into a company from outside.

3. Grey-Box Testing

A grey-box test is a mix of black and white-box testing. A tester might not get all the information about a company. What they will get is a limited set of information for them to use for testing.

This information is often used to test the external security of public applications. They are typically concerned with specific attack vectors that can compromise a business.

4. Social Engineering

Technical skills aren’t the only thing you need to be a penetration tester. Employees are one of the most significant security risks a business has. Social engineering will help a tester exploit employees of a company.

Social engineering is the process of gathering information about individuals. The goal is to get enough information to guess passwords, security questions, and other sensitive information. Once an attacker gets this information, they can gain access to accounts that belong to the employee.

What Are the Penetration Testing Steps?

Just like there is a lot to learn when protecting your network, the field of penetration testing is just as complex. The good news is the process itself does have a set of steps that makes things easier. Below are the penetration testing steps any good tester needs to follow.

1. Planning

A hacker isn’t going to throw everything against the wall to see what works. There is a large number of attacks that can be used against businesses. Without a plan, hackers will never be able to gain access to secure systems.

The planning stage is where a tester will use the information they have to figure out the least secure targets. Doing this will speed up the process of developing attack vectors.

2. Information Gathering

Once a tester has a plan, the next step is to gather information about their target. This process involves gathering information about the systems a company uses.

These systems include websites, remote access systems, and anything else that connects to the internet.

3. Discovery

Once a tester has a better idea about the systems a target uses, it’s time to figure out how these systems will respond to attacks. The discovery process will help a tester figure that out.

Discovery is the process of using tools to figure out what services are open and available on a target’s systems. Testers typically use automated tools to look for openings on systems found in the discovery phase. These openings are what testers will use to find vulnerabilities to exploit.

4. Penetration Test

After the discovery process is complete, a tester should have a good picture of the systems their target uses. A tester will use this information to create attack vectors.

This process can be hit or miss for a tester. Even if a vulnerability is there, a target can have security in place to stop it from being exploited. A penetration tester will still document these problems for their customer to review.

5. Privilege Escalation

It’s one thing to gain access to a system. It’s another one to escalate your access to take a cyberattack to the next level.

Privilege escalation is the process of using an exploit to gain higher-level access to a system. This process involves keeping a low profile to get access to data and keeping access without being discovered by a business.

6. Reporting

An attack won’t be complete the moment a tester breaches a network. It’s an attacker’s job to keep trying different attack vectors and keep access to their target as long as possible. They need to do so to document and report this information to their clients.

The report will detail all the risks a tester finds with a network. It will help the business figure out what their most significant threats are and develop a plan to close any security holes.

Consult a Pen Testing Company Today

Cybersecurity is a complex topic that you can quickly learn. It changes all the time, and you need to be up to date on the newest penetration testing steps that help discover security issues. Get in touch with a security company to make sure you’re business is secure.

If you’re not ready for pen testing yet and are still securing your company network, head back to our blog. Our posts will help you learn the best practices for protecting your business on the internet.