Small employee mistakes can grant adversaries their initial access to the business’s internal network.įinally, businesses can do a physical pen test that focuses on the physical security of their organization. Often, clicking the link authorizes access, downloads malware, or reveals credentials.Ī social engineering test can reveal how susceptible a business’s employees are to these attacks. These attacks aim to manipulate employees into clicking a link or taking an action that compromises the business network. Social engineering tests simulate common social engineering attacks such as phishing, baiting, and pretexting. A wireless pen test will try to exploit corporate employees that use their devices on insecure, open guest networks. Vulnerable protocols and weak configurations may allow users to gain access to a wired network from outside the building.Īdditionally, businesses are using more mobile devices than ever but struggle to secure them. A wireless pen test identifies and exploits insecure wireless network configurations and weak authentication. Web application issues may include SQL injection, cross-site scripting, insecure authentication, and weak cryptography.Ī wireless test looks for vulnerabilities in wireless networks. Either way, web applications increase the attack surface for IT departments.ĭespite their cost and length, web application tests are crucial to a business.
Some web applications are vulnerable on the server side, and some are vulnerable on the client side. As a result, most of the external attack surface is composed of web applications. While web applications may have some overlap with network services, a web application test is much more detailed, intense, and time consuming.īusinesses use more web applications than ever, and many of them are complex and publicly available. True to its name, this test focuses on all web applications. Network attacks may include circumventing endpoint protection systems, intercepting network traffic, testing routers, stealing credentials, exploiting network services, discovering legacy devices and third-party appliances, and more. In an external test, the attacker focuses on perimeter protection, like bypassing a next-generation firewall (NGFW). In an internal test, businesses may be focused on testing their segmentation policies, so an attacker focuses on lateral movement in the system. It can focus on internal infrastructure, like evading a next-generation intrusion prevention system (NGIPS), or the test can focus on the network’s external infrastructure, like bypassing poorly configured external firewalls. Penetration testing includes consent between the business and the tester.Īn attack on a business’s network infrastructure is the most common type of pen test. But any unauthorized hacking efforts are malicious and illegal. Some people refer to hacking efforts by rogue individuals for political reasons as ethical hacking, or hacktivism. Basically, in pen testing an organization is ethically hacked to discover security issues. What is ethical hacking?Įthical hacking is synonymous with penetration testing in a business context. Excluded activities may include tactics like denial-of-service ( DoS) attacks. A DoS attack can completely obliterate a network, so the business may want to guarantee it will not be done on a pen test. Prior to a pen test, the business works with testers to create two lists: an excluded activities list and an excluded devices list. Responsible penetration testing teams will have multiple safety measures in place to limit any impacts to the network. Network integrity is the number one concern for businesses considering pen testing. Can a penetration test destroy my network? But a pen test simulates a cyberattack and exploits discovered vulnerabilities. A vulnerability assessment is primarily a scan and evaluation of security. Pen testing and vulnerability assessments are not the same. Is pen testing the same as a vulnerability assessment? Pen testing experts can help businesses before, during, and after the tests to help obtain useful and beneficial results. Experts can ensure that testing does not damage the network, and they can also provide better insights into vulnerabilities. Given the value of a business’s network, it is imperative that businesses consult with experts before pen testing. Penetration testing challenges a network's security.
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