Penetration testing, also known as pen testing or ethical hacking, is a simulated cyber attack against a computer system, network, or web application to assess its security vulnerabilities. The goal of penetration testing is to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit to gain unauthorized access, steal sensitive data, or disrupt operations.
Penetration testing is a proactive and controlled approach to identifying security risks, allowing organizations to take corrective action before malicious hackers can exploit them. It involves a team of security experts, known as white-hat hackers or ethical hackers, who use the same techniques and tools as malicious hackers to test an organization's defenses.
• Identify vulnerabilities: Discover potential entry points that an attacker could use to gain access to the system, network, or application.
• Assess risk: Evaluate the severity of identified vulnerabilities and prioritize remediation efforts.
• Improve security: Provide recommendations for remediation and mitigation of identified vulnerabilities.
Focuses on identifying vulnerabilities in a network infrastructure, such as routers, switches, and firewalls.
Targets web applications and their underlying infrastructure to identify vulnerabilities.
Tests an organization's human defenses against phishing, pretexting, and other social engineering attacks.
The tester has no prior knowledge of the system, network, or application being tested. The tester is given only the IP address or URL of the target system and must use publicly available information to gather intelligence and identify vulnerabilities.
The goal of Black Box testing is to simulate a real-world attack, where the attacker has no prior knowledge of the system. This approach is useful for identifying vulnerabilities that are easily exploitable by an external attacker.
The tester has some prior knowledge of the system, network, or application being tested. This knowledge may include:
• Network diagrams
• System configurations
• User credentials
• Source code
The goal of Grey Box testing is to identify vulnerabilities that are not easily exploitable by an external attacker, but may still be vulnerable to an insider or an attacker with some prior knowledge of the system.
In White Box penetration testing, the tester has complete knowledge of the system, network, or application being tested. This includes:
• Network diagrams
• System configurations
• User credentials
• Source code
The goal of White Box testing is to identify all possible vulnerabilities, including those that may not be easily exploitable by an external attacker.
Cybersecurity companies play a crucial role in protecting individuals, organizations, and networks from digital attacks.
