Pen testing: A 7-step guide

Penetration testing is a kind of security testing, which is beneficial in testing the application security. The tester performs such kind of testing in finding different security risks which are present in the specific system. In case the system is not secured properly, there are risks that the attacker might be successful in accessing the system. Security risks refer to the accidental errors, which occur during the development and implementation of the software.

This kind of testing plays an integral role in evaluating the system's capabilities in protecting the endpoints, applications, the network, and the users from different internal and external threats. Besides this, such kind of testing offers protection to different kinds of security controls. Other than this, it assures authorized access at the same time.

This kind of testing recognizes the simulation environment. So, this kind of tester is useful in finding the way in which the intruder will attack the system with the aid of the white hat attack. Besides this, it is helpful in finding different weak areas in which the intruder will attack, seek access to the data and the computer features.

In addition to this, it offers the prerequisite support to avoid the black hat attack. Also, it provides prerequisite protection to the actual data. This kind of testing is helpful in estimating the attack magnitude on the potential business.

Penetration testing services is a primary feature which should be executed regularly and properly to secure the system functions. It is essential to perform performance testing as you will find new threats from the security system's attackers. This kind of testing is responsible for the addition to the latest network infrastructure. In addition to this, you should make sure to execute such kind of testing during office relocation, installation of new software, updating the system.

Steps to perform penetration testing

Penetration testing is the combination of different techniques, which consider various problems of the system. It is helpful in testing, analyzing, and offering other solutions. Penetration testing is based on the specific structured procedure, which executes penetration testing step-wise.

Here are the steps you need to follow to execute penetration testing.

Preparation and planning

In this step, you need to define the objectives and goals of penetration testing. Here, the tester and the client will be defining the objectives jointly. Hence, both parties will possess the same understanding and goals. The common goals of penetration testing involve the recognition of vulnerabilities.

It is useful in recognizing the technical system's security. The penetration testing should have IT security, which the external third parties should confirm. It helps in boosting the personnel and organizational infrastructure's security.

Reconnaissance

It is the second phase of penetration testing which involves preliminary information analysis. There is several times in which the software tester does not possess the prerequisite details, except for the preliminary details, including the IP address.

In this step, the tester begins to analyze the specific available information. If additional information is needed, the tester asks for more information, like the network plans and the client's system descriptions. This phase is known to be passive penetration testing. The primary goal of this kind of testing is procuring detailed and complete systems information.

Discovery

It is the third phase of penetration testing in which the penetration tester will be using different automated tools for the scanning of different target assets to discover various vulnerabilities. Such tools possess databases of their own. It offers information about the most updated vulnerabilities.

This kind of tester provides the opportunity for host discovery, network discovery, and service Interrogation. Also, host discovery helps in determining the open ports present on such devices. Network discovery involves the discovery of additional servers, systems, and different devices. The service interrogation is responsible for interrogating the ports and discovering various services, which are executed on them.

Analysis of risks and information

It is another phase of penetration testing that analyzes and assesses the details collected prior to the test steps to penetrate the system dynamically. Owing to the large number of system's sizes and system, this kind of testing consumes a lot of time.

During the analysis, the software tester needs to consider different elements, such as the system's potential risks, the penetration tests' defined goals, the estimated time, which is necessary for evaluating different security flaws to perform active and subsequent penetration testing.

Active intrusion attempts

It is the final step which should be executed with prerequisite care. This step incorporates the extent to which different potential vulnerabilities are recognized in the discovery step, including different risks.

You should ensure to execute such kind of testing, in which the potential vulnerabilities verification is required. For the systems that need higher integrity needs, you should consider the risk and potential vulnerability needs before executing the vital clean-up techniques.

Final analysis

In this step, the tester needs to consider different steps, which are performed till now. Besides this, such testing involves evaluating various vulnerabilities, which are available in the potential risks form.

Preparation of reports

This phase begins with different testing processes, which is then followed by the risks and vulnerabilities risks. The crucial vulnerabilities and high risks are known to have priorities after which it is followed in the lower order.

To execute this kind of testing, you need to take different factors into account, which include the penetration testing summary, the future security suggestion, information about the fixing and cleaning of the systems, information about the risks and vulnerabilities. It is inclusive of the information of different steps and the details, which are collected during the penetration testing.

Summary

Penetration testing services are the need of the hour as it helps in finding the loopholes and security vulnerabilities in the application. You will be capable of saving a massive cut-off from the pocket and executing the Vulnerability assessment services.

Indium’s end-to-end security testing services follow the OWASP security guidelines, latest industry standards and security testing methodologies.

Our certified ethical hackers have vast experience in helping clients across diverse industry verticals and organization sizes.

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