Chapter 11 - penetration testing

what is penetration testing?

pen test is the process of identifying security vulnerabilities in an application by evaluating the system with various malicious techniques

weak points are exploited

purpose of pen test

to secure important data from outsiders who have unauthorized access

what is a penetration tester referred to as?

ethical hacker

causes of vulnerabilities (5)

1. design and dev errors

2. poor system configuration

3. human error

4. connectivity

5. complexity

what is the biggest cause of vulnerability?

human error

why should we do penetration testing

to prevent major attacks like Wannacry

why is it unavoidable to do pen testing?

due to the recent scale and danger of cyber-attacks these days

what is pen testing mainly required for? (4)

1. financial or critical data

2. for software release cycles

3. secure user data

4. find vulnerabilities

why do big organizations look for PCI compliance before doing business with third parties?

to avoid loop holes left in a software system

what should be tested? (5)

1. software

2. hardward

3. network

4. processes

5. end-user behaviour

social engineering test

attempts to make a person reveal sensitive information

mostly done over the phone, internet, help-desks etc

network service test

** One of the most commonly performed pen test

openings in the network are identified and entry is made, this can be done locally or remotely

what are the three categories pen tests can be organized to?

1. black box

2. white box

3. grey box

black box pen test

tester assesses the target system, network or process without knowledge of its details

they have a high level of inputs

NO CODE IS EXAMINED

white box pen test

tester is equipped with complete details

examines code, design and dev errors - simulation of an INTERNAL attack

grey box pen test

tester has limited details about the target environment

• simulation of EXTERNAL environment

three techniques to pen testing

1. Manual - social engineering, check design, logic and code

2. automated

3. combination - most common to get all vulnerabilities

penetration testing tools

• automated tools identify standard vulnerabilities

• tools can scan to check for malicious code

• can verify security loopholes by examining data encryption and figuring out hard-coded values like passwords and usernames

criteria for selecting best penetration tool

1. easy to deploy

2. can system easily

3. categorize vulnerabilities

4. automate verification of vulnerabilities

5. re-verify the exploits

6. generated documentation

7. train test resources

Acunetix

pen testing tool that offers security professionals and software engineers alike a range of stunning features in an easy, robust package

Intruder

pen testing tool is a vulnerability scanner that finds cybersecurity weaknesses in a digital estate while explaining risks

Astra Pentest

pen testing tool that is compatible with any business across industries. They have scanners and teams of experts (pen testers)