51CTO.com We use and generate a lot of data every day. This data is used by different sectors such as healthcare, finance, markets, etc. However, today, data breaches are becoming more rampant, and sensitive information protection is becoming more and more important.
This is where hacker infiltration comes in handy. Penetration testing or ethical hacking is used to obtain resources. Simulate hackers to carry out attacks to discover security vulnerabilities and assess their advantages.
In this article, you'll learn what penetration testing is and why it's used, and also highlight the different types and methods of penetration testing. Finally, this article lists some of the most popular tools used by penetration testers.
What is penetration testing?
Penetration testing (pen testing) involves assessing vulnerabilities in an application or infrastructure and can identify many vulnerabilities within a system. In addition to that, it pinpoints the causes of these vulnerabilities.
Once system defects are identified, the process guides you on how to find and fix them. Essentially, each detected vulnerability is assigned a specific level. This is based on which company should consider prioritizing repairs.
Companies often need to conduct penetration tests to check their systems for any vulnerabilities. In most cases, no obfuscation is required.
However, sometimes a black box penetration test is required. In this type of test, security experts respond to events like firewalls. This interferes with testers as they run checks. They can stop them, but it's time-consuming.
To bypass these restrictions, you should change the IP address. In this case, a blazing seo proxy (a rotating proxy that changes IP addresses frequently) can help with the job. A proxy server establishes a TCP connection on behalf of the server. It then exchanges network packets with that server. You will be able to use both local DNS servers and specify a name for each request. The site then remembers the address from the DNS request.
Why use penetration testing?
Penetration testing is used to verify vulnerabilities. In addition, testers use it to assess the security of the system.
Today's technology is changing rapidly. However, human error still accounts for 88% of data breaches. Modern hackers target security misconfigurations at any level of the application stack. To know if your security system can handle such attacks, you need to test them.
Here's how companies can benefit from penetration testing:
- Testing identifies weaknesses in an organization's hardware, software, or human assets for control.
- Testing ensures that the three most important aspects of network security: confidentiality, integrity, and availability are maintained.
- Testing ensures that the controls implemented are adequate.
- Testing provides a measure that provides insight into a company's established security measures. This is determined by how it is attacked and the steps required to protect it.
- Testing improves the company's overall security posture.
Types of penetration testing
1. Network penetration testing
Examine the physical structure of the system to identify hazards in the organization's network. Penetration testers implement tests in the network so they can identify flaws in the architecture, operation, or implementation of the network. Testers examine individual commercial components, such as computers, equipment, to identify possible defects.
2. Physical penetration testing
This type of penetration testing simulates real-world risks. Penetration testers act as cyber hackers, trying to break down physical security barriers. This test is used to look for defects in physical devices such as surveillance cameras, lockers, obstacles, and sensors.
3. Web application penetration testing
In this type of test, the tester looks for defects in the Web-based system. Web app penetration testing identifies vulnerabilities that may exist in websites and apps. It also searches for security issues due to poor development.
Websites and apps with transactional pages require this type of penetration testing. Examples include online shopping sites, banking apps, and other e-commerce sites.
4. Wireless network penetration test
This penetration test detects the connectivity of all devices connected to the company's Internet. The purpose is to avoid data leakage that can occur when data is shared between devices over a wireless network.
3 methods of penetration testing
There are three ways testers can perform penetration testing. They depend on the kind of information available at hand.
1. Black box penetration test
In black box or external penetration testing, testers don't understand the company's IT architecture. This process is similar to simulating a real-world cyberattack and typically takes a long time to complete.
2. Gray box penetration test
In this approach, the tester has some information about the company's architecture, including IP address, operating system, email address, location, and network map.
This is a more targeted approach because testers only have limited intranet access. This allows them to focus on potential vulnerabilities. As a result, this saves them more time and money.
3. White box penetration test
White box penetration testing is also known as internal or transparent box penetration testing. Penetration testers have all the information, such as IT infrastructure, source code, and environment.
This is a broader, deeper penetration test that covers all aspects of an application, often including code quality and basic design. In addition, this type of penetration testing usually takes two to three weeks to complete.
Tools used in penetration testing
Penetration testing relies heavily on tools. These tools help detect security flaws in networks, servers, hardware, and software. Infiltration tools are software applications used to find vulnerabilities, and they are also used by real hackers.
There are hundreds of tools available on the market for implementing different penetration testing processes. Here are some of the most popular penetration testing tools that are useful for common testing.
1、SQL Map
SQL Map is a program that automatically discovers and exploits SQL injection issues. It includes a robust detection engine that can be used with any database management system. It supports all SQL injection techniques. With the appropriate authentication, IP address, port, and database name, you can connect to the database without using SQL injection.
2、W3af
To uncover arbitrary vulnerabilities, the Web Application Attack and Auditing Framework (W3af) was employed. It gets rid of issues such as DNS, cache poisoning, cookie management, and proxy support.
3、Wireshark
Wireshark is the most used network protocol analyzer in the world. This tool allows testers to detect network activity at a small level. It also allows for thorough inspection of hundreds of protocols, as well as real-time capture and offline analysis. Wireshark is compatible with all major operating systems such as Windows, Linux, macOS, and Solaris.
4、Metasploit
Metasploit is a common tool for penetration testing. The test team uses it to check and manage security assessments to stop white hat hackers. Metasploit includes a command line and a GUI interface. It runs on all operating systems, including macOS, Linux, and Windows. However, Linux is the most popular.
The tool allows penetration testers to break into the system and discover Achilles heels. With this tool, testers can exploit weaknesses to carry out real attacks.
5、Nmap
Nmap is free, versatile, powerful, portable, and easy to use. It can be used in different ways, such as:
- Review and manage service upgrade plans
- Monitor hosts and uptime services
- Manage network inventory
It determines whether a host is available by analyzing the original IP packets. Nmap is also used to see which services are running on the host. It can also check the application name, version, and operating system information.
The tester is able to see what kind of packet filter is used. Nmap can scan anything from a single computer to a large-scale network. It is compatible with almost all operating systems.
6、Nessus
Many companies around the world rely on Nessus as one of their trusted penetration testing tools. It is used to scan IP addresses, websites, and sensitive data searches. Nessus can help identify missing patches, malware, and mobile scans. In addition, it features a full-featured dashboard, extensive scanning capabilities, and multi-format reporting capabilities.
summary
Web application penetration testing is important for identifying critical security flaws in a system, as well as for identifying vulnerabilities in IT infrastructure or web applications. As cyberattacks become more common, it is becoming increasingly important to detect threats and vulnerabilities. That's why penetration testing is a must.
Different companies have their own penetration testing tools and methodologies. Still, the goal remains the same: to protect corporate assets from intruders from the outside. Penetration testers with advanced skills can uncover more and more defects. It can then be patched to make the system more secure.
Penetration testing is now being extended to include mobile devices and cloud security. As a penetration tester, you need to be prepared and understand vulnerabilities and understand how to test in these areas.
Remember, penetration testers must always be one step ahead of black hat hackers. In this game, there is only one winner, and it should be the company you work for.
Translator Introduction
Dongwei Xia, 51 Community Editor, Information Systems Project Engineer, Master of Communication studies, Chinese Min University. With a complex knowledge structure, he has more than 20 years of experience as a marketing director, senior researcher and IT project leader of an IT listed company. At present, he is a senior researcher of Beijing Beixinyuan Software Co., Ltd. and the editor-in-chief of the public accounts of Dongwei Think Tank and Dongge Security Concept.
【51CTO translation, reproduced by the partner site, please indicate the original translator and source as 51CTO.com】
Author 丨Anish Roy
Translator 丨 Xia Dongwei
Planner 丨 Sun Shujuan
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