{"id":5244,"date":"2019-04-22T10:47:40","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T09:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.n-able.com\/?p=5244"},"modified":"2024-03-04T16:38:52","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T16:38:52","slug":"penetration-testing-methods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.n-able.com\/es\/blog\/penetration-testing-methods","title":{"rendered":"Types of Penetration Techniques and Methods"},"content":{"rendered":"

Penetration testing is a critical technique used among managed services providers (MSPs) seeking to provide additional cybersecurity for their clients. By some estimates, a\u00a0cyberattack is expected to happen every 14 seconds<\/a>\u00a0in the US\u2014with total losses estimated to reach $21.5 billion. Penetration testing services can help an organization prepare for hacker attacks, malware, and more by continually and regularly checking for weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and bad user behavior on apps, services, and networks. Read on for a breakdown of penetration testing steps, services, what to expect, and penetration testing tools MSPs must know about this year.<\/p>\n

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What is penetration testing in cybersecurity?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Penetration testing<\/a>\u00a0is a way to \u201cstress test\u201d your IT infrastructure security. Penetration techniques are used to evaluate the safety and security of the network in a controlled manner. Operating systems, services, applications, and even the behavior of the end user is assessed to validate existing defense mechanisms and the efficacy of end-user security policies.<\/p>\n

There are a few reasons to regularly perform penetration tests (or \u201cpen tests\u201d). First and foremost, penetration testing can help ensure user data is secure,\u00a0identify security vulnerabilities<\/a>, discover loopholes in the system, and assess the overall strength of existing defense mechanisms. In addition, penetration testing can help a business stay up-to-date with each new software release. As threats evolve, financial and PI data must be secured iteratively\u2014as new devices are added to a system, transferring data among different end points requires constant monitoring and assessment for security compliance.<\/p>\n

Likewise, penetration testing has a few key benefits. It allows an MSP to proactively showcase their expertise and skillfully manage vulnerabilities. It saves money by allowing organizations to avoid network downtime. Penetration testing methods can help an MSP\u2019s customers meet regulatory requirements and avoid fines. At the end of the day, it\u2019s also an important tool to preserve an MSP\u2019s image, reputation, and customer loyalty.<\/p>\n

Pen testing may sound similar to a vulnerability assessment, but the two cybersecurity measures are not the same. A\u00a0vulnerability assessment<\/a>\u00a0focuses on identifying security issues within an organization.\u00a0A list of vulnerabilities<\/a>\u00a0is produced from an evaluation of cybersecurity and data storage vulnerabilities. A penetration test, however, uses attack-simulated scenarios in a goal-oriented approach to cybersecurity. The test is designed to hit specific targets, such as a database, storage method, or designated file. The result of a pen test is not only a list, but a methodology and map of specific points of weakness.<\/p>\n

What are the types of penetration testing?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Industry experts generally divide penetration testing into three categories: black box testing, white box testing, and gray box testing. The categories correspond to different types of attacks or cybersecurity threats.<\/p>\n

Black box testing is concerned with a brute-force attack. In this scenario, the simulation is that of a hacker who does not know the complexity and structure of a company\u2019s IT infrastructure. Therefore, the hacker will launch an all-out attack to try to identify and exploit a weakness. The penetration test does not give the tester any information about a web application, its source code, or any software architecture. The tester uses a \u201ctrial and error\u201d approach to see where the vulnerabilities exist in the IT infrastructure. This type of penetration testing most closely mimics a real-world scenario, but it can take a long time to complete.<\/p>\n

White box penetration testing is the opposite of this first technique. In white box testing, the tester has full knowledge of the IT infrastructure, with access to the source code and software architecture of a web application. This gives them the ability to zero in on specific parts of the system and perform targeted component testing and analysis. It\u2019s a faster method than black box testing. However, white box penetration testing uses more sophisticated pen testing tools, such as software code analyzers or debugging programs.<\/p>\n

Finally, gray box testing uses both manual and automated testing processes in a scenario in which the tester has partial knowledge of the internal IT infrastructure. The tester might receive the software code, for example, but not the system architecture details. Gray box penetration testing is a hybrid of white box and black box testing, allowing a user to utilize automated tools on the all-out assault while focusing their manual effort on locating \u201csecurity holes.\u201d<\/p>\n

These overarching types of penetration testing methods can be further subdivided into specific categories. Other types of penetration tests include:<\/p>\n