Penetration testing, also known as pen testing or ethical hacking, is a legal and authorized way to test the security of computer systems and networks. Its goal is to find vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit.
Penetration testing can be used to test the security of both internal and external networks and systems. It can be used to assess the security of systems that are not yet live, or that is live but not in production. It can also be used to assess the security of systems that are in production but not accessible to the public.
It should not be confused with a vulnerability assessment. Vulnerability assessment is a process of identifying, classifying, and prioritizing vulnerabilities. Penetration testing is a process of exploiting vulnerabilities to gain access to systems or data.
Penetration testing can be conducted in a number of ways, including manual testing, automated testing, and hybrid testing. Manual testing is the most common type of penetration testing. It is conducted by ethical hackers who have a deep understanding of how systems and networks work. They use this knowledge to find vulnerabilities and exploit them.
Automated testing is conducted by tools that are designed to find vulnerabilities and exploit them. These tools are typically used by penetration testers who are less experienced or who do not have the time to conduct a manual test.
Hybrid testing is a combination of manual and automated testing. It is typically used when penetration testers want to find vulnerabilities that are difficult to find with automated tools.
Penetration testing can be conducted in a number of ways, but the most common method is black-box testing. In black-box testing, the ethical hacker does not have any prior knowledge of the system or network. He or she relies on publicly available information to find vulnerabilities.
White-box testing is another common method of penetration testing. In white-box testing, the ethical hacker has complete knowledge of the system or network. This knowledge can be gained through access to source code, configuration files, and documentation.
Gray-box testing is a combination of black-box and white-box testing. In gray-box testing, the ethical hacker has some knowledge of the system or network. This knowledge can be gained through access to documentation or limited access to the system or network.
It can be used to find a wide range of vulnerabilities, including weak passwords, unpatched software, and misconfigured systems. It can also be used to find more sophisticated vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection flaws and cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.
Penetration testing is an important part of security for any organization. It can help to find and fix vulnerabilities before they are exploited by attackers.
