On average, a hacker attack is reported every 39 seconds. Each year, the number of data breach incidents continues to rise, because hackers have taken to adaptive and sophisticated threats that bypass even the most advanced security systems.
Cyber crimes occur when hackers spot and exploit vulnerabilities in a security system. Network penetration testing or pen testing are strategic simulated cyberattacks to evaluate these potential vulnerabilities in a computer's defense.
In this article, we will discuss what penetration testing is, its importance, and how it works.
Network penetration testing, also known as 'pen testing', is a proactive measure used to identify loopholes in security systems.
All responsible companies ensure robust security measures to prevent unauthorized access. This safeguards organizations from operational disruption and protects their sensitive data.
Pen testing is a standard practice to make sure that all your data is effectively protected. It involves simulating cyberattacks on a network’s systems, applications, and infrastructure. This helps you uncover and fix any weaknesses before malicious hackers can take advantage of them.
Here’s why pen testing is a vital (and sometimes mandatory) protocol:
Pen tests help in discovering any potential weaknesses in a network's defenses that could be exploited by cybercriminals. Organizations can then evaluate the effectiveness of their current security measures to fine-tune all the security protocols.
Cyberattacks can lead to significant monetary damages through theft and fraud. On top of that, you also have to account for the costs associated with recovering from an attack.
Pen testing allows companies to proactively address any weaknesses that can be used to steal funds, disrupt functions, or demand ransoms. This essentially takes care of the overall business health and ensures financial stability.
Conducting regular pen tests demonstrates your commitment to cybersecurity. This builds a reputation and trust among customers, partners, and stakeholders.
Many industries are subject to stringent regulatory requirements for data protection, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS. In these cases, pen testing is often a mandatory practice to comply with regulations and avoid hefty fines.
Network penetration testing employs a variety of techniques to thoroughly assess the network’s defenses. Here’s how to go about it:
The planning phase sets the foundation for the entire penetration test. You need to define the scope and objectives of the test and determine the type of test that will be conducted.
There are three main categories of pen testing:
The testing phase involves reconnaissance and discovery, where pen testers gather as much information as possible about the target network.
In the access phase, pen testers attempt to exploit the identified vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to the network.
This can involve using exploit scripts or custom-developed code to breach security defenses. The goal is to simulate a real-world attack and determine how far an attacker can penetrate the network.
Here are some techniques commonly used in the process:
This phase often requires creativity and a deep understanding of various hacking techniques to effectively exploit the vulnerabilities.
The final phase involves analyzing the results of the penetration test. Here’s what this report includes:
Pen testing is a method that assesses and identifies any problems in the security system of your organization. This ensures all the vulnerabilities are proactively corrected, to minimize the risk of data breach.
The process is conducted by contractors or ethical hackers with extensive experience and certification for pen testing. As important as it is to regularly get pen testing, it is equally crucial to hire only highly skilled and reliable people.
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Network pentest and web pentest cover different layers of the Open Systems Intercommunication or OSI model. This is a conceptual model that represents how a network works in seven layers.
The lower four layers, i.e., physical, data link, network, and transport are covered by network pentest. On the other hand, the higher layers like application, presentation, and session are covered by web app pentest.
Pentest methodology can be summed up into four steps, which are as follows: