Penetration testing is a network security function that is undertaken by an organization. It is undertaken to check and assess the quality of security that is available to protect against internal and external threats. It is carried out by an external entity such as an ethical hacking company to identify vulnerabilities that could compromise the network.
Breaches that are successful on the system could be costly to fix and information lost could be difficult to recover. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that security levels are high and alert to any infrastructure attacks.
According to DigitalXRaid, Internal penetration testing checks on threats to the network from internal sources in the organization. This involves gauging threats from employees who can intentionally or otherwise perform malicious actions on the network. An internal test is undertaken after external testers assess the environment and risk from outside attacks.
External penetration testing checks the possibility of hackers gaining access to the network and the readiness of implemented security services to defend against the attack. This vulnerability check involves simulating an actual threat to the organization system and is a lengthy affair depending on the complexity of the security systems in place.
Importance
An external test is crucial as it checks how the most accessible parts of the network can be compromised by sources such as the internet. It also checks how a hacker would gain access to the system. In order to do so, we must go through the motions of breaching, executing exploits, and embedding ourselves within the system.
From the perspective of an attacker with no prior access to the network, the attack determines how far one could get and the information accessible in such a manner. During this test, the company finds ways to prevent such hacks from taking place, as well as layers of system security that block access to the internal network.
After the evaluation of external tests is completed, an inside test is performed. The phases of an internal network test include reconnaissance, mapping, discovery, and exploitation. A hack into the business network occurs after the threat has already entered the system through the external system.
Monitoring the passive networks for information and examining the flow of traffic through the organization’s data links for valuable information.
Assessment of critical elements in the network and exposed infrastructure is essential to get a better insight into how the threat might spread. Getting and identifying vulnerabilities is a time-consuming process and the tester uses automated applications to scan the network for all vulnerabilities. The discovery phase is designed to discover as much as possible about the system.
Tools
The tester or an ethical hacker gains access to the business networks to check how a threat to the system will affect business services. They show how an exploit in the network can occur by finding weaknesses and how to prevent them before they occur.
In the modern world, hacking has evolved and become more automated with developers creating essentially automated scripts and hackers which just need to be activated and run. Writing complex lines of code and manually placing exposed parts of the network is no longer feasible.
Nmap, Metasploit, Wireshark, hashcat, and aircrack-ng are popular amongst testers and hackers alike thanks to their offensive nature. They are not designed to offer defensive solutions but to find ways into the system through any means necessary.
There are a growing number of expert applications, each serving a specific purpose. These can be combined to accomplish specific goals. Nmap is an application tried-and-tested as a network mapper and port scanner, while Metasploit is common for the use of multiple exploits on a single system at the same time; additionally, it automates all this tiring work.
In conclusion, having a cybersecurity company that performs reviews on the security compliance of the network is critical. By performing periodic tests and checks on sections that might become targets for hackers and monitoring the flow of data, especially to the externally connected system, breaches can be avoided. Continuous is the key.
Luke Jackson is a seasoned technology expert and the founder of Tech-Shizzle, a platform dedicated to emerging technologies. With over 20 years of experience, Luke has become a thought leader in the tech industry. He holds a Master’s degree from MIT and a Bachelor’s from Stanford. Luke is also an adjunct professor and a mentor to aspiring technologists.
