Cybersecurity companies offer a wide range of services to their customers to prevent the majority of cyberattacks from succeeding. One of the most common services offered by managed security service providers (MSSPs) is penetration testing (also known as “pen tests”). Since their inception, penetration tests have become a core cybersecurity service, helping organizations of all sizes and industries identify potential weak points in their network security architecture so they can be fixed.
However, what is a penetration test, exactly? And, how do pen tests work?
For those who are curious about penetration testing and how modern cybersecurity companies handle this service, here is a brief explanation of the basics:
The SANS Institute provides a definition for penetration testing in their Conducting a Penetration Test on an Organization whitepaper: “Penetration tests are a great way to identify vulnerabilities that [exist] in a system or network that has… existing security measures in place. A penetration test usually involves the use of attacking methods conducted by trusted individuals that are similarly used by hostile intruders or hackers.” In short, pen tests are a critical vulnerability management tool that help uncover weaknesses in a cybersecurity architecture by using simulated attacks carried out by trusted people.
Penetration tests have been a critical part of cybersecurity for decades—ever since government and business organizations first realized that the growing interconnectivity and remote communications of computers were vulnerable to being accessed illicitly. In fact, according to the Infosec Institute, “since the mid-1960s, and with increasing sophistication, white hat testers have worked to ensure that computer systems remain secure from hackers.”
Penetration tests can work in different ways—there is no one comprehensive testing method that everyone uses. Part of this is because cyber threats are continuously evolving—and pen tests need to simulate whatever attack methods the organization is likely to encounter.
Some of the “broad strokes” of a penetration test include:
It is important for the pen test team to be careful when conducting the test. If the test is carried out poorly, it could cause actual damage to the target systems—resulting in congestion or outright system crashes for some network assets.
Right after “what is a penetration test and how does it work?” the next question most people ask is “why should I run a pen test?”
There are a couple of reasons why most people perform penetration testing:
Both objectives contribute to improving a business’s overall cybersecurity, which is always beneficial.
However, it is important to remember that penetration testing is not a “one and done” solution. Over time, there may be changes to the assets on the network, the software on those assets, or even new attack methods that emerge which target previously-unknown vulnerabilities. To maintain strong vulnerability management, organizations need to periodically run new pen tests.
The frequency of penetration tests will vary from one organization to the next, though. How frequently should your own organization run a pen test? The answer depends on how large your organization is, how frequently you add new software or hardware to your network, and the specific cybersecurity regulations that govern your industry.
There are a few different approaches cybersecurity experts can take when performing a penetration test. The key difference usually comes down to how much knowledge the theoretical attacker is assumed to have.
This test is conducted without any knowledge of the targeted network or the systems running on it. The tester doesn’t know anything about the internal code or software and lacks any access credentials or sensitive information. This form of testing is realistic because it forces the tester to think like a potential hacker when searching for vulnerabilities. While it may seem like the most accurate form of testing, black box tests are constrained by time limits. The tester usually has a limited period of time to evaluate a system and try to gain access, whereas a hacker does not have similar constraints and could identify weaknesses that are not immediately obvious.
In this form of penetration testing, the tester possesses some baseline knowledge about the system. This could be lower-level credentials, a network infrastructure map, or application logic flow charts. The test will still produce very realistic results because many cyberattackers won’t even attempt to launch an attack without some information about the target environment. Since this approach essentially skips over the “reconnaissance” step and gets straight to the actual pen test, it can be performed more quickly and focus specifically on systems that are already known to be high-risk.
The final approach to penetration testing is less a simulated cyberattack than a thorough examination of a system at the source code level. Testers are granted the highest level of access privilege, allowing them to assess the system thoroughly for logic vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, poorly written code, and deficient security measures. While very comprehensive (and especially effective for preventing insider threats), it may not recognize gaps that an attacker would be able to exploit from the outside using unconventional tactics. For this reason, it’s often helpful to perform a white box test in conjunction with black or gray box testing.
There are several different types of penetration tests used to evaluate the overall security of a network. Here are a few of the most common forms of penetration testing:
There are a variety of automated tools testers can use to identify vulnerabilities in a network. Penetration testing tools typically scan code to look for any errors, loopholes, or malicious scripts that could increase the potential of a security breach.
While any managed security services provider will typically have a preferred penetration testing tool that they use, there are a few key features that any testing tool should possess.
As a dedicated managed security services provider for companies, Compuquip Cybersecurity has extensive experience with both automated and manual penetration tests. We use the latest techniques to evaluate your network systems and locate potential security gaps that could endanger your data and mission-critical applications.
To learn more about our vulnerability assessment and penetration testing services, contact our team today and tell us all about your organization’s unique cybersecurity needs.