Penetration Testing in Cybersecurity: Why It’s Essential

Understanding Penetration Testing

Let’s dedicate this first section to understanding more what penetration testing means.

Definition of penetration testing

Penetration testing or pentesting is an information security activity that aims to identify potential risks to a specific computer system. In its essence, this method means assessing potential vulnerabilities that a system has, which potential attackers can exploit.

This process is similar to the bank getting a man to wear a burglar outfit, then storm its premises and attempt to get into the vault. If the ‘burglar’ succeeds and manages to penetrate the walls of the bank or the vault, then the latter will benefit with the type of security measures they require to augmentás.

IT professionals or ‘ethical hackers’ (penetration testers) carry out these examinations. These contractors are often developers who have at least an advanced degree and who have taken a course and are certified for penetration testing. Still, ethical hackers learn from scratch, some are self-taught traders. Indeed, some of them are once hacker criminals who have now channeled their talents for positive use by whitewashing their bad image and engaging in correcting security vulnerabilities instead of exploiting them.

We can categorize a penetration test into several types, each serving a specific purpose. For instance, an open box test allows the hacker to access certain aspects of the target company’s security information beforehand. In contrast, a closed-box pen test, also known as a ‘single-blind’ test, only provides the hacker with the name of the company under attack, with no additional background information. Lastly, a hidden pen test, often referred to as a ‘double-blind’ test, ensures that only the IT and security professionals being tested are aware of the ongoing pen test.

The purpose and goals of penetration testing

The purpose of penetration testing is to determine the degree to which a system can be vulnerable to an attacker. It is a preventive measure that helps to develop a detailed comprehension of how real hackers are likely to penetrate a system and get into such critical information assets’ proximity or cause business interruptions.

Penetration testing is different from vulnerability assessment in that it moves beyond the simple discovery of issues in the system. Often when pen testers discover weakness, they probe in them in a manner that emulates the actions of a potential security threat. This kind of risk assessment allows organizations to clearly see how badly they could be affected by a cyber attack and to allocate security resources accordingly.

Furthermore, penetration testing can be valuable for preventing negative scenarios like the theft of records, identity theft, piracy of the intellectual property that is an enterprise’s key asset, and data extortion. Hence, this means that any organization that manages to understand and eliminate these security breaches can greatly minimize the chances of attacks.

Surprisingly, penetration testing also assists in the achievement of compliance as a function of the organization. Popular compliance frameworks like the PCI DSS and the HIPAA also entail the execution of penetration testing on a routine basis as part of their security measures.

Different types of penetration testing (e.g., black box, white box, and gray box testing)

There are several types of penetration testing: each has a special relevance and value in distinct situations and offer different insights into the state of security of a certain system. Let’s delve into three primary types: black box testing, white box testing and gray box testing.

In Black Box Penetration Testing, the penetration testing expert only knows the system’s inputs and outputs, limiting their knowledge about the system. This approach works because the attacker sometimes lacks information about the target information system. This method helps identify zones that an outside disruptor could potentially exploit.

In White Box Penetration Testing, the tester has full access to all system information, including the architecture and the source code. This access eliminates any blind spots, as the process likely covers all steps an attacker might take. This method is especially useful for uncovering obscure weaknesses that a black-box testing scenario might not reveal.

Gray Box Penetration Testing is a compromise where the tester has only partial information regarding the system. This type of testing imitates an attack from one user or the attacker with more limited access to the site rather than an intruder. It stands effective for the purpose to identify the weakness after a hack.

All of these testing methods provide specific types of results and enable organizations to make a strong defense strategy by ensuring that they have weeded out areas that may be exploited from various angles.

The Role of Penetration Testing in Cybersecurity

The role of penetration testing in cybersecurity is extremely important. As cyber threats continue to evolve, so does the need for effective defenses.

How penetration testing contributes to a robust cybersecurity strategy

Understanding the role of penetration testing in today’s complex and diverse cybersecurity environment is crucial. This anticipatory approach helps companies stay one step ahead of hackers. Revealing and addressing latent threats early on reduces the likelihood of high-profile losses of confidential information, services, or other sunk costs.

Penetration testing stands out as one of the most effective means of security testing. It aims to identify potential security flaws and weaknesses before hostile forces can exploit them. Recognizing and mitigating such issues is equally important for organizations to enhance their security against cyber threats that could compromise their valuable information.

Moreover, penetration testing can help verify the effectiveness of security measures. While setting up security measures is important, ensuring compliance with security protocols is another crucial aspect. The key question to consider is whether these measures perform well under stress. Penetration testing pushes these measures to different levels to test their efficiency.

Apart from ways of revealing security weaknesses, penetration testing also evaluates security controls, justifies security expenditure, shields against vulnerability risks, meets legal requirements, strengthens preparations for an incident, and raises security conscience. It is a holistic conceptual framework encompassing security at various levels of a given system.

Notably, penetration testing has the additional benefit of assisting organizations in managing compliance issues. Thus, the PCI DSS and the HIPAA, among many other regulatory standards, recommend regular penetration testing as one of their security measures.

Real-world examples of security breaches that could have been prevented with penetration testing

It is possible to find many examples of real-world security breaches that could have been avoided in the course of the penetration testing.

Crypto.com Crypto Theft: In early 2022, about 500 cryptocurrency users fell victim to the attack that saw their wallets emptied and containing about $18m in Bitcoin and $15m in Ethereum. The hackers exploited two-factor authentication and successfully managed to drain the wallets of the users. It serves as a good reminder that one should do penetration testing frequently to assess the level of security of an organization’s network and IT systems.
Microsoft Data Breach: Lapsus$, a hacker organization, later attacked Microsoft in March of 2022. They compromised Cortana, Bing, and other affiliated products. Even though Microsoft immediately put a stop to the hacking attempt, it is critical to understand that penetration tests should be conducted periodically to discover other vulnerabilities.
News Corp Server Breach: News Corporation reported in its 2022 Annual Report in February 2022 about server intrusions starting from February 2020. These intrusions could have been prevented if this network had undergone regular penetration tests to discover these weaknesses. These examples explain why pen testing is very important in preventing and indeed avoiding security breaks. As a result, exposure to sources of threats is minimized and an organization is better protected against more expensive and consequential cybercrimes.

4 Phases of the Penetration Testing Process

The penetration testing process is one of the most important as well as integral components of a sound cybersecurity model. It’s a systematic approach that involves four distinct phases: Planning the assessment, discovering the source of attack, executing the simulated attack and some concluding reports. Every stage is vital for furthering the understanding of security threats and countermeasures.

This section will give a detailed description of each phase, thereby achieving an appropriate coverage of the penetration testing concepts. Now, let’s discuss how each of these phases helps in achieving the overall goal of penetration testing, and why these phases are crucial in ensuring a technical defense.

Planning

4 Phases of the Penetration Testing Process

The Planning phase kicks off the penetration testing life cycle and is often one of the most crucial stages. This phase sets the content, purpose, and strategies of the test, providing a clear roadmap for the testing process.

During this phase, the tester targets specific systems and decides on the approach for testing. This step involves classifying the system security rules that apply to the various assets in a specific system that require testing. Given the complexity of your request, it requires a high level of proficiency and expertise.

The planning phase also includes acquisition of information which is about the target system. Gaining insight about the existing network structure, the OS and software, users and account details, among others may be necessary. The best plan is to collect as much information as possible to create an attack plan that would be very efficient.

Even more, the planning phase makes the organization’s management to assess the suggested process for conducting the penetration testing and document its endorsement of testing exercises. This limits the chances of one party expecting or preparing for something different than the other, and it allows the test to go forward according to the laid down rules.

Discovery

The Discovery phase is also the reconnaissance or the information gathering phase of the penetration testing phase. In this phase, ‘pen testers’ try to collect as much information as possible regarding the target. It may involve the determination of the operating systems, the IP addresses, the user accounts and the email addresses.

In the Discovery, the tester employs different tools to scan for open ports and monitor the target system’s network traffic. During this phase, open ports are a prime target since they are possible points of entry by attackers.

It also confirms the assumptions made in the Setup Phase and offers the first glimpse of the initial vectors and possible attack chains discovered during the Discovery Phase. It is to confirm the extent of the work. In other words, Discovery is the asset management phase of an engagement.

Attack

The Attack phase in penetration testing is the ‘exploitation phase’ where the testing process becomes a reality. In this phase, the pen testers start searching for weaknesses as if they are preparing to infiltrate and attack the systems legally.

In the Attack phase, the tester employs various methods to take advantage of the weaknesses established in the previous stages. Such methods could include App web attacks, cross-site scripting, SQL injection, backdoors etc. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the potential dangers they present.

For example, the testers may attempt to gain access to a higher level of privileges, spy on others or capture traffic. All these actions, however, offer significant information in determining the consequences of a real cyber attack.

They also do it in a controlled environment as the Attack phase takes place outside the battlefield. This ensures that the test does not interrupt the daily functioning of the system. Also, all the actions are in records to ensure evidence that would explain the test.

Reporting

The Reporting phase acts as the last and most important phase of the penetration testing process. This phase entails noting down all the observations on the system as well as the weaknesses, and the recommendations to enhance security.

A penetration testing report is an extensive document which holds critical information concerning vulnerability assessment of an organization. It includes multiple aspects of the organization’s security status, including the outlined weaknesses, high- and low-priority items, and recommendations.

The report serves as a safety net when you need to comply with legal requirements such as HIPAA, ISO/IEC 27001, PCI DSS, etc. It acts as a tool that demonstrates an organization’s serious commitment to protecting its infrastructure and the data it holds, especially in the event of data loss.

The documented information comprises of the exposed gaps, types of data used, and the outcome of the instituted attack. This gives the organisation a brief glimpse of the environment it is sitting in, its protection mechanisms and the organisation’s readiness to combat threats at a given point in time.

Designveloper’s Penetration Testing Services

At Designveloper, we acknowledge the importance of penetration testing in the cybersecurity domain. Being the leading web and software development company in Vietnam, we always put our effort into driving penetration testing services for protecting the business’s online properties.

The skilled specialists of our team and the utilization of advanced equipment allow us to detect all potential threats in your systems. We expose such vulnerabilities and mimic real-life scenarios to show how these hackers will invade your system in order to help you diagnose your system regularly.

Versatile Penetration Testing

Our penetration testing services are completely flexible at Designveloper. Designveloper’s team of specialists can check the security of web applications, determine the potential weaknesses in a company’s networks, evaluate the security of the mobile applications, recommend solutions on how to minimize the risks, and can help improve the staff’s security awareness.

Our Web Application Penetration Testing service works in the assessment and identification of web app vulnerabilities. As the use of Web-based applications has become more common, it is critical that they be protected.

We also offer Network Penetration Testing, or Network Security Testing, which is to determine threats and risks within the framework of the network. Security issues of any network are very important as the networks get larger or have more connections to other networks.

Mobile Application Penetration Testing service, from our line of services, helps to determine weaknesses in mobile applications. Considering the current trends in the development of mobile applications, their security is a critical factor to consider.

Our Social Engineering Testing service determines the level of awareness that the staff has for security. People are generally the weakest link in the security chain, which makes this service exceptionally important.

And finally, our Suggesting Remediation service indicates the possible ways of addressing the revealed issues.

Versatile Packages

Designveloper’s Penetration Testing Services

When you work with us, you get to choose from a wide variety of penetration testing packages with different specifications according to your need.

Package Basic

This package is ideal for companies which want to protect their business-critical applications Web 2.0 or the network. Here’s what it includes:

Project Scope: Our emphasis is on your company’s greatest values – the sites and servers you rely on every single day. Our team performs a preliminary check to identify the vulnerabilities present in your digital premise and make it secure.
Penetration Testing Services: Black Box Penetration testing by our team helps in finding out vulnerabilities. We adopt scanning for simple known vulnerabilities like the one listed by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) top ten. Every result is then checked for its validity by the analysts, and we also perform initial manual checking for security purposes.
Reporting: At the end of a scan, you will get a general report indicating the weaknesses found, their impacts, and the suggested procedures to consider. Despite the lack of the executive summary and profound analysis, the package under discussion allows showing the state of your digital security in a rather simple way.
Deliverables: The last kind of deliverable which is expected to be presented to the students is a PDF report. We also provide a simple email support kind for any clarification you may need.
Time: To ensure product quality assurance, our team takes up to three weeks in testing a product, we then provide follow-up support for two weeks.
Team: We can provide up to two penetration testers to consult on your project.
Price Estimation: The Basic Package costs $4000, which includes all the services offered by the company which is a great offer for penetration testing services.

Package Premium

Based on the result of a business survey, our Premium Package is best for organizations that seek a detailed app analysis of web and/or mobile applications, any third-party APIs or a company’s network infrastructure.

Project Scope: This package entails a broad based vulnerability analysis and hence scans a larger number of assets as opposed to the basic package. This can be your client-visible code and the external interfaces it exposes, such as the front-end of the application or the internal network.
Penetration Testing Services: We practice gray box pen testing which is a mixture of utilizing scanning tools together with qualified pentesters in our team. The focus of our research is to thoroughly analyze critical findings, with verification and exploitation where appropriate. Another service which provides an additional one is social engineering attacks.
Reporting: After scanning is completed, you will get a comprehensive report that includes an executive summary, technical results, recommendations on how to address the identified issues, and their severity level. We also offer an executive summary of the results and recommendations, and a straightforward, post-termination meeting in order to help decide on how to proceed with remediation or further testing.
Deliverables: The outcomes include our comprehensive PDF report, an executive summary presentation, and email and chat/phone access to answer any questions or for more information.
Time: Our team normally takes between four to five weeks conducting tests and another four weeks for follow up services.
Team: To address your needs, up to five professional penetration testers will be assigned on your project.
Price Estimation: The basic plan, the Premium Package, costs $12,000, which is relatively high due to the extensive services offered by my company.

Package Extreme

This package is intended for companies who want to perform a series of rigorous tests on their customer-facing software such as web and mobile applications and services, external API, IT services, cloud solutions, or blockchain. Here’s what it includes:

Project Scope: In this assessment we scan web apps, network, and last but not the least, physical layer is also available on request. Our attention is designed on the critical systems and more valuable objectives, thus guaranteeing you complete protection of your property.
Penetration Testing Services: While conducting our testing, our team engages in the white box pentests, applying both the automated and manual scenarios. Experience state-of-the-art approaches and tweak your case to match your needs with our diverse testing strategies. As part of our program, we can also conduct a comprehensive social engineering penetration test, with email phishing and physical security testing attempts.
Reporting: You’ll receive a comprehensive report with detailed technical analysis, exploitation walkthroughs, and actionable recommendations tailored to your risk profile. We also present our findings to technical and executive stakeholders, emphasizing the business impact. Post-engagement consultation is also provided to assist with remediation efforts and follow-up testing.
Deliverables: Our deliverables are the detailed PDF report with the appendices containing technical information necessary for the consultation and the PowerPoint presentation with detailed discussion and analysis of results alongside the future consultation and decision-making to improve organizational performances.
Time: After the implementation, which lasts roughly ten weeks, our team stays for an additional eight weeks to monitor and address any issues.
Team: Depending upon the complexity of your project, up to ten of our professional penetration testers shall be assigned to the task.
Price Estimation: The Extreme Package costs $38,000 at the minimum to allow for the variety and exhaustive work to be executed on the particular outlet.