As computers and technologies keep evolving over time, the risk of cybersecurity threats also increases. Hackers find new and creative ways to penetrate into systems and steal data. That’s why the need for using penetration testing methodologies also grows.
Penetration testing, also known as pen testing, is a technique to simulate how hackers and crackers take advantage of system vulnerabilities. The idea is to find a solution to strengthen the data security of the organization’s computers.
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Penetration testing is an authorized, mock cyberattack performed by security professionals. These ethical hackers find and exploit vulnerabilities in a computer system, network, or web application before crackers can.
To recap, penetration testing under ethical hacking, is security testing run on an organization or individual’s computer systems. It simulates a cyberattack in action to find system vulnerabilities and provide solutions to close the loopholes.
Depending on your company’s security control requirements, you can opt for one of the pen testing methodologies available. Ethical hackers will then run the test manually or automatically under your supervision. Here is what you need to understand:
Penetration testing is done to strengthen the data security of organizations’ systems and remove vulnerabilities that crackers can exploit. The people involved include:
Ethical hackers pen test an organization’s systems to detect vulnerabilities and provide viable solutions to strengthen data security. These cyber experts, hired by their cybersecurity engineers, also provide:
As the name suggests, red teams perform offensive pen tests using an appropriate penetration testing framework. They simulate a real attacker’s tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and strategies to stage an attack. They evaluate security risks this way and improve data security.
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As I mentioned before, there are various pen testing methodologies and frameworks available. The first step is to decide which one fits your organization’s needs. To give you a heads up, I have mentioned 5 of the best penetration testing methodologies.
The open-source security testing methodology manual, also known as OSSTMM, is based on a scientific approach. It includes:
This methodology provides a vulnerability evaluation and network penetration testing framework for cyber experts. It assists them in identifying and patching up these problems. For example, get rid of sensitive data and authentication problems forever.
The open web application security project or OWASP is an open-source organization for web application security. They aim to make all its materials free of cost for anyone who wishes to improve their web app security. The organization also provides a top 10 list that contains some of the biggest web cybersecurity threats like:
The institution uses this list as their pen testing guide. This manual has 3 parts:
The web application methodology is either used separately or as a part of the web testing framework for pen testing:
Penetration testing execution standard, which is also known as PTES, is an all-inclusive penetration testing methodology that consists of 7 primary sections. PTES provides technical guidelines to highlight what companies can expect from a penetration test to guide them throughout the process:
PTES includes exploitation and post-exploitation, where:
The information system security assessment framework, ISSAF, for short, connects each pen test step with specific penetration testing tools. Overall, it is a good foundation for making an individualized methodology. However, the ISSAF is no longer maintained and is not the best source for updated information.
National institute of standards and technology or NIST, for short, is a cybersecurity framework, which provides pen testing standards for the federal government and outside organizations to adhere to. Here’s some more information about it:
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That concludes this article on the top penetration testing methodologies. As a final word, I would say that the need for the top 5 penetration testing methodologies is more than ever nowadays as cybercriminals have more opportunities and ways to take advantage of system vulnerabilities and steal data.
Organizations need to pick the right method according to their needs to get fair vulnerability reports and the best security solution to fend off the cyberattack and keep their sensitive data protected.
Ans. The most relevant penetration testing methodology is not practically possible as it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It is a hybrid integration that combines penetration testing execution standard (PTES) with specialized frameworks like the OWASP testing guide for web and API apps.
Ans. There are many penetration testing applications out there, out of which I have listed the top 5 cybersecurity tools based on my experience.
Ans. The 7 phases of the Penetration Testing Execution Standard.
