A penetration test is a simulated attack on an organizations IT infrastructure and web applications to uncover vulnerabilities that can be exploitable by a hacker.

There are a few frameworks and methodologies for performing a penetration test.

• PTES
• OWASP
• OSSTMM

Always ensure you have selected an organization that will explain the methodology they utilize. Penetration testing (pen-test for short) will utilize the same tools, tactics, and procedures that a malicious hacker would use to penetrate into systems and steal data.

A penetration test is NOT a vulnerability scan (see the vulnerability scanning page). A pen-test will take the results of a vulnerability scan to the “next level” and find out if a threat actor can “break into” any of the discovered vulnerabilities. Not all vulnerabilities are “exploitable” , and not all vulnerabilities will result in a threat actor “breaking into” networks and systems.

The 3 most common penetration test styles:

• Black Hat – Minimum information to work with, hacker goes in and tries to exploit vulnerabilities. In the world of hackers, a black hat hacks for street Credit or for malicious purposes to steal or sell information.
• White Hat – Credentials will be provided, this offers a deeper test including authenticated access. This is commonly performed for compliance and will allow you to test for vulnerabilities “past a login screen” or within your networks and subnets. In the world of hackers, a white hat hacks for good, cares about strengthening an organization’s security posture, and does so ethically.
• Grey Hat – A mixture of both black hat and white hat. This test may involve methods of black hat and white hat combined. A grey hat hacker is well versed and may be playing both sides. Many of them hack without permission, looking for vulnerabilities and asking targets for a finders fee or some sort of monetary reward for their findings.

BlackHatPenTest utilizes the following key stages during our penetration testing:

• Scanning and Enumeration: Penetration testers often start by scanning the target network or system to gather information about the network topology, open ports, and running services. Tools like Nmap and enumeration techniques like SNMP enumeration can be used for this purpose.
• Vulnerability Identification: Vulnerability scanning tools such as Nessus, OpenVAS, BurpSuite and others are utilized to identify known vulnerabilities in the target environment. These tools compare the system’s configuration and software versions against a database of known vulnerabilities and provide a report of findings.
• Manual Testing: Manual testing is essential to identify subtle and unique vulnerabilities that may not be detected by automated scans. Ethical hackers use their expertise and creativity to explore the target system thoroughly utilizing fuzzing, SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), and authentication flaws. Testers use tools like OWASP ZAP and Burp Suite for web app testing.
• Password Cracking: Penetration testers may attempt to crack passwords through various means, including dictionary attacks, brute force attacks, and password spraying, to assess the strength of authentication mechanisms and uncover weak or reused passwords for pivoting and lateral movement.
• Social Engineering: Vulnerabilities often extend beyond technology to include the weakest link, the human element. Testers may perform social engineering attacks, such as phishing campaigns or physical security assessments to evaluate the organization’s susceptibility to manipulation and trickery.
• Post-Exploitation: After successfully exploiting a vulnerability, testers may perform post-exploitation activities to assess the extent of damage they can cause or to pivot or move laterally to other parts of the network. This helps organizations understand the real-world impact of a successful attack.
• Reporting: Penetration testers document their findings in a comprehensive report, including a description of vulnerabilities, their severity, potential impacts, and recommendations for remediation. This report serves as a roadmap for improving security posture and closing the newly discovered attack surface.
• Remediation Testing: After the client addresses identified vulnerabilities and makes security improvements, it’s advisable to conduct re-testing to ensure that the issues have been effectively resolved and that new vulnerabilities haven’t been introduced.

At BlackHatPenTest we have a few specialty packages that will efficiently pen test your information security systems, people, and processes. Check out our (attack narrative page) for details on the different tactics we utilize or we can create a custom one for your organization. Our penetration testers have experience with all of the common web frameworks in use on modern applications and hold the relevant certifications including CEH, OSCP, WAPT.