What is a Penetration Test?

A penetration test is a simulated cyberattack on a computer system, network, or application to identify and evaluate potential vulnerabilities. The primary goal of a penetration test is to assess the security of the target system by attempting to exploit its weaknesses in a controlled and ethical manner. This helps organizations understand their security posture, discover potential points of entry for attackers, and take corrective actions to strengthen their defenses.

Penetration testing is an essential component of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. It helps organizations proactively identify and address security weaknesses before they can be exploited by malicious actors. Regularly conducting penetration tests is crucial, especially in dynamic IT environments where systems and applications are frequently updated or changed.

Key components of a pentest typically include:

  • Scope Definition: The scope of the penetration test is defined in advance, specifying the systems, networks, and applications that are to be tested.
  • Authorization: Penetration tests should be conducted with proper authorization from the organization that owns or operates the systems being tested.
  • Simulation of Real-world Attacks: Penetration testers (often called ethical hackers) simulate the tactics, techniques, and procedures that real attackers might use.
  • Identifying Vulnerabilities: This could include flaws in software, misconfigurations, weak passwords, and other issues that could be exploited by malicious actors.
  • Risk Assessment: Once vulnerabilities are identified, the penetration testers assess the associated risks.
  • Reporting: After completing the testing, a detailed report is provided to the organization. This report includes information about the vulnerabilities discovered, the methods used to exploit them, the level of risk associated with each vulnerability, and recommendations for mitigating or remedying the issues.
  • Remediation: Organizations use the findings from the penetration test to prioritize and implement security improvements.

Security posture assessments per regulation:

Regulation Summary Mandated/Recommended Relevant Section(s)
PCI/DSS payment processing Mandatory – quarterly 11.4.1 – 11.4.5
HIPAA health information Recommended 45 CFR 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(A)  —  45 CFR 164.308(a)(8)
CMMC CUI data L1: Recommended — L2: Strongly Recommended — L3: Mandatory NIST SP 800-171 — NIST SP 800-172 — CA.L2-3.12.1
SOC2 CIA of customer data Recommended CC4.1 (COSO Principle 16) — CC7.1
ISO 27001 managing infosec risk Recommended Control A.8.8
SWIFT CSP banking data Mandatory – quarterly CSCF Control 7.4A — CSCF Control 2.1

Network & Systems Assessments:

When pentesting network(s) and systems, we can perform these engagements from an external or internal perspective (or both). Our team will work with you to determine the scope and goals of the engagement.

Typical Activities:
Internal perspective: Assess the environment from an insider threat or a threat actor who has already established a foothold. This could reveal critical findings that may not be identified from an external viewpoint.
External perspective: Assess the environment from an external attacker’s point of view. This is crucial for understanding how your environment is exposed to the outside world.
Wireless environment: Private Wi-Fi, Guest Wi-Fi

These assessments can assist in guiding internal efforts to increase security posture.

Physical Assessments:

A physical engagement in a cyber security penetration test involves real-world interactions with the target organization’s physical assets or personnel. It’s designed to identify vulnerabilities in the organization’s physical security measures.

Typical Activities:
Social Engineering: Impersonating a legitimate employee, visitor, contractor, etc. to gain access to restricted areas or information.
Physical Access Testing: Attempting to bypass physical security controls like locks, alarms, or surveillance systems.

By simulating real-world attacks, physical penetration testing helps organizations identify and address potential vulnerabilities in their physical security posture.

Web Application Assessments:

Web application penetration testing goes beyond automated checklists by simulating real-world attacks to uncover deep-seated logic flaws and critical vulnerabilities. We provide the actionable intelligence you need to proactively harden your defenses.

Typical Activities:
Fuzzing: Testing input fields.
Injection: Probing backend database.
Broken Authentication: Attempting to bypass login.
Cross-site Scripting: Injecting custom code into user page user(s) view.
Privilege Escalation: Finding route to elevated permissions.

The goal isn’t just to find “bugs”, it’s to demonstrate the real-world impact of a vulnerability.