DEV Community

Cover image for What is Penetration Testing and How Does It Work?
 QAble Testlab Private Limited
QAble Testlab Private Limited

Posted on • Originally published at qable.io

What is Penetration Testing and How Does It Work?

Penetration testing is also called pen-testing. Basically, it is a testing method that has been used to enhance the security of an application. This testing method simulates various attacks that may threaten your business application.

Hence to protect a business from unwanted hacks and enhance the security feature, penetration testing is used. So here, we will get to know about Penetration Testing Tools and Techniques.

QAble is one of the renowned Penetration testing companies in India & USA and we follow the best penetration testing techniques to meet the requirement.

As we know, the security of an application matters the most and through smart penetration testing tools, we simulate possible attacks.

Further, our team assures the robustness of an application by analyzing whether they are able to resist the attack or not. If you are looking to strengthen your application, we have the best team so far.

Hence hire the best QA tester in India to enhance the security protocol of the app.

Do you know about network penetration testing?

Network penetration testing simulates activities that a hacker may use to exploit your network. Here, without malicious intent, the testers perform pen-testing. Also, to strengthen the network, professionals are given complete authority so that they could take action as and when needed.

They are also required to keep the management in the loop for every action and reaction. Moreover, if the experts take this testing lightly, there will be serious consequences and it could be the end of the business.

What are the types of penetration testing?

To expose the vulnerabilities within the system, a penetration system is a must. Here we will discuss the various types of penetration testing that will increase the pace of your search.

Also, we have seen testers confused about the initialization of penetration testing. Knowing specific methods of penetration testing will help you taking the right decision for the security of the system.

So let’s explore different types of pen testing:

External Network Penetration Testing:

Under this testing method, the team analyzes the public information available. They try to leverage the permeability of an online product by accessing public information. This information is like email address, company’s website link, and other external links.

In external network pen testing, the expert will try to breach the firewall using the public data. Further, they use OSINT (Open-source intelligence) and internally built tools in order to hack the password.

Hence following the testing method becomes mandatory because it reduces the potential network risks.

Internal Network Penetration Testing:

Through this pen testing method, the internal vulnerabilities are highlighted. As we know, applications are developed having various roles and rights. So, here the rights given to the team member are cross-verified.

Suppose in a business application, employees are given some access in order to utilize the services. But at the same time, we need to check, using that information, if the employee could hack the entire system? This examination comes under internal network penetration testing.

Social Engineering Testing:

Phishing emails are the best example to understand the concept of the social engineering pen testing method. The method takes an effort to gain the trust of the team member by confusing them to share personal information.

In this method, a hacker behaves as a manager and asks the team member to share some crucial information and transfer funds urgently. Further, their intent is to exploit the employee and force him to reveal the data.

Physical Penetration Testing:

As we know, a hack cannot be digital always. Hence through the physical penetration testing method, we examine a physical breach through which your security could be compromised.

Suppose a delivery person can try to gain access to your building in order to show the real vulnerabilities of the environment. Also, to get complete assurance of the security we need to strengthen each and every aspect from where it could get breached.

Wireless Penetration Testing:

We have seen many corporate whose security is breached using wireless mode. It is sad but true, nowadays so many tools are available online through which hackers can grasp information. And we know, without the internet a company cannot survive.

Hence through wireless pen testing, we make sure the Wi-Fi connection and other involved devices are secured from unwanted hacks. See, the technology is getting advanced, negative powers are also improving.

So, now there is a need to manage all your sources smartly.

What are the best tools for penetration testing?

We have understood various penetration testing techniques and now we will focus on penetration testing tools. Being a reliable and the most trusted QA company in India and USA, we believe, knowledge of right tool is mandatory.

It gives us sense to strengthen a system from all aspects. Also, when security of a system comes, we cannot take it lightly. So, guys, here are top penetration testing tools that contributes in maintaining the security of your business.

These tools simulate all the vulnerabilities of the system by uncovering the security breaches. Here you go:

NeuraLegion

The tool offers penetration testing following the concept of AI (Artificial Intelligence). By the involvement of AI, it enables the team to detect the system’s vulnerabilities automatically with zero-day hacks, business logics and known issues.

Further, the pen test tools allow testing under multiple environments automatically and correspondingly you get a comprehensive report. Hence, you can use this system in order to assure the security protocol.

Kali

This penetration testing works exclusively for Linux operating system and it offers customizable backup along with recovery schedule. Moreover, number of pen testing tools is provided like password cracking, sniffing, digital forensics and many more.

Hence, if you are a Linux user, you can prefer working on Kali for penetration testing and it can be integrated with Metasploit & Wireshark.

Metasploit

Almost all the QA experts are aware of the tool as it is a well know open source framework. Here, you get a flexibility to pass the code that breaches the security of the system.

Further, you can run a payload through which action is performed on the target system. Generally, testers prefer Metasploit for manual brute force hacks and web testing.

The tool offers testing under multiple scenarios and environment. It also includes networks, applications and servers.

WireShark

Another penetration testing tool is WireShark that is a network packet analyzer. Its role is to capture live traffic and allows their offline analysis. Various operating systems like Windows, FreeBSD, Linux and Solaris are very well supported by WireShark.

ZAP

This tool is one of the best web application penetration testing tools. It is an open source that performs focused scanning and simulates hacks on the applications.

Further the penetration testing tool performs various result-oriented activities like the identification of the open ports, brute force search on files and random inputs supply.

All these activities help analyzing whether the website is getting crashed or perform unexpectedly.

Conclusion

So far we have discussed about penetration testing. And here at QAble we are offering excellent penetration testing services in order to offer secure application experience.

Further, using the dedicated penetration tools we simulate the system’s vulnerabilities and take the required action. Hence if you are looking for quality penetration testing services, we are your exclusive service partner.

Top comments (1)

Collapse
 
lewisblakeney profile image
lewisblakeney

Penetration Testing Services provide invaluable insights into digital security. This blog explains the 'what' and 'how' in a concise manner. A must-read for businesses aiming to safeguard their online assets.