What Are The Three Important Types Of Pen-testing Methods?

By Author: kedar naik
Total Articles: 8
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Pen-testing is the perfect method to identify loopholes and vulnerabilities in an organization's web application or IT environment. This is the primary reason for the growing popularity of application penetration testing. Also, technological advancements, including the revolution brought by industry 4.0, has increased the risks of a data breach while highlighting the importance of penetration testing among companies.

Security vulnerabilities found in the software are usually at some particular points of entry, such as:
Defects in the design of the software code
Backdoors in the Operating System
Improper use of software applications
Incorrect software configuration management implementation

Thus, pen-testing is targeted towards endpoints such as servers, wireless networks and devices, mobile devices, network security devices, and software applications.

When you plan to choose a pen-testing provider for on-demand penetration testing, you must research and evaluate thoroughly. Penetration testing involves hacking into an organization's IT infrastructure to examine any weaknesses before ...
... they are exploited against the company. Thus, the professional pen-testers get access to the company's sensitive data, which makes it even more important to be sure of who you are handing over your security access. Pen Testing can be done in two ways: manual or automatic processes.

Let us discuss the various kinds of Penetration testing:

Black Box Penetration Testing

In real life cyber hacking scenario, the chances are that the hackers will not know of the details of the IT infrastructure of an organization. Thus, they are expected to launch a full-fledged attack against it to hit upon a weakness or loophole to leverage. Therefore, in a black box penetration test, the professional tester has no idea about the internal workings of the web application, including its source code or architecture. He/She tries to gain information about the target application or network during the hacking process. This type of testing process is very time-consuming as the tester has to depend on the use of automated processes to identify the numerous weaknesses. Hence, it is also referred to as the trial and error approach.

White Box Penetration Testing
Also known as Clear Box Testing, it comparatively faster than Black Box testing as the tester has access to a wide range of information, including the source code and the IT system/network. Thus, White Box pen testing is considered much more thorough and insightful. However, it has its own set of limitations. Since the professional tester has access to a whole lot of information, it may take him/her a long time to decide what to focus on before getting on with the testing process. Also, it requires cutting-edge tools and a sophisticated IT system in place to ensure proper analysis.

Grey Box Penetration Testing

Grey Box Testing is a blend of both Black Box and White Box testing. The professional pen-tester has access to partial knowledge of the internal software of the targeted web application or network. The test is restricted to gaining access to the software codes and system architecture diagrams. Both manual and automated testing processes are used, and the testing is focused on the areas the pen-tester already has information about. From there on, they try to leverage any vulnerabilities they come across.

The type of penetration testing a corporation chooses depends on the needs and requirements of their IT environment. What matters is when selecting a pen-testing provider, they must ensure that they are well qualified and updated with the hacking trends of the market. They should be able to understand and judge what type of pen-testing is required for your organization.