Penetration testing is an essential technique in the battle against hackers and internet fraudsters. It is a key part of vulnerability management, the process whereby risks can be known and understood, and thereby reduced. A high standard of vulnerability assessment is vital in order to manage these risks.
If the internet security industry tells us anything, it is that hackers, and the methods that they use, seem to grow more sophisticated and dangerous by the day. This makes the industry an incredibly fast-paced one, with new techniques and software being made all the time to safeguard computer systems and the vast amounts of money and information to which they hold the key. There is a race happening to make sure that hackers are not able to successfully carry out hostile attacks on the world’s computer systems.
Whatever methods or programs are developed, penetration testing – also known as pentest in the industry – is likely to always be a key part of the process. Why? Because it involves putting a computer system’s security to the test, in a sort of virtual safety drill. It simulates an assault by a ‘black hat hacker’ – that is, a hacker in laymen’s terms, where a ‘white hat hacker is his enemy: a penetration tester – and the result of the simulation is that any flaws in the security system will be discovered. These pentests can be carried out in a variety of ways. These are generally separated into two categories: black box and white box testing. The separation between these is that black box testing simulates an attack by a black hat hacker who has no prior awareness about the security system and its infrastructure, while white box testing the white hat hacker is given information about the infrastructure, such as its IP address, network diagrams and source code information. Both of these sorts of test are valuable, since most attacks come from ‘blind’ hackers, for whom black box testing is more appropriate, but it is necessary to also safeguard against a hack from an insider who possesses certain information about the security system, so white box tests are important also.
This kind of vulnerability assessment is the best way to remain on top of the game in the security of computing systems. Vulnerability management is only possible when we are fully aware of the risks, and penetration testing enables us to discover and understand these risks, and take the appropriate measures to reduce them.
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