Penetration Test
Test the security of your network!

A penetration test is an effective process of evaluating the security of computer systems or networks by simulating an attack from a malicious source, as a hacker attack or using social engineering techniques.

This method is useful both for large-scale enterprise and small, medium concern that want to test the security of their network or system. Penetration test is a simulation of a hacker attack and preserve enterprise networks and systems from the following vulnerabilities:

1. Internal  (as the lack of specialized resources or security awareness)

2. External (as hacker attacks, router and firewall misconfigurations, exploits)

3. Physical (as accidental loss of confidential information, disgruntled employees)

Penetration test can be conduced in several ways. It depends on the amount of knowledge of the implementation details of the system being tested that are available to the pen tester. Black Box testing assumes no prior knowledge of the infrastructure to be tested. At the opposite, White Box testing provides the tester with complete knowledge of the infrastructure to be tested often including network diagrams, source code, and IP addressing information.

Penetration test and analysis can be divided into four different steps:

1. Information Gathering (focused on collecting as much information as possible about a target application. Pen test usually starts with three pre test phases: Footprinting, Scanning and Enumerating., together called Reconnaissance. Information gathering is a necessary step of a penetration test. 

2. Vulnerability Identification (is the step in which the vulnerabilities are identified)

3. Penetration (the proper phase of system violation to test its security to vulnerabilities)

4. Reporting (containing information concerning potential vulnerabilities of the company  system or network) 

•  Executive Summary intended for senior management which highlights the findings and action items from the penetration test
•  Technical Report Detailed findings and action items that describe the vulnerabilities discovered, its impact and how to fix each one