Alexis Kestler
Penetration testing, also known as pen testing or ethical hacking, is the practice of testing a computer system, network, or web application to find security vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit.
There are many different types of penetration tests, each with its own focus and approach. Choosing the right type of pen test is important to properly assess your organization‘s security posture.
This comprehensive guide explains the most common types of penetration tests, when you should use each one, and tips for selecting the right test for your needs.
Types of Penetration Tests
Web Application Testing
Web application penetration testing targets the security of web apps and websites. Testers will scan for vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting, SQL injection, broken authentication, insecure direct object references, and more.
This type of test is crucial for any business with a customer-facing web presence. Web apps often process sensitive data and their security flaws can lead to data breaches, financial fraud, reputation damage, and compliance violations.
Network Testing
Network penetration testing evaluates the security of network infrastructure and devices. The focus is on finding weaknesses related to the network itself rather than specific applications.
Testers will check for issues like misconfigured firewalls, default or weak passwords, vulnerable network services, and exposure of sensitive data. Successful attacks can result in data theft, service disruptions, malware infections, and more.
Mobile App Testing
As smartphone use continues growing exponentially, so does the need for securing mobile apps. Mobile penetration testing applies the same principles as web app testing, but with a focus on mobile operating systems like iOS and Android.
In addition to web vulnerabilities, testers will look for mobile-specific issues like insecure data storage, unintended data leakage, and poor authorization checks.
Wireless Testing
Wireless penetration testing targets Wi-Fi networks and devices connected to them. The goal is to breach wireless security measures and gain unauthorized access to the network and sensitive data.
Attack methods involve cracking encryption, brute forcing passwords, exploiting default configurations, and abusing wireless protocols. A wireless pen test can uncover weaknesses that could enable data theft and network sabotage.
API Testing
API testing applies penetration testing techniques to evaluate the security of application programming interfaces (APIs). Testers will examine API endpoints for vulnerabilities that could be leveraged in attacks.
Common issues include broken authentication/authorization, lack of rate limiting, incorrect HTTP methods allowed, injection flaws, and disclosure of internal errors.
Social Engineering Testing
Rather than directly attacking technical components, social engineering testing targets the human element in an organization‘s defenses. Testers attempt to manipulate employees into divulging sensitive information or performing harmful actions.
Tactics used in social engineering tests include phishing, pretexting, baiting, quid pro quo, and tailgating physical access controls. This reveals vulnerabilities that technical controls alone cannot prevent.
Physical Penetration Testing
Physical pen testing aims to breach the physical security perimeter of buildings and facilities. Testers will attempt to gain access to secure areas through techniques like lock picking, breaking and entering, cloning access card credentials, piggybacking off authorized access, and even social engineering.
The goal is to evaluate the efficacy of physical security controls like locks, cameras, guards, access control systems, fences, lighting, and more.
Cloud Infrastructure Testing
Cloud penetration testing applies the same principles as network and web app testing, but targeting infrastructure hosted in public cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
Unique cloud security issues include misconfigured storage buckets, vulnerable APIs, weak credentials, unauthorized cross-account access, insecure coding practices, and more.
This type of test is critical for organizations utilizing public cloud services to validate their cloud security postures.
Database Testing
Database penetration testing targets the security of databases that store sensitive data. Testers will simulate external attacks as well as abuse of internal database access privileges.
Tactics used include SQL injection attempts, cracking weak credentials, exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities, elevating privileges, and accessing unencrypted sensitive data. This can reveal disastrous data exposure risks.
IoT Testing
As Internet of Things (IoT) devices proliferate, so does the need to test their security. IoT penetration testing examines smart devices and their communication protocols for vulnerabilities.
Common issues include hard-coded/default passwords, lack of encryption, insecure firmware updates, insufficient authentication, and privacy concerns with data handling. Successful attacks can lead to device hijacking and network infiltration.
Black Box vs. White Box Testing
Penetration tests can also be categorized by the amount of insider knowledge the tester starts with, referred to as black box vs white box:
Black box testing simulates an external attack from a hacker with no internal access or knowledge of the systems. Testers must map out the environment and discover vulnerabilities from scratch.
White box testing provides testers with insider access and full knowledge of systems like source code, network diagrams, IPs, credentials, etc. This allows more thorough probing for subtle flaws.
In practice, most tests fall somewhere in between with varying degrees of insider info provided. In general, black box tests reflect the real-world attack surface better while white box is more comprehensive.
When Should You Conduct Penetration Testing?
To get the most value out of penetration testing, organizations should make it a regular part of their security programs, not just a one-off exercise.
Here are some good times to conduct pen testing:
- Continuously – Schedule tests on a quarterly or biannual basis to check both infrastructure and applications.
- After major changes – Testing should follow events like new product launches, cloud migrations, network expansions, etc.
- In response to incidents – Pen tests can uncover if breaches exploited other undetected flaws.
- To meet compliance requirements – Standards like PCI DSS require annual pen testing.
Tests can be performed by internal security teams, third-party vendors, or both for different perspectives.
Tips for Choosing the Right Penetration Test
Picking the most suitable type of penetration test for your organization involves asking questions like:
- What are our most critical assets and data flows to protect?
- Do we rely more on web apps vs. thick clients vs. mobile apps?
- Are we utilizing cloud services or hybrid infrastructure?
- What compliance regulations apply to us that require pen testing?
With this context in mind, here are some tips for selecting pen tests:
Evaluate both infrastructure and applications – Attackers target both networks and apps so testing should cover both fronts.
Match tests to business-specific risks – Let data flows and compliance needs guide which facet requires more testing focus.
Validate major transitions pre and post-launch – Major events like cloud migrations warrant testing before and after.
Vary black box and white box approaches – Both external and internal pen testing perspectives provide unique value.
Use continuous testing to keep pace with evolving attack methods and your expanding environments.
Conclusion
With attackers constantly innovating new ways to infiltrate defenses, penetration testing is imperative for identifying and remediating security gaps before criminals exploit them.
Utilizing a combination of different pen test types and frequently re-testing provides multilayered validation of security controls. Testing not only uncovers issues missed by other methods but does so from an attacker‘s perspective.
Matching pen testing approaches to your organization‘s specific assets, technologies, and risks ensures good coverage of potential attack surfaces. Ongoing testing also allows you to monitor security posture improvement over time.
What techniques have you found most effective for penetration testing? Share your experiences and advice with others below!
