Penetration Testing Companies or How to Increase Security of IT Infrastructure
Penetration testing is conducted to evaluate the security of computer systems or networks by simulating a controlled hacker attack. This process involves a dynamic analysis of the system with intent to identify any potential vulnerabilities and threats that may cause a target system’s failure or even complete breakdown. Pen test is easy and fast security risk assessment for system breaches. It helps organizations to verify the effectiveness of their security controls. The threat is modeled looking at a system from potential attacker’s perspective and also through exploiting system vulnerabilities.
By locating vulnerabilities before the intruders do, penetration testing companies manage to implement defensive strategies in order to protect critical information or systems.
The test objects can be individual information systems such as the CMS (content management system), CRM (customer relationship management), Internet Client-Bank, or the entire infrastructure as a whole: the network perimeter, wireless networks, internal or corporate network, as well as the outer perimeter.
The goal of penetration testing is to identify all possible vulnerabilities present in applications, operating systems or services, shortcomings in password policy, deficiencies and subtleties in IT configuration. In this process, the specialists try to break into a network by imitating behavior of the intruders or attacks carried out by malicious software without the direct involvement of a testing expert. These tests are aimed at pinpointing and eliminating the weaknesses in corporate network security mechanisms. Top testing companies execute pen tests on regular basis so that to ensure the most consistent network and IT security management.
Penetration testing can be divided into 3 main categories: Blackbox, Whitebox and Greybox test design methodologies:
Blackbox testing. This method does require professional knowledge on the internal design or workings of program or code. This method best of all allows to mimic real-world use of the app under test.
Whitebox testing is quite opposite to Blackbox testing technique. The specialist must have necessary knowledge about the test object, namely programming code in order to analyze outputs.
Graybox testing is a middle ground between Whitebox and Blackbox testing methods, when the specialist has only limited knowledge on the functionality of the program or system being tested.
Software testing service providers use these three test design techniques as required and choice & sequence of their usage depends on particular situation