Pentest: What Is It and What Is It Used For?

In today’s digital landscape, the need for information security initiatives in businesses is undeniable. With the rise in cyberattacks, any organization is vulnerable to the consequences of a breach. In this context, solutions like pentesting—short for penetration testing—can be crucial for discovering and addressing vulnerabilities that could be exploited by cybercriminals.

So, today you’ll learn more about what pentesting is, how it works, and the benefits of using it to make your company more secure. Happy reading!

What Is Pentest?

Pentesting is a security strategy that enables the identification of vulnerabilities within systems and digital assets. This is achieved by simulating cyberattack attempts carried out by information security professionals in a controlled environment.

This process helps validate the system's defense mechanisms and identify potential weaknesses that cybercriminals might exploit. Consequently, it allows for strengthening protection and correcting errors to prevent actual invasions.

To illustrate, it’s like a supermarket hiring people to simulate a robbery or break-in at the store. This way, security personnel can identify vulnerabilities and develop new strategies to enhance the protection of the premises.

It’s worth noting that pentesting is typically performed manually by ethical hackers, though automated tools can also be used to support the process and increase effectiveness.

Types of Pentest

A notable feature of pentesting is the variety of techniques available, allowing you to choose the solution that best fits your needs. Here are some examples:

1. Black Box This is a more comprehensive type of pentest that ensures greater "realism" in simulating an attack. In this approach, the hacker receives minimal prior information about the company and performs a full mapping from scratch.
2. White Box In this case, the ethical hacker receives all necessary information about the company and its security structure, such as IP addresses, internal network topology, server names, etc.This option is generally executed by the company's own cybersecurity professional or a partner team with access to the necessary data. Simulations here are usually more specific and accurate.
3. Gray Box As the name suggests, this type of pentest is performed with basic information about the company, making it an intermediary between White and Black Box testing.This format is ideal for those outsourcing the service for the first time.
4. Internal Pentest This type of pentest is conducted within the company's internal network, primarily to measure the potential damage an insider could cause and to test the company's security and control levels.
5. External Pentest Here, the hacker examines only the company’s external technology, such as servers and websites. In these cases, the professional doesn’t need to visit the company, simulating a real attack with the same access levels an attacker would have.

How Does Pentest Work?

Understanding how pentesting works involves recognizing its phases, which are organized to make the process more effective. Here are the main stages:

1. Information Gathering In this initial phase, information about the company is collected, including its industry, branches or associated companies, address, type of services, and high-level employee names and emails.This helps gather DNS (Domain Name Service) addresses and discover if the company uses VPN (Virtual Private Network) or other services that could be part of the attack surface.
2. Network Scanning At this stage, the first steps of the invasion are taken after obtaining DNS information. It’s possible to discover IPs used, exposed services, operating systems, and servers, providing an overview of the company’s technological infrastructure.
3. Service Analysis After scanning systems and computers, the services being run, their versions, and access ports are analyzed.
4. Vulnerability Search and Access In this phase, the hacker starts searching for and accessing vulnerabilities in the running services. Tests are conducted to determine what information and controls are accessible and to identify security flaws.
5. Exploitation of Vulnerabilities Following the previous phases, vulnerabilities are exploited to assess the level of risk they pose. This phase identifies whether the environment is at risk of operational disruption or data leakage, for example.
6. Evidence Collection and Reporting After testing, the specialist collects necessary evidence to produce a detailed report, documenting all points of potential breaches, system updates, network issues, and other concerns.All tests performed and the potential consequences of discovered flaws are recorded to guide corrective actions. This concludes the pentest.

What Are the Benefits of Pentest for Companies?

Pentests are known for helping companies become more secure against cyber threats. In addition to improving protection, pentests offer specific benefits for cybersecurity. Here’s what you can gain:

1. Identification of Vulnerabilities Pentests help identify and quantify vulnerabilities in a company's systems and networks, detecting those gaps that automated tools might miss.
2. Realistic Attack Simulation By simulating real attack scenarios, pentests provide a realistic view of how an attacker might exploit system weaknesses. This helps companies better understand their exposure to risks.
3. Enhancement of Security Measures Based on pentest results, organizations can strengthen their security measures by fixing vulnerabilities and improving defenses against cyber threats.
4. Testing Incident Response Pentests can also be used to test the effectiveness of incident response plans. Simulating an attack allows teams to practice detection, containment, and recovery skills.
5. Protection of Critical Assets Identifying and fixing vulnerabilities through pentesting helps protect critical assets more efficiently, including sensitive data, intellectual property, and essential systems.
6. Strategic Investment in Security Regularly performing pentests is a strategic investment in cybersecurity. This can lead to long-term savings by avoiding security incidents and financial losses.
7. Risk Assessment The risk assessment provided by pentests helps organizations prioritize the correction of vulnerabilities based on their severity, likelihood of exploitation, and potential impact.

Pentest vs. Bug Bounty

While both pentesting and Bug Bounty programs aim to identify vulnerabilities, they differ in several ways.

The main difference is that pentests are conducted by a team of information security professionals or hackers over a predetermined period, as per the contract.

In contrast, a Bug Bounty program involves independent ethical hackers, with continuous testing and varying expertise and perspectives.

It’s important to note that one method does not replace the need for the other; they are complementary. Both pentesting and Bug Bounty programs provide valuable insights into a company's security strengths and weaknesses.

Interested in learning more about how to differentiate these methods or which one to choose? Contact BugHunt, and we’ll help clarify your doubts.