What are Pen Tests?

Pen testing, also known as penetration testing or ethical hacking testing, is controlled attacks against a system, network, application or infrastructure to identify its security weaknesses. The purpose of a pen test is to expose a system's vulnerabilities and potential security threats before malicious hackers do. Pen testing is performed by security experts who assume the role of a hacker to evaluate security and make recommendations for improvement.

Pen testing can take different forms, depending on the specific purpose and environment to be investigated. Some common types of pen tests are:

1. Network Penetration Test: This involves examining an organization's network infrastructure to find vulnerabilities that can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to systems or data.

2. Application Penetration Test: This focuses on identifying vulnerabilities in software applications, such as websites, mobile apps, or internal company applications. The goal is to find out if attackers can exploit the application to gain access to sensitive information or perform malicious activities.

3. Physical Penetration Test: This involves security experts trying to gain physical access to secured buildings, offices or facilities. The aim is to assess the effectiveness of physical security measures and determine whether unauthorized persons can gain access to restricted areas.

4. Social engineering test: This attempts to exploit human weaknesses through deception or manipulation. The aim is to test whether employees are susceptible to phishing attacks, sharing confidential information or granting unauthorized access to systems.

During a pen test, the security expert follows a methodological approach to systematically identify, explore and exploit vulnerabilities. This includes scanning and analyzing systems, performing automated and manual attack techniques, and documenting findings in a detailed report. The report contains information about the vulnerabilities identified, the potential risk, and recommendations for security improvements.

Pen testing plays an important role in securing systems and ensuring data confidentiality, integrity and availability. By exposing vulnerabilities before they are exploited by malicious actors, a pen test helps organizations take proactive measures to strengthen their security level and mitigate the risks.