Penetration testing plays an important role in cybersecurity. It’s designed to reveal vulnerabilities in a network or information technology (IT) infrastructure so that they can be resolved. When left unresolved, vulnerabilities can lead to an attack. Most cyber attacks involve the exploitation of a vulnerability. As a result, many businesses rely on penetration testing to strengthen the security of their network or IT infrastructure. For a better understanding of penetration testing, keep reading.
What Is Penetration Testing?
Also known simply as pen testing, penetration testing is the practice of performing a faux cyber attack against a network or IT infrastructure. When you perform a penetration test, you’ll essentially attempt to breach the defenses of your business’s network or IT infrastructure. You can identify vulnerabilities, after which you can attempt to exploit them. Of course, penetration tests aren’t malicious. On the contrary, they can result in a stronger level of security by revealing vulnerabilities.
The Phases of Penetration Testing
There are several stages of penetration testing. Most penetration tests begin with the reconnaissance phase. During the reconnaissance phase, you’ll need to collect information about your business’s network or IT infrastructure. The reconnaissance phase essentially focuses on research. You can research your business’s network or IT infrastructure to find vulnerabilities.
Port scanning is another phase of penetration testing. As the name suggests, it involves scanning for open ports. Open ports can be vulnerabilities. Each open port is a potential channel for an attack. When performing a penetration test, you should typically scan for open ports.
The next phase of penetration testing is accessing your business’s network or IT infrastructure. During a penetration test, you should try to gain access. Access is typically gained through the exploitation of a vulnerability, such as an open port or a weak password.
Maintaining access is another part of a penetration test. Even if you’ve gained access to your business’s network or IT infrastructure, you may not be able to maintain it. Maintaining access essentially means that you can stay inside of the network or IT infrastructure undetected.
In Conclusion
You can’t rely on antivirus software to protect your business from all types of cyber threats. For a more robust cybersecurity strategy. you should consider penetration testing. Penetration tests involve the use of tests, known as penetration tests, to identify and exploit vulnerabilities. By performing these penetration tests, you can fix vulnerabilities before they lead to an attack.
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