VAPT-4 (Tools and Techniques)

Pen Testing Techniques:

1) Manual penetration test
2) Using automated penetration test tools
3) Combination of both manual and automated process
The third process is more common to identify all kinds of vulnerabilities.

Penetration Testing Tools:

Automated tools can be used to identify some standard vulnerability present in an application. Pentest tools scan code to check if there is malicious code present which can lead to the potential security breach. Pentest tools can verify security loopholes present in the system by examining data encryption techniques and figuring out hard-coded values like username and password.

Criteria to select the best penetration Tool:

– It should be easy to deploy, configure and use.
– It should scan your system easily.
– It should categorize vulnerabilities based on severity that needs an immediate fix.
– It should be able to automate verification of vulnerabilities.
– It should re-verify exploits found previously.
– It should generate detailed vulnerability reports and logs.
Once you know what tests you need to perform you can either train your internal test resources or hire expert consultants to do the penetration task for you.
Examples of Free and Commercial Tools:

• Nmap
• Nessus
• Metasploit
• Wireshark
• OpenSSL
• Cain & Abel
• THC Hydra
• w3af

Commercial services:

• Pure Hacking
• Torrid Networks
• SecPoint
• Veracode

Limitations of Pentest tools: Sometimes these tools can flag false positive output which results in spending more developer time on analyzing such vulnerabilities which are not present.

VAPT-3 (Types)

3 The types of penetration testing as seen below:



Let’s discuss this testing approaches one by one:

• Black Box Penetration Testing: In this approach, the tester assesses the target system, network or process without the knowledge of its details. They just have very high level of inputs like URL or company name using which they penetrate into the target environment. No code is being examined in this method.
• White Box Penetration Testing: In this approach, the tester is equipped with complete details about the target environment – Systems, network, OS, IP address, source code, schema, etc. It examines the code and finds out design & development errors. It is a simulation of internal security attack.
• Grey Box Penetration Testing: In this approach, the tester has limited details about the target environment. It is a simulation of external security attack.

VAPT-2 (Scope)

Scope:
https://msslinux.blogspot.com/2018/04/pavt-2.html

What should be tested?

• Software (Operating system, services, application)
• Hardware
• Network
• Processes
• End-user behaviour

Penetration Testing Types:

1) Social Engineering Test:
In this test, attempts are being made to make a person reveal the sensitive information like password, business-critical data, etc. These tests are mostly done through phone or internet and it targets certain helpdesks, employees & processes.
Human errors are the main causes of security vulnerability. Security standards and policies should be followed by all staff members to avoid social engineering penetration attempt. Example of these standards includes not to mention any sensitive information in the email or phone communication. Security audits can be conducted to identify and correct process flaws.
2) Web Application Test:
Using software methods one can verify if the application is exposed to security vulnerabilities. It checks the security vulnerability of web apps and software programs positioned in the target environment.
3) Physical Penetration Test:
Strong physical security methods are applied to protect sensitive data. This is generally used in military and government facilities. All physical network devices and access points are tested for possibilities of any security breach. This test is not much relevant to the scope of software testing.
4) Network Services Test:
This is one of the most commonly performed penetration tests where the openings in the network are identified by which entry is being made in the systems on the network to check what kind of vulnerabilities are there. It can be done locally or remotely.
) Client-side test:
It aims to search and exploit vulnerabilities in client-side software programs.
6) Remote dial-up war dial:
It searches for modems in the environment and tries to login to the systems connected through these modems by password guessing or brute forcing.
7) Wireless security test: It discovers the open, unauthorized and less secured hotspots or Wi-Fi networks and connects through them.



Next Post on VAPT

VAPT-1 (Penetration Testing)

Penetration Testing
https://msslinux.blogspot.com/2018/04/pavt-1.html

What is Penetration Testing?
It’s the process to identify security vulnerabilities in an application by evaluating the system or network with various malicious techniques. The weak points of a system are exploited in this process through an authorized simulated attack.
The purpose of this test is to secure important data from outsiders like hackers who can have unauthorized access to the system. Once the vulnerability is identified it is used to exploit the system in order to gain access to sensitive information.
A penetration test is also known as pen test and a penetration tester is also referred as an ethical hacker.

We can figure out the vulnerabilities of a computer system, a web application or a network through penetration testing.
A penetration test tells whether the existing defensive measures employed on the system are strong enough to prevent any security breaches. Penetration test reports also suggest the countermeasures that can be taken to reduce the risk of the system being hacked.

Causes of vulnerabilities:

• Design and development errors: There can be flaws in the design of hardware and software. These bugs can put your business-critical data at the risk of exposure.
• Poor system configuration: This is another cause of vulnerability. If the system is poorly configured, then it can introduce loopholes through which attackers can enter into the system & steal the information.
• Human errors: Human factors like improper disposal of documents, leaving the documents unattended, coding errors, insider threats, sharing passwords over phishing sites, etc. can lead to security breaches.
• Connectivity: If the system is connected to an unsecured network (open connections) then it comes in the reach of hackers.
• Complexity: The security vulnerability rises in proportion to the complexity of a system. The more features a system has, the more chances of the system being attacked.
• Passwords: Passwords are used to prevent unauthorized access. They should be strong enough that no one can guess your password. Passwords should not be shared with anyone at any cost and passwords should be changed periodically. In spite of these instructions, at times people reveal their passwords to others, write them down somewhere and keep easy passwords that can be guessed.
• User Input: You must have heard of SQL injection, buffer overflows, etc. The data received electronically through these methods can be used to attack the receiving system.
• Management: Security is hard & expensive to manage. Sometimes organizations lack behind in proper risk management and hence vulnerability gets induced in the system.
• Lack of training to staff: This leads to human errors and other vulnerabilities.
• Communication: Channels like mobile network, internet, telephone opens up security theft scope.

Why Penetration testing?

You must have heard of the WannaCry ransomware attack that started in May 2017. It locked more than 2 lakh computers around the world and demanded ransom payments in the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. This attack has affected many big organizations around the globe.
With such massive & dangerous cyber-attacks happening these days, it has become unavoidable to do penetration testing on regular intervals to protect the information systems against security breaches.
So, penetration testing is mainly required because:
– Financial or critical data must be secured while transferring it between different systems or over the network.
– Many clients are asking for pen testing as part of the software release cycle.
– To secure user data.
– To find security vulnerabilities in an application.
– To discover loopholes in the system.
– To assess the business impact of successful attacks.
– To meet the information security compliance in the organization.
– To implement effective security strategy in the organization