Through penetration testing, you can proactively identify the most exploitable security weaknesses before someone else does. However, there’s a lot more to it than the actual act of infiltration. Penetration testing is a thorough, well thought out project that consists of several phases. Read on to learn about what it takes to complete a successful pen test.

What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing is a direct test of an application, a device, a website, an organization, and even the people that work at an organization. It first involves attempting to identify and then attempting to exploit different security weaknesses that can be found in these various areas.

When conducting a penetration test, most testers will develop some type of process, and repeat that same process on every engagement. As I think through the basics of penetration testing, I believe that process can be broken up into six steps.

Now, I’m not saying every tester follows every step or performs these steps in this exact order, however, this is a pretty good process to follow. Let’s take a closer look at each step.

It’s important for all organizations to periodically assess and test security vulnerabilities, to better evaluate risk and be ready to detect, prevent and respond to threats as they happen. Vulnerability assessments, penetration tests and Red Teams help you identify and prioritize security risks, which also improves your overall security posture.

Gartner recently released a detailed research report covering the use of penetration testing and Red Teams. The report describes the processes and suggests ways that organizations can use them to reduce risk.