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.

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.

Summary for all of the exploits and updates shipped to Core Impact 18.1 since its release (on Feb 14^th):

• 14 Updates Overall
• 3 Remote Exploits
• 5 Client-Side Exploits
• 3 Local Exploits
• 3 Product Updates

Here is the list of published updates:

Streamline Penetration Testing Documentation with Flexible, Automated Reports

Core Impact's robust reporting capabilities have evolved significantly in the last few years, empowering penetration testers and security professionals to generate customized reports that align with specific organizational needs and compliance requirements. With the latest version and ongoing enhancements, Core Impact delivers unparalleled flexibility in documenting security assessments.