What are some of the most common network security vulnerabilities that a Pentester comes across?

Penetration testers are hired to compromise your security, identify vulnerabilities, and provide you solid recommendations for hardening your security posture. But, are you familiar with the various types of pentests that are employed?

Here are the seven most common types of penetration tests you could explore for your next security engagement.

Reconnaissance, Intelligence Gathering or Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Gathering

An important first step in penetration testing is Intelligence Gathering also known as Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) gathering. Intelligence gathering is perhaps the most important capability of a pentester. The ethical hacker works to learn the ins and outs of the environment and find out as much information as possible about an organization before beginning a series of different penetration tests.

It’s during this phase that the penetration tester uncovers possible weaknesses and entry points within the security posture of the organization, including the network, applications, website and wireless networks, physical facilities, cloud-based systems, employees, and more.

Are you wondering how a penetration tester can find out so much information about a company before performing a penetration test? Take a look at this OSINT Framework that details all the areas in which a testing professional might look for open information

1. Network Penetration Testing and Exploitation

After the penetration tester performs Intelligence gathering and threat modeling, the tester completes a series of network tests. Network testing is usually the most common method of penetration testing. Once a hacker obtains access to the network, 90% of the obstacles are removed for a threat actor.

A pentester can conduct an internal and external network exploitation. This allows them to emulate a successful hacker that’s been able to penetrate the external network defenses. This gives them an opportunity to explore many facets of the security posture of an organization.

Network testing typically includes:

• Bypassing Firewalls
• Router testing
• IPS/IDS evasion
• DNS footprinting
• Open port scanning and testing
• SSH attacks
• Proxy Servers
• Network vulnerabilities
• Application penetration testing

Application testing is another common type of pentest. Within application penetration testing, the ethical hacker searches for vulnerabilities within all your server applications.

Typical applications for exploit include:

• Web Applications
• APIs
• Connections
• Frameworks
• Systems
  • SAP
  • CRM systems
  • Logistics
  • Financial systems
  • HR systems
• Mobile applications

This testing goes even further than the typical network penetration test and identifies vulnerabilities within these common business applications.

2. Website & Wireless Network Penetration Testing

Through this penetration test type, the devices and infrastructure within the wireless network are tested for vulnerabilities.

The pentester will commonly exploit these areas during a wireless network penetration test:

• Wireless encryption protocols
• Wireless network traffic
• Unauthorized access points and hotspots
• MAC address spoofing
• Poorly used or default passwords
• Cross-site scripting
• SQL injections
• Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
• Web server misconfiguration
• The website and/or web server for sensitive customer data
• The web server(s) using malware to obtain deeper access into your network

Poorly secured wireless networks are often used to hack into organizations. There are countless ways for a threat actor to use multiple vulnerabilities within your website and wireless network to obtain sensitive data.

3. Physical penetration testing

You might not think of this as vulnerability, but your physical security controls can be an open door for cybercriminals.

During this a physical penetration test, the pentester will attempt to gain access to the facility through:

• RFID & Door Entry Systems
• Lock-picking
• Personnel or vendor impersonation
• Motion sensors

Often, a physical penetration test is performed with some form of social engineering. A pentester may need to deceive or manipulate your employees to obtain physical access to the facility. This leads us to our next type of penetration test.

4. Social Engineering Tests

Your security is only as strong as the weakest link in your chain. People make mistakes and can be easily manipulated. The weakest link is often your employees. Social engineering is one of the most prevalent ways in which threat actors can infiltrate your environment.

The most common types of social engineering tactics used by ethical hackers are:

• Phishing attacks
• Imposters – fellow employees, external vendors or contractors
• Tailgating
• Name-dropping
• Pre-texting
• Gifts
• Dumpster Diving
• Bluesnarfing
• Eavesdropping

A social engineering test is helpful for telling you about vulnerabilities in your human capital. Not only that, but social engineering is one of the most vital skills used by threat actors. Deception, manipulation, and influence are all skills commonly used by attackers to covertly persuade your employees into providing access to systems and data.

5. Cloud penetration testing

Public cloud services have become increasingly popular for compute, networking and storage. Companies and employees may be able to store backups and all types of data in the cloud. This makes it a prime target for hackers.

But, with the ease of cloud deployments comes complexities in handling cloud security as well as legal obstacles. Not to mention, many public cloud providers have a hands-off or shared responsibility approach to security, forcing the organization to take responsibility for the cloud security.

If your organization wants to perform a cloud penetration test, you may need to notify the cloud provider your intent to carry out the test. Be sure to ask the cloud provider about what areas are off limits. For instance, AWS only permits testing on EC2, RDS, Aurora, CloudFront, API Gateway, Lambda, Lightsail and DNS Zone Walking and small and micro RDS instances as well as small, micro, and nano EC2 instance types are not permitted.

Once you have the approval from the cloud provider, you may be able to proceed with pentesting.

Some of the common testing areas for cloud services include:

• Compute security
• Applications and API access
• Database and storage access
• Encryption
• VMs and unpatched Operating Systems
• SSH and RDP remote administration
• Poorly used firewalls
• Poorly used passwords

Public cloud penetration testing can be a bit difficult. In this situation, you will likely want to employ white box testing, having more knowledge about the environment before testing. Public cloud service providers often restrict or limit a customer’s ability to perform penetration tests because of the multi-tenant or shared nature of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

Be aware that if you’re a Microsoft Azure customer, you must comply with the Microsoft Cloud Unified Penetration Testing Rules of Engagement documentation to start pentesting. If you’re an Amazon Web Services (AWS) customer, you will need to fill out the AWS Vulnerability / Penetration Testing Request Form.

Performing these various pentest types can help you pinpoint the weaknesses you want to improve your security posture. Performing regular penetration tests will be essential to your overall security strategy. A pentest gives you an idea how strong your security posture is and the areas you can improve with actionable recommendations.

Penetration testing, also called Pentest, is a cybersecurity process that helps you stay ahead of hackers.

In a pentest, an ethical hacker finds security vulnerabilities in your application, network, or system, and helps you fix them before attackers get wind of these issues and exploit them. This makes Pentesting a non-negotiable fundamental step for a website or business owner. Let us dive deeper into Penetration Testing and what to expect from it.

What is penetration testing (In Cyber Security)?

Penetration Testing is the method to evaluate the security of an application or network by safely exploiting any security vulnerabilities present in the system. These security flaws can be present in various areas such as system configuration settings, login methods, and even end-users risky behaviors.

Pentesting is required, apart from assessing security, to also evaluate the efficiency of defensive systems and security strategies.

Pentests are usually comprised of both manual and automated tests, which aim to breach the security of the application with proper authorization. Once the vulnerabilities are discovered and exploited, the client is provided with a detailed penetration testing report containing information about the scope of the test, vulnerabilities found, their severity, and suggestions to patch them up.

Related: Learn more on Why Penetration Testing is Important | Top 6 Web Pentest Tools You Should Not Miss

How does Penetration Testing differ from Vulnerability Assessment?

The term Penetration Testing appears in the latter half of the term VAPT, which stands for Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing.

• Quite understandably, people confuse VA (Vulnerability Assessment) & PT (Penetration Testing) as the same process and use them interchangeably. Well, they are not and shouldn’t be swapped with one another. The difference between them is crucial when judging how it fits the requirements. Both are essential security evaluators that help in strengthening your application’s security posture.

• The purpose of a vulnerability assessment is to find and alert the user of any security flaws present in the target. While pen testing exploits the vulnerabilities found in VA to determine the extent of damage that can be done. Commonly vulnerability scans are automated processes, while Pentests are predominantly done manually.

Also Read: OWASP Penetration Testing | Continuous Penetration Testing: The Best Tool You’ll Find in 2022

• Vulnerability Assessments are mainly done by qualified technicians using automated tools, results of which are then compiled and attested. In comparison, Pentesting is generally done by white hat hackers or ethical hackers. They are security experts and bring in the human element to break into a system. In Pentesting, vulnerability assessment can be used in the initial steps to identify targets and potential attack vectors.

• Cost is another factor that differentiates these two. Compared to Pentesting, Vulnerability Assessments cost less. Vulnerability scan reports mainly contain a list of security vulnerabilities and a detailed description of these. While Pentesting reports generally contain the vulnerabilities ranked according to their severity, ease of exploitation, and risk.

Both these processes are complementary in nature and are usually performed together, in a combined process called VAPT, or Security Audit.

Related Read: Top Pentest Tools In India | 10 Best Cyber Security Audit Companies [Features and Services Explained]

Penetration testing for organizations and why it is important?

Why does an organization need frequent pentesting?

The cyber threat landscape is in a constant state of flux. New vulnerabilities are discovered and exploited regularly, some of them are publicly recognized, and some are not. Being alert is the best thing you can do.

Web services pentest helps you root out the vulnerabilities in your system that can lead to security breaches, data theft, and denial of service.

Pentest goes beyond just detecting common vulnerabilities with the help of automated tools and finds out more complex security issues like business logic errors and issues related to payment gateways. It helps you get a clearer picture of your organization’s security posture and fix the issues to harden your security.

The primary purpose to conduct regular pentest are

• Keeping up with the changing cyber threat landscape
• Finding and mitigating business logic errors
• Preparing for compliance audits
• Saving your business from security breaches.

Also Read- Pentest Related FAQs | API Penetration Testing: What You Need To Know

What are the different approaches to Penetration Testing?

There are three approaches adopted by testers in regards to penetration testing, based on the information available and the type of weakness to be found:

1. White box

In a white box test, the testers have complete knowledge of the system and complete access. The objective of this approach is to conduct in-depth testing of the system and gather as much information as possible. The advantage, in this case, is that since the tester has unbridled access and knowledge of the system, including code quality and internal designs, the Pentest can identify even remotely located vulnerabilities, thus giving a nearly complete picture of the security.

2. Black box

As you have guessed correctly, in this approach the tester has no knowledge of the system and designs the test as an uninformed attacker. This approach is the closest to a real-world attack and involves a high degree of technical skills. This approach has the longest duration and costs more than the white-box approach.

3. Gray box

As the name suggests, this approach stands midway between white and black box testing. The tester has only limited knowledge of the system. The advantage of this approach is that with the limited amount of knowledge, the tester has a more focused area of attack and thus avoids any trial-and-error method of attack.

3 types of Penetration Testing?

• Network Penetration Testing
• Web Application Penetration Testing
• Social Engineering

1. Network Penetration Testing

The objective of a network penetration test is to find vulnerabilities in the network infrastructure, either on-premise or cloud environments such as Azure and AWS penetration testing. It is one of the basic tests, and a crucial one too to protect your data and the security of your application. In this test, a wide range of areas such as configurations, encryption, and outdated security patches, are tested and checked.

Also Read: A Complete Guide to Cloud Security Testing | Why Firewall Penetration Testing is Essential to Your Security Strategy

Network Pentesting is further divided into categories:

1.1 External Pentest

This scenario simulates an attack from an outsider with access to the internet and no prior knowledge of the system. The tester will attempt to break into your system by exploiting vulnerabilities from outside and accessing internal data and systems.

1.2 Internal Pentest

This is more concerned with testing your application from within and is focused on the internal environment. The pre assumption, in this case, is that the attackers have been able to breach the outer layer and are already within the network.

External threats are riskier than internal ones as gaining access to the internal networks is a result of a breach in the external security protocols. Thus, beginning with an external pentest is a good idea.

Below are some of the network pentests that are done:

• Testing routers
• Firewall bypasses
• DNS footprinting
• Evasion of IPS/IDS
• Scanning and testing open ports
• SSH attacks
• Tests on proxy servers

with our detailed and specially curated network security checklist.

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2. Web Application Penetration Testing

The purpose of this is to uncover security lapses in websites, e-commerce platforms (like Magento, PrestaShop, etc.), customer relationship management software, and content management systems, among others. This test checks the entire application including custom-built functionalities and business logic, to protect against data breaches and other attacks.

Also Read: PHP Penetration Testing

With the rise in web-based applications, it is not strange that the huge amount of data stored and transmitted through these makes for attractive targets to cyber attackers. Organizations and individuals with web apps must conduct this test periodically to keep up with the latest attacks methodologies and security flaws. Some of the common vulnerabilities include:

Read: How to Conduct A Web Application Penetration Testing?

3. Social Engineering

Unlike the above tests, where the technical aspect of the application is put under scrutiny, in social engineering, human psychology comes under the scanner. Testers leverage and exploit human nature to break into a system in social engineering pen-testing. Through manipulation, the tester will coax the individual to reveal sensitive information which will be used to penetrate the system and plan further attacks.

Some of the common methods of attack are:

• Phishing attacks
• Masquerading as colleagues, contractors, or vendors
• Tailgating
• Dumpster diving
• Eavesdropping
• Bluesnarfing

Even though social engineering pentest is not widely done, it is necessary to get a complete picture of your application’s security standards.

How is penetration testing conducted?

Rigorous and detailed planning for penetration testing is required to successfully conduct one.

There are 7 stages in penetration testing:

Step 1: Pre-Engagement Analysis

Before even planning a test, it’s imperative that you along with your security provider discuss topics such as the scope of the test, budget, objectives, etc. Without these, there won’t be clear enough direction of the test and will result in a lot of wasted effort

Step 2: Intelligence gathering

Before commencing the pentest, the tester will attempt to find all publicly available information about the system and anything that would help in breaking in. These would assist in creating a plan of action as well as reveal potential targets.

Step 3: Vulnerability assessment

In this stage, your application is checked for security vulnerabilities by analyzing your security infrastructure and configuration. The tester searches for any opening or security gaps that can be exploited to break into the system.

Step 4: Exploitation

Once the tester is armed with the knowledge of vulnerabilities present in the system, they will start exploiting them. This will help in identifying the nature of the security gaps and the effort required to exploit them.

Step 5: Post-exploitation

The main objective of a pentest is to simulate a real-world attack in which attackers would cause real damage after exploiting the security flaws in the system. Thus, once the tester can enter the system, they will use all available means to escalate their privileges.

Step 6: Maintaining access

Once attackers get access to a system, they try to keep a channel open for further exploitation through backdoors and rootkits. The same is done by testers too. They install malware and other programs to keep the system infected and check if these programs are detected and removed by the application.

Step 7: Reporting

Everything done during this pen testing is documented in a detailed manner along with steps and suggestions to fix the flaws in the security. Since the nature of the report is highly sensitive, it is ensured that it is safely delivered to authorized personnel. Testers often have meetings and debrief with executives and technical teams to help them understand the report. Security services like Astra were also assisted by a team of experts to prepare plans for fixing security issues.

Also Read: Website Penetration Testing- A Complete Guide | Top 5 Software Security Testing Tools in 2022 [Reviewed]

Astra Security Pentesting Methodology

We, at Astra Security, use a combination of vulnerability assessment and penetration testing to check and find any security flaws in your application. We not only use standard tests but also tailor-fit tests based on your application, to give you the best results.

The scope of work includes:

• Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT)
• Dynamic and static code analysis
• Collaborative dashboards to report and manage vulnerabilities
• Expert technical assistance to patch up security gaps
• Consultations for best and safe practices

Astra has different testing methodologies based on requirements:

After the pen testing, Astra prepares a detailed vulnerability report to provide you with a bird’s-eye view of the security status. With their detailed reports and vulnerability management platform, all security flaws were re-fixed within record time. Astra’s reports contain some of the following points:

• Vulnerability details
• Video PoCs and screenshots
• To help reproduce the vulnerabilities, selenium scripts for the developers
• Threats ranked with CVSS score
• Impact on business and consequences
• Custom-fit steps to fix security issues and best practices

Astra is indeed the security provider that you never had. And to reinforce this fact, you can browse through the numerous satisfied testimonials from the clients.

We are also available on weekends 😊

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FAQs

The frequency of these tests depends on several factors including budget, size of the environment, and how dynamic the environment is. Testing too frequently will not provide enough time to fix the issues, while too infrequent testing leaves the application vulnerable to newer attack methodologies. To identify the sweet spot, you’ll need to factor in all the variables. Learn About Penetration Testing Now.

A well-planned and coordinated penetration testing will not be disruptive to the system. It is important to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the timeline and that relevant teams are kept informed. With proper expertise and a focused approach, you would not face any likely system crash.

The overall time depends on factors such as the size of the environment, size of the testing team, type of test, etc. Reserve adequate time for the test and assign extra time for reporting. A good estimate would be 4 to 6 weeks, including the planning and reporting stage. The actual test takes around 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the complexity and size of the environment.

What are the qualifications the testing team should possess?

The team members should have in-depth experience in all the various technologies including server infrastructure, web applications, client platforms, and IP networking. They should have certifications such as Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), to name a few. At Astra, our teams have advanced degrees from renowned universities, CEH, policy compliance certifications, and cybersecurity fundamentals from Kaspersky, among others.

Why is Penetration Testing Important?

Pentesting is important as it provides you with a clear and comprehensive picture of your current security posture and helps you fix the vulnerabilities.

This post is part of a series on penetration testing, you can also check out other articles below.

Chapter 1. What is Penetration Testing