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Nowadays, cybersecurity has become a permanent concern for companies and individuals. As cyber attacks become more sophisticated, the need to evaluate and strengthen system security has become even more pressing. And this is where Pentest , an essential tool in this process.
The importance of Pentest for business is reflected in the numbers: according to Cybersecurity Ventures , the global penetration testing market will exceed 5 billion dollars annually by 2031 .
Therefore, throughout this text, you will discover the different types of Pentests available, how each of them is conducted and in which scenarios they are most effective . If you are looking to strengthen your organization's security or simply want to better understand the complexities of Pentest, this article is for you!
Good reading!
What is Pentest (Penetration Testing)?
Pentest , or Penetration Testing, is an essential security methodology that identifies, tests and reinforces vulnerabilities in IT systems.
Implemented by cybersecurity professionals, it is a critical component for protecting data and infrastructure.
What is its importance for companies today?
Companies constantly face cyber threats, making Pentest a vital tool to ensure the security of their systems. Through these tests, it is possible to map weaknesses and develop an effective action plan to mitigate risks, reinforcing vulnerabilities before they are exploited by attackers.
What are the main types of Pentest?
Today, there are different types of Pentest, each with a specific scope. Check out:
- Black Box : when the security specialist has minimal or no information about the system that will be tested;
- White Box: in this case, all information about the system is provided, facilitating more in-depth testing;
- Gray Box: an intermediate approach, in which some information is made available to the professional to conduct the test.
- External Testing: testers focus on identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities external to the organization's network, such as web servers, firewalls, email services, among others;
- Internal Testing: testers simulate an internal attack, evaluating the security of the network and systems from the perspective of a common user with internal access to the network;
- Targeted Testing: focuses on a specific part of the organization's infrastructure or a specific system;
- Social Engineering Testing: evaluates the ability of the organization's employees to resist social engineering attacks, such as phishing, pretexting, or verbal manipulation.
Each of these tests provides insights for cybersecurity professionals, who use this information to strengthen their company's security strategy.
Below, see details about each of them:
Black Box
Black Box penetration testing , pentesters face the challenge of testing systems and applications without prior information . This type of testing emphasizes the external perspective and simulates a cyber attack without internal knowledge of the target infrastructure.
Concept and principles of Pentest Black Box
In a Pentest Black Box, the security professional starts the process with minimal information about the target system, be it a network or a web application. Thus, the recognition stage is crucial, where techniques such as fuzzing are used to detect exploitable vulnerabilities.
In this way, pentesters look for exploits that could compromise the system, and they do so with the same information limitation that a possible attacker would have.
Advantages and use cases
The Black Box approach offers advantages such as the ability to identify failures that depend on user interaction or complex configurations. It is a valuable methodology for testing the exposure of a system or web application to an attacker who performs reconnaissance acts . The realistic simulation provides insights for companies that want to strengthen their security against previously unknown threats.
White Box
The Pentest White Box approach is characterized by complete access to system information , allowing a detailed analysis of security and vulnerabilities. With the transparency of this methodology, it is possible to carry out an in-depth and thorough penetration test.
Concept and principles of Pentest White Box
In Pentest White Box, the evaluator or security team has complete knowledge of the system's internal information, including source code, documentation and network diagrams. This enables a comprehensive security analysis , which encompasses both vulnerability assessment and verification of compliance with security standards such as the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES) .
Main elements of the White Box:
- Full access to the system;
- Assessment of compliance with standards;
- Identification of specific flaws such as SQL Injection;
- Creation of detailed reports for security audits.
Advantages and use cases
The great advantage of Pentest White Box lies in its ability to promote extensive testing that detects possible flaws that could be overlooked in less intrusive approaches. Therefore, this test is especially recommended in scenarios where security is critical and there is a need for compliance with security regulations.
Typical use cases include:
- Development of highly secure applications;
- Security verification in environments that require high compliance;
- Preventive analysis in business-critical applications;
- Controlled exploitation of vulnerabilities for proactive remediation.
Gray Box
The Pentest Gray Box approach balances knowledge and discovery , providing comprehensive system and application security insights through vulnerability analysis. It is applied with partial knowledge about the environment under test, differentiating itself from the Black Box and White Box modalities.
Concept and principles of Pentest Gray Box
Gray Box Pentest is based on having limited information about the target system. Testers receive some data such as network layouts, user credentials and systems documentation, without the full access that is granted in a Pentest White Box. With this, they simulate external and internal attacks to find vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
Advantages and use cases
The Gray Box methodology is valued for its effectiveness in simulating real attack scenarios, offering a balanced view between internal knowledge and external investigation. It is especially useful when you want to:
- Evaluate applications: reveals how an attacker with partial knowledge can exploit vulnerabilities;
- Meet compliance requirements: Helps organizations meet compliance demands through meticulous testing.
Additionally, advantages include its potential to expose flaws that may not be evident in Black Box testing and the cost-benefit compared to Pentest White Box. Companies that want an in-depth understanding of their security vulnerabilities without the need for expert knowledge as broad as the White Box test , can benefit from this approach.
External Testing
In the world of cybersecurity, External Pentest is an important methodology for evaluating the robustness of a network's security measures. Thus, this form of testing simulates attacks from external agents , offering insights into the effectiveness of implemented security controls.
Concept and principles of External Pentest
External Pentest is a cyber attack simulation conducted by a vulnerability assessment analyst to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in networks, systems or web applications.
In this way, the objective is to identify open ports and weak points before real attackers do , thus protecting the organization's infrastructure and critical information. The main approaches to this type of testing include:
- Network security inspection;
- Tests on systems exposed to the internet;
- Assessment of web applications from the perspective of an external attacker.
Advantages and use cases
Carrying out an External Pentest offers numerous benefits for the security of network operations. Among them is the reinforcement of security controls, which align with international standards and can be decisive for compliances such as PCI-DSS, SOC 2 and ISO 27001. The advantages extend to:
- Proactive discovery of critical vulnerabilities before they become holes for real attacks;
- patch management practices and fortification of web applications against intrusion attempts.
Therefore, External Pentests are especially useful for entities that manage sensitive information or that maintain a significant presence on the internet, increasing the reliability of their network security operations.
Internal Testing
Internal Pentests are crucial for discovering vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors already present within an organization's IT infrastructure.
Concept and principles of Internal Pentest
It is an information security approach where pentesters simulate attacks from within an organization's network to detect threats and protect sensitive data. The pentester, using information gathering techniques and exploits , seeks to identify security flaws that could be used against the company by a malicious internal agent or an external agent with granted access.
Thus, the main objective is to protect IT infrastructure and sensitive data, simulating insider threats to strengthen security. The methodology includes recognition, network mapping, enumeration, and eventual exploration of the flaws found.
Advantages and use cases
Carrying out an Internal Pentest brings numerous advantages, such as improving security posture and compliance with data protection regulations.
Companies that perform internal testing are better prepared to respond to security incidents, in addition to helping to educate employees about the importance of information security.
Typical use cases include:
- Proactive security assessment: companies that want to assess security before an incident happens;
- After security incidents: Organizations that have suffered security breaches and want to prevent recurrences.
Targeted Testing
Before exploring the nuances of Targeted Pentesting, it is essential to understand that this type of testing is meticulously planned and executed with a well-defined scope. The objective is to evaluate security in specific components of the system or application.
Concept and principles of Targeted Pentest
In Targeted Pentest, the team responsible for information security focuses efforts on critical areas , under a scope that was precisely established during planning.
These areas may include critical infrastructure or sensitive data subject to regulatory compliance, such as PCI DSS. The process generally involves steps such as intensive team training, scope definition, analysis, detailed test planning, execution, reporting and improvement recommendations.
Advantages and use cases
The benefits of Targeted Pentesting are many, including the ability to focus resources where they are needed most , which increases efficiency and reduces costs. Additionally, this type of testing is highly effective in environments that require regulatory compliance, as it can be targeted to validate specific security controls required by standards.
Typical use cases involve companies that process large volumes of financial transactions or that store credit card data , where focused security is crucial.
Social Engineering Testing is a critical methodology within the Pentest scenario that aims to exploit human vulnerabilities to mitigate risks of targeted attacks through social relationships and communication.
Social engineering Pentest is the process that focuses on the most susceptible link in security systems: the human being . It relies on knowledge of communication techniques to identify and exploit emotional and cognitive vulnerabilities.
Therefore, professionals in the field use tactics such as pretexting , phishing and other methods to simulate attacks and test how individuals react to attempts to improperly obtain sensitive information. This type of Pentest highlights that, often, the fault lies in human interaction and not necessarily in technological barriers.
Advantages and use cases
Applying a social engineering pentest gives an organization a clear view of human flaws that could be exploited by malicious actors. He allows:
- Identify team members who may require additional security training;
- Evaluate the effectiveness of current security policies;
- Reinforce the critical role that security awareness plays in data integrity.
How to choose the ideal type of Pentest?
Choosing the appropriate type of Pentest is essential to guarantee the effective security of information systems. Thus, the process begins with planning and defining scope . Organizations must identify their critical assets and potential threats, understanding the IT environment and its specificities.
Additionally, organizations must also consider their regulatory and compliance obligations. Certain standards, such as PCI DSS, may require specific types of Pentest. Available budgets and potential impacts on normal operations are also factors in selecting the type of test.
Therefore, choosing the ideal type of Pentest requires a careful analysis of the organization's security objectives, IT environment and risk profile. The comparative table below can help you with this choice:
| Pentest type | Description | When to use |
| black box | The tester has no prior information about the system | When you want to simulate an attack from an external agent who has no internal knowledge of the network or application |
| White Box | The tester has full access to the source code and infrastructure | in-depth analysis is desired , including code logic and configuration |
| Gray Box | Tester has partial knowledge of the system , such as login details | When you want to assess security with some internal knowledge, but an attacker's perspective |
| External Testing | Testing is performed from organization's network | To assess external perimeter security , such as web servers, email systems, and firewalls |
| Internal Testing | Testing is performed from within the organization's network | To identify insider threats and assess how far an attacker can go after gaining access to the internal environment |
| Targeted Testing | Tests carried out in collaboration between the security team and the tester | When you want to test a specific part of the system, focusing on a risk area or after an update |
| Social Engineering Testing | Simulates attacks that exploit the human factor , such as phishing | employee awareness and to social engineering attempts |
Pentest: count on Skyone’s expertise and efficiency
The effectiveness of a Pentest depends heavily on the expertise of the professionals involved and the tools used during the process. Skyone stands out for offering a deep and complete approach to cybersecurity challenges, combining market experience with a suite of advanced tools .
proactively check whether there are loopholes to access your confidential information, the possibility of denial of services, data hijacking for the purpose of ransom demands and much more.
Find out more about our platform!
Conclusion
The reality is that sensitive data, when exposed, can result in irreparable harm to companies. Therefore, the inclusion of Pentest within the software and the periodic maintenance of security analyzes are essential proactive measures for incident prevention .
Regularly implementing penetration testing is a strategy that significantly contributes to an organization's resilience in the face of constantly evolving digital threats. It is essential to ensure that security practices are efficient and up to date, reflecting the commitment to protecting vital assets.
Take advantage of our knowledge trail and learn everything about Pentest in a special guide!
