{"id":252631,"date":"2023-09-06T12:55:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T12:55:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imarticus.org\/?p=252631"},"modified":"2024-05-23T09:32:36","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T09:32:36","slug":"what-is-penetration-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imarticus.org\/blog\/what-is-penetration-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Penetration Testing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A penetration test, also known as a pen test, is an authorised cyber-attack on a system to check for its vulnerabilities and evaluate its level of security. Penetration testing includes breaching APIs, front-end servers, and even back-end servers. Penetration testing is considered to be a form of <\/span>ethical hacking<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This mode of ethical testing generally involves the same tools and techniques that a real hacker would use to breach any website or application. Insights gained from pen test help business owners enhance their website\u2019s security and fine-tune security policies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we will take a deep dive into the stages of penetration testing, its methods, and its benefits. <\/span><\/p>\n

Keep reading to know more!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stages of Penetration Testing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In order to understand <\/span>what is penetration testing<\/span>, understanding its various process is essential. <\/span><\/p>\n

Penetration testing is run in 5 stages to reach the core of system vulnerabilities and tackle them. These steps include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stage 1: Planning and Reconnaissance<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This stage involves gathering information on the system to be hacked. Testers can use different methods to gather the necessary information. For instance, if the concerned system is an app, then testers might study its source code in order to gather crucial information. Other sources of information could be network scanning, internet searches, social engineering, and so on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another crucial part of this stage is deciding on which testing method to use.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stage 2: Scanning<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In this stage, penetration testers try to ascertain how the target system would react to any kind of intrusion attempt. This is done through the following methods:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n