Network Penetration Testing A Complete Guide Overview

Network Penetration Testing A Complete Guide Overview

In today’s world, everybody is constructing one’s own technology-optimized world where every particular person, group, and company is empowering one’s online presence in an endeavor to harvest several advantages.  Further, in recent years, it has become a trend to compromise the database of every major and minor company’s sensitive pieces of information.  In addition to securing the cyber world of numerous IT networks of enterprises as a series of attacks have stolen the sensitive datasets of many IT organizations.

According to the reports shared by many groups and agencies, during the 2020 Global Pandemic Period, cybercrime went huge up and touched the limits of skies.  To understand more about the same statistics, we have mentioned some of the prime factors describing the information related to Network Penetration Testing.

What Is Network Penetration Testing?

We should clearly understand that Network Penetration Testing is a procedure of huge significance, utilized in judging security wrength, network vulnerabilities, and threats that can sincerely affect any enterprise’s networks, website servers, and other varied apps when manipulated by hackers.  In addition, it is genuinely one of the most significant processes for estimating your network’s protection.

For quick understanding, just take a reference as you are doing a mock drill against some known cyber threats.  Hence, to track down any security threats as they persist now or after, to be operated on later for strength enhancement.  In addition, it is highly crucial to realize that a surplus scenario leaves systems exposed and data ripe for exploitation by some anti-social elements with the hands-on practice of black hat hacking, making network pen testing a necessity.

Usually, enterprises that have willingly put their systems through vulnerability scanning question the applicability of pen tests since both methodologies have a common purpose.  However, an interior or exterior network pen test is to pursue vulnerability assessments.  While vulnerability assessment utilizes automated website scanners to conduct safety assessments, interior penetration testing puts onward simulated cyber attacks.  You can test the area from a stranger’s viewpoint with exterior penetration testing.  If both point out the subjects in the firewall and other safety standards, network pen tests bring in additional concerted steps to identify the situation and decode it.

What Is The Purpose Of Network Pentest?

1. Save Your Datasets
2. Confirming Entire Security
3. Compliance Essential
4. Continued Supervision

Now, we will try to elaborate on these above-mentioned dedicated steps one by one:

1. Save Your Datasets

It is the main concern amongst all to safeguard your datasets against illegal hacking or data compromisation by some of the anti-social elements who know-how black hat hacking practices to almost every organization functioning in any niche.  Further, it has become the need of the hour to secure your datasets from illegal hacking activities and don’t let the crucial information of your organization and clients’ database get into the wrong hands in any possible manner.  Moreover, the most helpful way will be to track the level of potential intrusions that you might be exposed to can be by doing a regular pen test on your network at frequent intervals.

2. Confirming Entire Security

One should confirm the overall security parameters which could come from any possible location, be it the framework of your organization as a whole, some sort of crucial or sensitive datasets, or a freshly curated application, physical assets, or confirming the physical security of your premises, etc.  One should recheck that no particular form of security leaves overlooked that can lead to data compromisation.  There should be regular security checks of every potential loophole from the possible place where can the data can reach to wrong hands such as SQL injections, weakly configured firewalls, outdated software, and traditional virus or malware.

3. Compliance Essentials

Some particular laws assert penetration testing services, despite the particular niche of the organization. For instance, data protection especially for the payment card enterprise confirms such trials for the safety of customers’ sensitive information (PCI DSS).

4. Continued Supervision

Network penetration tests need numerous runs via a constant time period to assure long-term security benefits.  In addition, the experts employed for this particular drive will also peek over the security controls used for the corporate network such as firewall, layered security, encryption processes, etc. Further, one should also keep in the notation of the proper penetration tests, thinking about the requirements of the system, client, and entire security exercises.

What Are The Steps Involved In The Network Penetration Testing Process Also Known As Network Penetration Assessments?

• Step 1: Reconnaissance
• Step 2: Discovery
• Step 3: Exploitation

Here, we will elaborate on the above-mentioned steps row by row in the below-described network penetration testing checklist:

Step 1: Reconnaissance

This is a method where network security analysts pen tests the network infrastructures in the disguise of potential black hat hackers exploiting any available loopholes in a network.  It is further classified into two aspects:

The Technical Aspect

In this particular aspect, the working security analysts lookout for the potential loopholes in network ports, peripherals, and any other related software that could permit hackers to exploit the system.  Moreover, this is a particular timeframe where an individual vulnerability assessment becomes genuinely useful, supplying a perspective on diverse issues of the common type within the system.

The Social Aspect

This is a pretty famous type of network penetration where social engineering vulnerabilities are exploited as these are some of the basic phishing scams where exploiters steal the login credentials, banking details, etc. of their target customers.  In addition to these kinds of tests, these social engineering techniques could be performed to increase employees’ awareness to bypass these scams as gaining the needful tactics to avoid such incidents is very important for the security parameters of an organization.

Step 2: Discovery

In this particular step, the penetration tester utilizes the particular set of info gained from the previous step of the reconnaissance strategy.

In general terms, a single script evaluates one concern at a time, therefore, numerous scripts might be useful for the fulfillment of the whole procedure.  In addition, technical and human mistakes are here given the same level of importance where technical ones look at SQL injections or weak peripheral security, and social or human ones look at the revelation of some sort of sensitive information.

Step 3: Exploitation

In this particular phase of exploitation, the exposed set of datasets whether carried out from technical or human sides of errors are exposed and suitable leverage is taken from them compromising the IoT devices in a network infrastructure.  In short, we can say that the primary target of security analysts is to exploit the data by breaking into the network environment by any means by identifying the potential entry points by avoiding the detection using a diverse range of pentesting tools present on the internet or by the attacker.

Hence, we have elaborated all the useful network penetration testing methodology one by one which you can employ to test your respective organization’s network infrastructure and obtain all possible vulnerabilities.  Moreover, this will help you know how to perform network penetration testing.  In case, you need some expert guidance, you may call on at +91-9513805401 and book an appointment with Craw Security’s expert network penetration testers.

How Does One Conduct Network Penetration Testing?

There are several dedicated processes by which a professional working network penetration tester can conduct the network penetration testing in network infrastructure:

1. Black Box
2. White Box
3. Gray Box

Now, we will elaborate on all the penetration testing techniques one by one:

1. Black Box

Particularly, a ‘black box’ test is carried out despite any previous experience of how a network operates or any of its technical attributes.  Thus, the test processes by completely researching the given network in a thoroughgoing method so as to accomplish a tapered attack.  However, we may comment that it is the most practical way of a general cyber attack, and organizations that select this are ones that regulate the most delicate form of datasets and/ or desire to stay aware of all possible vulnerabilities for black hat hackers.

For instance, black-box testing tools comprise Selenium, Applitools, Microsoft Coded UI, etc.

2. White Box

In this particular methodology, network security analysts gather all possible datasets about the system, know where the potential vulnerabilities are, and target the particular infrastructure to arouse a response.  As the name suggests, the ‘White Box’ test is like a professional audit where a security analyst holds all the needed information to run a test.

Moreover, this particular test usually employed by numerous organizations use to confirm that the system is unexploitable to the most steadfast hacker is using one’s brain to the optimum level in planning however, it is the most important point.  For example, the prominent white box testing tools comprise Veracode, GoogleTest, CCPUnit, RCUNIT, etc.

3. Gray Box

As per the name of the test, the ‘Gray Box’ test falls between the category of black and white box test techniques.  In addition, this comprises faux attacks to obtain issues that a basic system could face in circumstances like stolen login info to access internal info such as user privileges, technical docs, etc.

For example, some gray box testing tools are Postman, Burp Suite, JUnit, NUnit, etc.

Tools To Conduct Network Penetration Testing:

• Nessus
• Nmap
• NetCat
• Hydra
• Wireshark
• Nikto
• Metasploit
• PRET
• Burpsuite

Below mentioned are some of the prominent security network penetration testing tools that you can utilize to carry out pen testing for your network systems:

1. Nessus – It is a highly used vulnerability scanning tool utilized for vulnerability assessment protocols.
2. Nmap – This security vulnerability finding tool is dedicatedly used for network discovery and security auditing.
3. NetCat – This port scanning and listening tool is highly used for reading and writing in a preferred network.
4. Hydra – A very genuine pentesting tool utilized for brute-forcing login and acquiring unauthorized entrance.
5. Wireshark – This sincere packet sniffing and analysis security tool is utilized for controlling network traffic and its behavior.
6. Nikto – A pretty useful vulnerability scanning tool utilized for observing web servers for security shortcomings.
7. Metasploit – A varied pentesting tool utilized for exploring vulnerabilities in networks and servers.
8. PRET – A pretty famous pen testing tool for verifying printer security commands.
9. Burpsuite – The highly famous VAPT tool employed for uncovering vulnerabilities in web apps.

Frequently Asked Questions

About Network Penetration Testing

1: How To Perform A Successful Network Penetration Test?

By following the below-mentioned steps with a decent approach to obtain all the required information, a successful network penetration test can be performed:

1. Step 1: Reconnaissance
2. Step 2: Discovery
3. Step 3: Exploitation

2: What are the 3 types of penetration testing?

The 3 types of penetration testing are as follows:

• Black Box
• White Box
• Gray Box

3: What are the 5 stages of penetration testing?

The Five Phases of Penetration Testing are as follows:

1. Reconnaissance
2. Scanning
3. Vulnerability Assessment
4. Exploitation
5. Reporting

4: Who needs network penetration testing?

Every major and minor organization whosoever is functioning on the cloud server or working through a website needs penetration testing to check all possible loopholes and vulnerabilities in a network infrastructure.

5: How long does a network pen test take?

On an average network penetration testing mechanism, a professional network security analyst would take around 2 to 3 working days to extract all forms of security patches and loopholes in network infrastructure and human errors calculated after social engineering protocols.

Wrapping Up

In the bottom line, we would like to say, at Craw Security, we offer crucial vulnerability assessment and penetration testing services for every major and minor organization dealing with a valid network infrastructure to have proper Network Penetration Testing.  You may call +65 9351 5400 to book an appointment with our highly experienced security analysts and have a quote in your email ID as well as on WhatsApp.