In today’s threat landscape, waiting for a breach is not an option. Penetration testing (pen testing) mimics real-world attacks to uncover vulnerabilities before hackers do. At Foerte our pen testing services have helped organizations patch holes that could lead to massive data losses.
This guide walks you through a basic pen test workflow. It’s geared for security teams and devs looking to do it by yourself or understand the process better. We’ll focus on web apps, a common target, using free tools.
Why Pen Testing is Crucial
Breaches cost an average of $4.5M globally. Pen tests reveal:
- Exploitable flaws: Like XSS or CSRF.
- Misconfigs: Open ports or weak auth.
- Human errors: Social engineering gaps.
Do it annually or post-major changes.
Step 1: Planning and Recon
Define scope: Target URLs, IPs. Gather intel passively.
- Use WHOIS for domain info: whois example.com.
- Google Dorks: Search site:example.com filetype:pdf for leaks.
- Tools: theHarvester for emails/subdomains.
Avoid active scans yet—stay stealthy.
Step 2: Scanning for Vulnerabilities
Automate discovery.
- Install Nmap: nmap -sV -O target-ip for services/OS.
- Web-specific: Nikto (nikto -h https://example.com) for server misconfigs.
- OWASP ZAP: GUI tool—set proxy, spider the site, then active scan.
Look for CVEs in reports.
Step 3: Exploitation—Test the Weak Spots
Ethically hack.
- For SQL injection: Use sqlmap—sqlmap -u “https://example.com/search?q=1” –dbs.
- XSS example: Inject <script>alert(‘XSS’)</script> in forms.
- If successful, document impact (e.g., data dump).
Always get permission first!
Step 4: Post-Exploitation and Reporting
Escalate privileges if possible (tool like Metasploit).
- Report: Score risks (High/Med/Low), steps to repro, fixes.
Step 5: Remediation and Retest
Patch, then verify. Tools like Burp Suite for manual tweaks.
Conclusion: Proactive Protection
Pen testing turns weaknesses into strengths. Foerte’s certified ethical hackers provide comprehensive tests to simulate threats safely.
