Penetration Testing Gera

A penetration test, or "pentest" for short, is a security check that emulates an attack by a malicious party on a network or application to identify security vulnerabilities. This test is coordinated in advance and conducted in such a way that no system is damaged. At the end of the test, you will receive a report that includes the problems and vulnerabilities found, along with suggestions on how to fix them.

Similar to cost, the duration of penetration testing depends on several factors. Penetration testing is a hands-on assessment that does not lend itself to short, quick sprints. At Redlings, we tend to have pentesting projects start at week or so, but many projects can extend over a much longer period of time. extend over a significantly longer period of time.

An IT security audit examines the security of a company's IT systems from a holistic perspective. Security threats can arise not only from attacks, but also from technical incidents, organizational deficiencies or force majeure.
Security audits often take place as part of an ISMS (information security management system) and examine not only technical security elements but also compliance with the company's own standards and guidelines, security processes, employee training (keyword information security awareness) and similar aspects. Some security audits also include elements of a vulnerability scan.
However, a security audit usually does not go into as much technical detail as a manual penetration test.

One question that is not asked often enough is how much of the testing is automated and how much is manual. Automated tools, especially at the beginning of a project, can save save a pentester a lot of time and their use also depends on the project. However, experience shows that about 90-95% of the pentest is "manual work".

This is not to say that automated vulnerability scanners do not add value; Vulnerability scans are quick and easy tools that should be used on a regular basis to should be used to identify missing patches or outdated software in larger environments.

The terms "penetration tester" (also "pentester" for short), "white hat hacker" and "ethical hacker" are often used interchangeably. The terms "ethical hacker" and "white hat hacker" cover all hacking activity aimed at improving IT security. What they all have in common is that activities that are illegal or do not comply with the Code of Ethics are refrained from.
Formally, a penetration test is only an "ethical hack" with very clearly agreed rules, a formal procedure as well as a defined goal.

At the beginning of the process, we try to familiarize ourselves with your company and the scope of work so that we are able to provide an accurate quote. We gather this information on purpose so that we don't come back and ask for more testing time (and additional costs). The more information you are willing to share with us, the better we can provide an estimate.

However, some customers want a black box approach, where only a limited amount of information is provided, to simulate a real attack and the response to it. In this case, we still need to capture the size/complexity, that is required for testing, and therefore have some fundamental questions about scope.