Penetration Testing Saarbrücken

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.

In black-box testing, the pentester attempts to attack the target without any prior knowledge of addresses, systems, applications and processes. The main argument for this approach is that this scenario comes closest to the real world and thus simulates a real attack scenario. However, this is only partially true because a real attacker does not have just a week or two like a contracted pentester, but has the entire time, including months or years, to prepare the attack. In fact, some of the most successful hacker attacks have taken place over a period of up to 12 months.
This bias means that black-box testing is often inconclusive and gives customers a false sense of security. Redlings therefore recommends black-box testing only in exceptional cases. The argument that attackers (must) implement a black-box approach also only works to a limited extent, since a long preparation time can lead to extensive internal informtions.

Admittedly, this is not so easy - if someone tells you that they only work with the best pentesters, this may be difficult to verify. that they only work with the best pentesters, it may be difficult to verify. Pentesters with more experience and more extensive training are often more expensive. Just remember that you get what you pay for. Beware of pentesters who offer prices that are too good to be true. They are probably not doing a thorough job. I suggest looking for penetration testers who have one or - better - several recognized Pentester certifications.

Among the most respected (and costly) certifications in security circles in the in the field of penetration testing are the certifications of Offensive Security (esp. OSCP - Offensive Security Certified Professional, OSCE - Offensive Security Certified Expert) and SANS/GIAC.

The scope of a penetration test should always be jointly adapted to the specifics of the company as well as the system to be tested.

In the case of a Web application, the scope often consists of the server and operational landscape as well as the user interfaces and APIs. Often, there are enterprise applications that have been specifically was written and that you want to have looked at.

Other considerations also play a role in a network pentest. In particular, the scope you choose should include mission-critical systems that would Could compromise security in the event of a compromise, e.g. because they store sensitive data, such as user information, passwords or customer data.

Unlike penetration testing, vulnerability assessment does not determine in detail whether the vulnerability can actually be exploited or what impact it has. A vulnerability scan usually uses automated vulnerability scanners such as Nessus or even Nmap. Vulnerability scanners only cover standard scenarios and do not take into account the specifics of the IT infrastructure in question.

Vulnerability scans are therefore more of a first step in the technical analysis of vulnerabilities than a complete process for securing systems. They are also often used as part of a security audit or as one of the first steps in penetration testing. In all cases, penetration testing goes further and examines the discovered vulnerabilities in detail.

The pentester attempts to exploit the vulnerabilities and assess the resulting opportunities for the attacker. This helps determine the impact of a vulnerability. Due to the manual nature of a penetration test and the creativity of the pentester, the chances of finding serious vulnerabilities are much higher with professionally conducted penetration tests than with standardized vulnerability scans.

In a white-box test, the pentester receives all relevant information about the target system(s). The advantage is that this approach saves time - and thus costs. It is also generally true that white-box tests are more effective in improving the security of IT systems and should usually be preferred.
Generally speaking, black-box testing can be a suitable means of uncovering security issues against a specification (e.g., a Web API interface), but is very poorly suited to identifying flaws within specific components. In the latter case, white-box testing should be the preferred means.