So in this blog we see Penetration Testers Methodology: A Complete Guide. Penetration testing is that practice of cybersecurity in which various vulnerabilities are discovered in the systems to avoid potential cyber threats. Penetration testing requires great knowledge of several attack vectors, security protocols, and much more importantly, structured methodology, which proves its effectiveness. Below are the five stages of penetration test explained briefly.
1. Information Gathering
Of course, there are numerous steps involved in performing any type of penetration test. The first, and often found at this initial stage, is Information Gathering, also commonly referred to by the term reconnaissance. This initial stage consists of gathering information related to the targeted organization that is publicly accessible and can be attained without having to interact directly with the systems of the organization. Essentially, you can think of this phase as a research stage; here you are building a foundation of knowledge that will guide you through the steps that are to follow in the testing process. Included amongst the common techniques applied during this stage are:
- Open Source Intelligence: Derived from free online sources, Open Source Intelligence is commonly abbreviated as OSINT. Primary sources would be the websites and news articles, along with several social networking sites.
- Domain and IP research: Domain and IP research include the exhaustive search of domain names along with their IP addresses. Network information collection will enable provision of effective mapping of the target’s digital landscape.
- Public records and registry information: All information that was found in the public record or registry This entailed a general view of the organization whereby detailed information was properly and accurately gathered from the registry, and there was further research into more detailed insights regarding the infrastructure set.
Note: Be properly advised that, at this time, no active attempts or procedures should be carried out on the target systems; it is only at this stage that it is described as a passive phase.
2. Enumeration and Scanning
By now you should be adequately prepared to step ahead and take the very crucial next step, namely, Enumeration and Scanning. But the scanning phase as of now actually forms a necessary portion of the process in which lots of systems are engaged and play an active role in identification and discovery of available services, applications, as well as potential vulnerabilities lying present within the infrastructure system.
- Port Scanning: This can be done through port scanning. A good illustration would be the scanning available open ports for active services which tend to reflect vulnerabilities, with the assistance of tools like Nmap.
- Service Enumeration: If he could systematically enumerate all if the different services currently active on the system-web servers, FTP servers, or email services-this would immediately give him important insights as to which particular versions and configurations of software are installed on the system.
- Vulnerability Scanning: Tools such as Nessus or OpenVAS help find known vulnerabilities within the applications and services that may have been identified.
This is the crucial step of definition that describes what entry points may or may not exist. It’s from here that one can view what the attacker believes the “attack surface” of the target is.
3. Exploitation
It is at this critical stage called the exploitation phase where the scenario actually begins to heat up and get moving. Since the weaknesses appearing within the system or application can be correctly identified, the penetration tester will take the necessary actions for the attempt in exploitation of these weaknesses. This effort will be aimed at providing an unauthorized entry into the system or application that will commit an effective breach into its security.
- Public Exploits: Exploits found in public domains or appearing on sites such as ExploitDB or Metasploit.
- Custom Exploits and Payloads: The most critical process there is when conventional or standard exploits fail to execute required or expected operations is developing and crafting custom scripts, or payloads.
- Logic of Application Vulnerabilities: Those that exploit weaknesses in how the application works, for example, an inefficient authentication mechanism or inefficient session handling.
The aim is to obtain a foothold, which is otherwise normally called first point of entry in most applicable literature, which is synonymous with the term. An effective exploitation of the weakness is also aimed at showing what a malicious attack would be by displaying the same if such vulnerability had been known to the attacking entity also.
4. Privilege Escalation
Now, once a foothold is achieved, the goal to be aimed at would be the critical stage called Privilege Escalation. In most cases, the access acquired is usually accompanied with very minor privileges granted; in this case, what is wanted is high privilege as that serves to provide maximum control and capabilities.
- Horizontal escalation: Accessing account elsewhere within the same level of permissions, for example, another user’s account.
- Vertical escalation: Escalating from the user account upwards into the administrator account or the root account.
Privilege escalation is necessary in order to penetrate further into the system. The privileges of an individual would need to be elevated or increased substantially to be able to access areas, files, and configurations on systems that are sensitive, critical, or important.
5. Post-Exploitation
Now, after reaching the elevated privileges, that is, the Post-Exploitation stage begins performing its vital operations. In this particular phase, the biggest goal is to collect as much detail information as possible. This information collection in detail is targeted to unveil the extent of the depth with which scope has been penetrated and whether pivot opportunities are available anywhere else too. In this stage, some of the critical objectives include the following general points:
- Pivot : You find out if other hosts on the network are accessible and exploitable too, thereby expanding the test scope.
- Data Grabbing: Once access is established as being of high privilege, the tester will now pull information from the system that may be useful or sensitive.
- Cover Your Tracks: You make sure no trace of penetration exists, like clearing logs or temporary files which may have been created.
- Reporting: All findings, vulnerabilities, and exploitative details of the exercise are written down for a final report to be presented to the organization.
Each phase in penetration testing plays an important role in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in a structured and ethical way. With these structured phases, penetration testers can easily conduct simulated cyber-attacks, which are crucial in gleaning valuable insights about an organization’s posture toward security and in providing a more secure electronic environment.
References
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