Pentests – what are penetration tests? What are the types?

Any company that stores user data or manages sensitive information is vulnerable to cybercriminals. To minimize the risk of data leaks, organizations use a variety of protection methods. One of the most effective methods for detecting and fixing vulnerabilities in computer systems is pentests – i.e., simulations of attacks on computer systems, web applications, networks, and other elements of IT infrastructure to assess their vulnerability to various threats. Their primary purpose is to identify vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit to gain unauthorized access to data or systems.

Penetration testing – what is it?

Penetration testing, in other words, is a process that aims to check the resilience of computer systems to cyber threats. As part of these tests, specialists attempt to use known attack techniques to identify potential bugs that hackers could exploit. As a result of such a test, the company receives a detailed report that describes the security vulnerabilities found, their potential impacts, and recommendations for fixing them.

Penetration testing can be performed for various types of systems and applications, including:

• Web applications that store or process user data.
• Computer networks, including IT infrastructure, devices, and protocols.
• Operating systems and applications running on servers.
• IoT devices that can be used in attacks.

Types of pentests

Depending on the purpose, scope, and environment in which pentests are conducted, several types of pentests can be distinguished:

1. Internal Pentests

These tests are designed to assess the security of an organization’s internal systems. Specialists attempt to access sensitive data, databases, or operating systems by impersonating internal users. The goal is to identify threats that may occur if any of the employees, partners or contractors have unauthorized access.

2. External Pentests

External testing simulates attacks from outside the organization, e.g., via the Internet. The goal is to detect weaknesses in systems that can be exploited by cybercriminals outside the organization. Pentesters check, among other things, the security of servers, web applications and networks.

3. Web Application Penetration Testing

During these tests, pentesters focus on analyzing web applications for possible attacks, such as SQL injection, XSS (Cross-Site Scripting), or CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery). Testing includes assessing the front-end and back-end of the application, as well as its interactions with databases and other systems.

4. Physical Pentests

Physical tests focus on the organization’s physical security. Specialists try to gain access to IT infrastructure through physical attacks, such as hacking into server rooms or stealing devices. Although such tests are less popular, they remain an important part of a comprehensive security audit.

5. Social Engineering Pentests

As part of social engineering tests, pentesters assess how easily an organization’s employees can be manipulated. This can include phishing, trying to access passwords, or scams that aim to obtain sensitive information.

What are the approaches to penetration testing?

Depending on the level of knowledge that the pen test contractor has about the tested system, penetration tests can be conducted in different ways. Each of these approaches allows you to look at infrastructure security from a different perspective and has its own advantages and limitations.

1. Blackbox tests

In the blackbox approach, the tester does not have any information about the system being tested. It therefore acts like a potential external attacker, without access to the source code, documentation, or credentials. The goal is to see how an unauthorized person could gain access to the system using publicly available information and standard attack techniques. Such tests best reflect the real threats resulting from external attacks, e.g., those carried out from the Internet.

2. Whitebox tests

In the whitebox approach, the pentester has full access to system information: it can analyze the source code, server configurations, network architecture, and user permissions. This makes the test more detailed and allows you to detect even deeply hidden vulnerabilities that would not be visible in external tests. Whitebox is the preferred approach when the goal is to audit the security of an application or infrastructure thoroughly.

3. Graybox tests

Graybox is a combination of both previous methods. The tester has limited knowledge of the system, as part of the data received, he has access to parts of the documentation, low-privileged accounts, or fragments of code. This approach allows you to effectively assess security from the perspective of an internal user with a certain level of access, but who does not know the whole system structure. This allows you to identify both configuration errors and potential attack vectors resulting from mismanagement of permissions.

The selection of the appropriate approach depends on the purpose of the test, the scope of the project and the expectations of the person ordering the tests. In practice, many organizations combine several methods to obtain the most complete picture of their systems’ security.

What errors are most often verified by pentests?

Penetration testing helps detect many types of errors in system configuration, code, and security. The most common are:

• Errors in server and application configuration – outdated software, lack of communication encryption (SSL/TLS), open ports, or default passwords.
• Vulnerabilities in application code – vulnerabilities such as SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), or Remote Code Execution (RCE).
• Improper permission management – too broad user access, lack of network segmentation, or misconfigurations of administrative accounts.
• Lack of security in communication – transmission of data in an unencrypted form or improper implementation of security protocols.
• Lack of monitoring and incident response – security systems do not detect attack attempts or generate real-time alerts.
• Human error – clicking on a malicious link, using a weak password, or sharing sensitive information with unauthorized people.

That is why it is so important to conduct pentests regularly – thanks to them, it is possible to catch errors and then quickly fix them before situations that threaten the organization.

What test is worth conducting in your company?

The selection of the correct type of penetration test largely depends on the specifics of the company’s operations, its IT infrastructure, and the type of data processed. However, we recommend that you consider the following options:

• For e-commerce companies – tests of web applications are recommended, which will allow you to check the security of login forms, shopping carts, and online payments.
• For organizations processing personal data – internal and external tests are advisable to assess the security of databases and the resilience of the network to unauthorized access.
• For financial institutions and corporations – it is recommended to implement social engineering pentests to check the vigilance of employees against phishing and phishing attempts.
• For companies with an extensive IT infrastructure, graybox tests may be necessary, which take into account the complexity of the system and analyze vulnerabilities from different perspectives.
• For enterprises with access control systems, consider physical testing to detect vulnerabilities in facilities and devices.

How to choose a company to conduct pentests?

Once you have chosen the appropriate test for your business, you should also select a company to conduct it. What should you pay attention to? The most important criteria are:

Everyday life of a pentester

A pentester is a specialist who conducts penetration testing in companies and organizations. His job is full of challenges, as he can encounter a new, unknown threat at any time. On a day-to-day basis, pentesters must have technical skills, as well as analytical and creative abilities, to use a variety of attack techniques to detect vulnerabilities.

In addition to technical knowledge, social engineering skills also play an important role – they allow the tester to convince employees to perform specific actions or disclose information, which simulates real attacks based on human manipulation (social engineering). Thanks to this, the pentester can check not only the resilience of IT systems, but also the vigilance and safety procedures among employees.

Usually, their work begins with careful planning of tests. At this stage, pentesters need to gather information about the system, application or network they will be testing. They then begin to carry out attacks using a variety of tools and methods. A pentester’s daily routine also includes documenting results, creating reports, and recommending corrections for the organization where they conducted the tests.

Penetration testing – summary

Pentests are among the most effective ways to assess an organization’s IT systems’ security realistically. First of all, they allow you to detect vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could exploit before the actual attack occurs.

Choosing the correct type of pentest depends on the nature of the company’s operations and its infrastructure, but it is important to work with an experienced, certified team of specialists. In addition, it is worth remembering that regular penetration testing increases system resilience, builds security awareness among employees, and helps protect data, reputation, and business stability.

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