Mobile Application Security
Penetration Testing
Identify and resolve vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
A penetration test (pentest) simulates a cyberattack to identify potential vulnerabilities in a system. Penetration testers, who are ethical hacking experts, use hacking techniques to improve security, not to cause harm. Their main task is to test applications, networks, and other resources, uncovering critical vulnerabilities and enhancing overall protection. While often used interchangeably, “ethical hacking” is a broader concept that also includes other services, such as malware analysis and risk assessment, in addition to penetration testing.
The benefits of penetration testing
Vulnerability identification
A pentest helps identify logical flaws and coding errors that could be exploited by malicious hackers, providing insight into security gaps and enabling proactive fixes to prevent potential breaches.
Prevention of future attacks
Identifying and correcting weaknesses, a pentest reduces the risk of cyberattacks, strengthens overall security, protects sensitive data, and helps mitigate potential threats before they can be exploited.
Improvement of overall security
Penetration tests allow for the assessment of the effectiveness of existing defenses, providing a comprehensive overview of how an attacker could compromise a system and helping to strengthen protective measures.
Compliance with regulations and standards
Many security regulations (such as GDPR, PCI-DSS) require the execution of security tests. Pentests are a crucial activity to ensure that companies comply with these standards.
Long-term cost savings
Fixing vulnerabilities before they are exploited reduces the risk of financial damage from data breaches and theft, or operational disruptions, avoiding costs related to fines or reputational damage.
The phases of a penetration test
1
Preliminary research - The team gathers information about the system using methods such as code analysis for apps and network traffic analysis, integrating OSINT resources from everything that can be found on the internet.
2
Attack attempts - Various attack attempts are carried out using methodologies capable of compromising both the client and the server, thus testing the system's overall robustness.
3
Shift left and privilege escalation - Exploiting the available access, testers attempt to expand control by leveraging multiple vulnerabilities to gain higher privileges or broaden the attack perimeter, emulating advanced threats.
4
Final report - At the end, testers provide a report detailing the discovered vulnerabilities, analyzing the impact and exploits used, and offering recommendations to improve security.
Tools for Penetration Testing
Penetration testers use a range of tools to perform analysis, identify vulnerabilities, and automate critical stages of the testing process. Some of the most commonly used tools include:
- Dedicated operating systems: many pentesters prefer to use operating systems specifically designed for penetration testing and ethical hacking, which come with integrated tools for hacking activities.
- Credential cracking tools: these tools are capable of discovering passwords using techniques like brute-forcing, where bots or scripts generate and automatically test password combinations until the correct one is found.
- Network testing tools: these tools allow testers to run tests on servers to identify open ports, known vulnerabilities, network traffic, insecure connections, misconfigurations, and more.
- Vulnerability scanners: these tools analyze systems to detect known vulnerabilities, helping pentesters quickly pinpoint potential entry points into a target.
