Updated August 19, 2023
Introduction to Penetration Testing Tools
Penetration testing tests the network, web application, and computer system to identify the security vulnerabilities that attackers might exploit. It is also known as Pen testing. In many systems, system vulnerabilities are referred to as Infra Vulnerability and Application vulnerability is referred to as app vulnerability. This test can be performed manually and automated with software processor applications. In this article, we will learn the different types of Penetration Testing Tools.
The purpose or primary goal of penetration testing is to identify the weak spots in the security of different systems and apps. It will also measure the compliance of security and test security issues. This test mainly performs once a year to ensure the security of the network and systems. Penetration test depends on factors like the company’s size, the organization’s budget, and infrastructure.
Features
The features of a penetration testing tool should be:
- It should be easy to deploy, configure and use.
- The vulnerabilities should be categorized based on severity and to get the information that needs to be fixed immediately.
- The tool can scan the system easily.
- The vulnerabilities should be verified automatically.
- We need to re-verify the previous exploits.
- The tool should generate detailed reports and logs.
Phases of Penetration Testing
The phases of the penetration testing tool are mentioned below:
- Information: The process of gathering information on the target system enhances the effectiveness of the attack. The search engines were used to get the data for the attack on social media sites.
- Scanning: Attackers use technical tools to gain knowledge about the system.
- Access: After getting the data and scanning the target, it is easy for an attacker to get access to exploit the target system.
- Maintaining Access: Maintaining access is crucial to gather as much information as possible over an extended period.
- Covering Tracks: The attacker mainly clears the trace of the system and other data to remain anonymous.
Penetration Testing Strategy
The penetration testing strategy is mentioned below:
- The penetration team and organization IT team conduct targeted testing.
- External testing targets external servers and devices such as domain servers, email servers, firewalls, and web servers to evaluate how far an attacker could penetrate the system if they gained access.
- In internal testing, an authorized user with standard access privileges conducts the test behind the firewall to determine the potential damage an employee could cause.
- In blind testing, the tester simulates the actions and procedures of a real attacker with limited information, typically only the organization’s name, to assess security.
- Double-blind testing helps test the organization’s security monitoring, incident identification, and response to procedures.
- Black Box testing is conducted as blind testing. The pen tester has to find a way of testing the system.
- White box testing provides information about the target network, including details like IP address, network, and other protocols.
Different Types of Penetration Testing Tools
The different types of penetration testing tools are:
1. Nmap
It is also known as a network mapper, an open-source tool for scanning the computer network and system for vulnerabilities. It can run on all operating systems and is mainly suitable for all small and large networks. You primarily use this tool for other activities like monitoring host or service uptime and mapping network attack surfaces. The utility helps understand the various characteristics of any target network, host on the network, operating system type, and firewalls.
2. Metasploit
It is a collection of various penetration tools. It solves many purposes, like discovering vulnerabilities, managing security evaluations, and other defense methodologies. You can also use this tool on servers, networks, and applications. The primary use of this tool is to evaluate infrastructure security for older vulnerabilities.
3. Wireshark
This tool monitors minute details of activities occurring within the network. It acts like a network analyzer, network sniffer, or network protocol analyzer to assess network vulnerabilities. The tool captures the data packets and gets the information from where these are coming and their destination, etc.
4. NetSparker
This scanner checks the security of web applications, automatically detecting SQL injections, XSS, and other vulnerabilities. It requires minimal configuration, and the scanner detects the URL rules automatically. It is fully scalable.
5. Accunetix
This tool operates as a fully automated penetration testing solution. It accurately scans HTML5, javascript, and single-page applications. This tool scans complex, authenticated web apps, generates reports on web and network vulnerabilities, and assesses the system. It is fast and scalable, available on-premises, and detects vulnerabilities huge in amount.
6. OWASP
People refer to it as the Open Web Application Security Project. The main focus is to improve software security. It has many tools to test the penetration of the environment and protocols. ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy), OWASP dependency check, and OWASP web testing environment project are the different tools available to scan the project dependencies and check against the vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The penetration-testing tool helps us proactively ensure the application and system’s security and avoid attacks from attackers. It is a great technique to discover system leaks before any attackers identify them. Many testing tools are available to test the system’s vulnerabilities. The organization and its budget can dictate the choice or selection of the tool. The high cost often prevents small companies from affording it. These testing tools are easy to configure and run automatically or manually as required. Using these tools to avoid attacks on a system or application is better.
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