Basic steps in Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing (PenTest) is a legal and authorized simulated cyberattack against a system to identify vulnerabilities before real attackers do.
A proper penetration test follows a structured methodology to ensure thorough and professional results.
Here are the main steps:
- Planning and Reconnaissance (Information Gathering) Goal: Understand the target environment.
Activities:
Define the scope (which systems can be tested).
Get permissions and legal agreements (rules of engagement).
Gather public information (OSINT - Open Source Intelligence).
WHOIS records
DNS information
Company websites, employees (social media)
Subdomains, email leaks, etc.
Tools: Google Dorking, Shodan, Recon-ng, Maltego
- Scanning and Enumeration Goal: Identify live systems, services, open ports, technologies, and possible points of entry.
Activities:
Network Scanning (ping sweeps, port scanning)
Service Enumeration (FTP, SSH, HTTP, SMTP banners)
Identify software versions (fingerprinting)
Find vulnerabilities (versions, misconfigurations)
Tools: Nmap, Masscan, Netcat, Dirb, Nikto, Gobuster
- Vulnerability Analysis Goal: Analyze the collected information to find known vulnerabilities.
Activities:
Identify outdated software, misconfigured servers, weak passwords.
Cross-reference found services with known CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures).
Manual inspection of web apps (test for SQLi, XSS, LFI, etc.)
Tools: Nessus, OpenVAS, Burp Suite, SQLmap, Nikto
- Exploitation Goal: Actually exploit vulnerabilities to gain access.
Activities:
Exploit web vulnerabilities (SQL Injection, XSS, CSRF, IDOR).
Exploit network vulnerabilities (weak services, buffer overflows).
Bypass authentication, privilege escalation.
Tools: Metasploit Framework, SQLmap, custom scripts, manual exploitation
- Post-Exploitation Goal: Understand the impact and how far an attacker can go.
Activities:
Maintain access (backdoors, reverse shells).
Privilege escalation (become root/admin).
Data extraction (sensitive information, credentials).
Pivoting (move to other machines inside the network).
Tools: Meterpreter, Mimikatz, PowerShell Empire, BloodHound
- Reporting Goal: Document everything clearly and professionally.
Activities:
Write a detailed report:
Vulnerabilities found
Methods used
Data accessed
Risk analysis
Mitigation recommendations
Provide an executive summary for management.
Provide a technical breakdown for security teams.
