Most Effective Method of Conducting a Penetration Test

Penetration Testing or Pen Testing is a security assessment of the computer environment and network security of your organization. These tests are carried out to find out the vulnerabilities of a system and to prevent exploitation from external threats such as hackers. Not only organizations, but also individuals who want to protect their computer systems use these security tests to avoid threats and protect their data from malicious users. The following points discuss methods of effectively conducting penetration testing:

 

Strategic Planning:

 

You need to plan effectively and strategically, if you are looking to conduct penetration testing. Establish the objective of running the tests, outline what you are hoping to achieve, establish timelines and testing boundaries before starting the test. Determine what information is critical and what security features are required to protect your business objectives. It will be a lot easier to run security assessment tests, if your goals are clearly outlined.

 

 Gather all information:

 

You need to research and gather every information before conducting the tests. The best way to gather information is by thinking like a hacker and trying to find different ways of breaking into a network, with the intention of causing financial loss and destroying the image of your company. By thinking like a hacker, you are exposing yourself to various information that are needed to develop security barriers and which may be beneficial in preventing unlawful breaches to your website. Proper information is very important for the process, because without it, it is not possible to conduct tests and get reports that are going to benefit the organization.

 

Running the test and generating reports:

 

This is where the bulk of the fieldwork is performed. Various tests and assessments are done with all the information that you have gathered. All possible vulnerabilities are determined with all effective ways to combat them. By staging different tests, you could use variety of different devices to try and break into the system. By doing this you can determine all weaknesses in your system and check if your network is susceptible to break-ins.

 

After running these tests if you are still unsatisfied, you may have to consult with a professional security IT consulting company, that can assist in checking the security of your computer environment and networks. As soon as the penetration testing is complete, ensure that the reports are generated, listing all the problems that have to be corrected. The objective of performing penetration testing is to locate all possible weaknesses in your network security and correct them.