Pen Testing as a Service (PTaaS) is a cloud service that offers data technology (IT) professionals the resources they need to conduct and influence point-in-time and continuous penetration tests.

What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing (or pentesting) is a cybersecurity approach where professionals test applicationsto discover and exploit vulnerabilities t. Sometimes, it’s known as “white hat hacking” or a range of “ethical” hacking.

Why is Penetration Testing Important?

Penetration testing tries to compromise an associate degree organization’s system to search out security weaknesses. Penetration Test Helps to learn how to handle any type of malware, Penetration Test as a way to examine whether an organization’s security policies are genuinely effective, Also This provides solutions to prevent detect attackers.

Penetration Testing methodology

Penetration testing involves the following five stages:

• Plan – begin by analyzingthe aim and scope of a test. To better understand the target, you want to collect intelligence regarding its functions and any come-at-able weaknesses.
• Scan – use static or dynamic analysis to scan the network. This informs pen-testers but the application responds to varied threats.
• Gain access – notice vulnerabilities among the target application exploitation pentesting ways like cross-site scripting and SQL injection.
• Maintain access – check the ability of a cybercriminal to stay up a persistent presence through Associate in Nursing exploited the vulnerability or to comprehend deeper access.
• Analyze – assess the tip results of the penetration talk to a report describing the exploited vulnerabilities, the sensitive data accessed, and also the approach long it took the system to retort to the pentester’s infiltration.

The Benefits of Penetration Testing as a Service

• Corporations are modified to PTaaS as a result of it naturally orientating much better with their current code development practices. rather than making a security testing Associate in Nursing afterthought or an extra step, it makes it an area of the strategy right aboard the testing you already do.
• Real-Time, Hacker-Like Testing: Pentesting may be a particular sort of security hardening. It’s the only real methodology simply} just can get how of exactly what criminals see once they approach your company or your code. This isn’t continued what you (or your developers) see.
• Continuous and Early Feedback: Agile methodology encourages frequent testing of very few code changes. PTaaS delivers similar advantages to ancient pentesting. By provision your developers with continuous and early feedback regarding potential vulnerabilities, the highest result’s larger efficiency in operations
• Flexible obtaining options: automatic, manual, and hybrid pen check services are usually budgeted for and procured through a monthly, quarter, or yearly subscription or on an associate degree Associate in Nursing as-needed basis.
• Flexible coverage options: many PTaaS platforms can combine and correlate findings from multiple sources and provide result sets that meet the requirements of various stakeholders.
• Automation: automatic workflows build vulnerability scanning for external networks and unauthenticated web applications tons of accessible to conduct

Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) advantages & Disadvantages

PTaaS advantages

• Self-service model, property the buyer specifies via an internet interface on its systems, and at that frequency, to perform each check
• Makes penetration testing wise for corporations with a smaller security team, or no security team
• Lower costs and versatile payment models – most services supply subscription or pay-per-use valuation
• PTaaS platforms can supply automatic coverage that suits the requirements of the organization, still as specific compliance wants

PTaaS Disadvantages

• Places tons of responsibility on the organization, as they need to figure out the testing schedule and review findings severally
• Some cloud suppliers want permission to run automatic penetration testing on their infrastructure and limit testing to a selected time window
• If writing is used for systems to a lower place check, this might complicate the employment of PTaaS services
• Most services cannot confirm business logic vulnerabilities & tons of false positives compared to manual testing

Six Penetration Testing varieties

1. Network Services Penetration Testing

The term “network services testing,” also known as “infrastructure testing” or “network services pentest,” is used to identify the most prominent security flaws and vulnerabilities in a network.A network services pentest usually checks numerous elements of the infrastructure, including servers and firewalls, switches and routers, workstations, and printers. Ideally, a network services check will assist you in shielding against common network attacks, like firewall misconfiguration, router attacks, change- or routing-based attacks, info attacks, man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, proxy server attacks, and more.

2. Internet Application Penetration Testing

The purpose of an internet or online application pentest is to spot security weaknesses or vulnerabilities in web applications and their elements, as well as the ASCII text file, the info, and any relevant backend network.

A web application penetration testing method usually consists of three phases:

• Reconnaissance: gathering data concerning the appliance. for instance, the software system (OS) and resources the appliance uses.
• Discovery attempts to identify vulnerabilities.
• Exploitation: The victimization of the detected vulnerabilities to achieve unauthorized access to the appliance and its pools of information.

3. Physical Penetration Testing

A physical pentest is performed with the aim of discovering any vulnerabilities and problems in physical assets, like locks, cameras, sensors, and barriers, that will result in a breach.

For example, a physical penetration test will assess whether or not attackers will gain unauthorised access to a server area. This access will function to some extent as an entry into the company network.

Physical penetration testing may also assess how the organization copes with physical security threats like social engineering, badge biological research, tail-gating, and more.

4. Social Engineering Penetration Testing

A social engineering attack targets workers of the corporate or parties with access to company assets, making an attempt to influence, trick, or blackmail them into revealing data and credentials. A social engineering pentest tries to work out however the organization copes throughout a social engineering attack.

5. Client-Side Penetration Testing

A shopper-side pentest is performed for the aim of detective work package vulnerabilities that may be simply exploited on a client device like workstations and internet browsers. A client-side pentest will usually establish specific attacks. Examples area unit cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, kind hijacking, HTML injections, clickjacking attacks, and malware infections.

6. Mobile Application Penetration Testing

A mobile application pentest makes an attempt to get vulnerabilities in mobile applications. This check doesn’t embrace servers and mobile Apis.

Mobile application penetration testing typically involves the employment of the 2 following tests:

• Static analysis- involves extracting components like ASCII text files and data, with the aim of playing reverse engineering.
• Dynamic analysis- involves searching for vulnerabilities throughout the runtime. The tester, for instance, could try and extract information from the RAM or bypass controls.

Penetration Testing Tools

The types of pentesting tools you selected considerably impact the standard and results of the check. A tool can be ready to catch a vulnerability, or it might miss it altogether. Typically, a pentest leverages many varieties of tools to confirm visibility into a larger scope of vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Here area unit many tools unremarkably used for pentesting:

Pentesting Tools	Value	Pentesting Use Cases
Vulnerability Scanner	Scans the atmosphere and makes an attempt to find far-famed vulnerabilities and configuration errors.	Analyze the report generated by the scanner. The goal is to search out associate degree exploitable vulnerability to assist penetrate the atmosphere.
Web Proxy	A go-between server that separates finished users from the net pages they arrange to browse.	Intercept and modify traffic because it flows between the net server of the organization and therefore the browser of the pentester. The goal is often to find and exploit HTML vulnerabilities and so use them to launch attacks.
Network someone	Collects and analyzes network traffic.	Locate active applications. The goal is to hunt exposed credentials or sensitive information that’s presently flowing across the network.
Port Scanner	Detects open ports.	Open ports give data concerning applications and operative systems (OS) with network access. The goal is to spot potential attack vectors.
Password Cracker	A program that makes an attempt to recover passwords that area units either hold on to or transmitted in an exceedingly disorganized kind.	Find weak passwords that may give access to the network. The goal is to leverage passwords to elevate or expand the number of privileges and gain unauthorized access to the network and its assets.