Steps
Planning
Clearly defining the goals and objectives of the penetration test, such as identifying vulnerabilities, testing the effectiveness of security controls, or evaluating the organization's incident response capabilities.
Determining the scope of the test, including which systems, networks, applications, or processes are in-scope and out-of-scope for the test. This helps to focus efforts and ensures that all parties involved have a clear understanding of the limitations.
Ensuring that all necessary legal and contractual requirements are met, such as obtaining written consent from the organization, signing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), and adhering to any regulatory obligations.
Identifying the necessary resources, including personnel, tools, and infrastructure, required to conduct the penetration test effectively.
Establishing clear communication channels and coordination with the organization's stakeholders, such as IT staff, management, and legal departments, to ensure everyone is aware of the testing activities and their potential impact.
Phases
Information Gathering
Begin by gathering information about the target system or network. This can involve passive reconnaissance techniques, such as searching for publicly available information, examining the target's website, or performing WHOIS lookups. Active reconnaissance techniques, like network scanning and enumeration, can also provide valuable information about the target's network structure, open ports, and services running.
Vulnerability Analysis
Identify potential vulnerabilities in the target systems based on the information gathered in the previous step. This can involve analyzing open ports, running vulnerability scanners, reviewing system configurations, or researching known vulnerabilities associated with the target's software versions.
Exploitation
Once vulnerabilities are identified, attempt to exploit them to gain initial access. This may involve using exploit frameworks, writing custom scripts, or leveraging social engineering techniques. Exploitation can include techniques like buffer overflow attacks, SQL injection, cross-site scripting, or exploiting weak authentication mechanisms.
Post-Exploitation
After gaining initial access, the next step is to establish a stronger foothold within the target system. This can include activities like escalating privileges, installing backdoors, manipulating system configurations, or bypassing security controls. The goal is to maintain persistence and ensure that access can be regained even if the initial compromise is detected or patched.
Lateral Movement
If the objective is to gain access to additional systems or resources within the network, perform lateral movement. This involves identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in other systems, pivoting through compromised hosts, or using stolen credentials to move laterally within the network. The objective is to gain higher privileges and expand control within the environment.
Data Exfiltration (if applicable)
If the goal is to demonstrate the potential impact of a successful attack, consider exfiltrating sensitive data from the target system. This can involve techniques like file transfers, data dumping, or exploiting weakly protected databases.
Reporting
A professional report is expected in the end of any engagement. Down below there is some nice resources for report formats.
Last updated