The Penetration Testing Process: What to Expect

Penetration testing (or pen testing) finds and repairs the vulnerabilities in your system's defenses. This article details the high-level steps from setting up the tests, to the final reporting. Understanding what’s involved upfront will help your organization get the most out of this important security check to ensure that it can continue to count on the strength of its defenses.

Step 1: Planning and Reconnaissance

During the setup process, both sides work together to scope the test. The penetration testing services provider will need to know what your organization wants tested. Do you want to focus on a particular type of system or technology? The more granular, the more focused the test will be.

The next step is reconnaissance. Here, the penetration testers begin collecting information about your infrastructure and systems. They’ll look for publicly available data, stuff you’d find on a company website or job postings such as IP addresses and employee names that could be used to gain access to the network.

Step 2: Scanning

After the reconnaissance phase comes scanning. Testers use various tools to find vulnerabilities in your network and applications. They look for open ports, what’s running behind them, and any weaknesses that can be exploited. This helps them to create a map of potential attack points.

Step 3: Gaining Access

Getting access is where testers really swing into action. Testers will attempt to play on the security loopholes that they have found to get control of your systems. This could be done in many ways—cracking a password and using a piece of software, its configuration, or custom software code. The key is how far they can go and the effort to get there.

Step 4: Maintaining Access

Testers will look to remain in control. They do this by essentially acting like an “attacker.” They will try to stay hidden and move laterally to retrieve data or gain control of parts of the system. This helps to understand what an attacker may be able to achieve and the level of damage they could do.

Step 5: Analysis and Reporting

Post-testing, the team analyzes what they find. Everything is documented—vulnerabilities, procedures, the level of access. Then, it gets compiled into the report.

This isn’t just a list of failures. Instead, it documents what happened and provides a roadmap for improvement. The goal is to ensure that your company understands the findings and how to address them.

Step 6: Remediation

After that, it’s time for remediation where your team takes steps based on the report. This involves remediating the vulnerabilities, applying patches, updating the configurations and security standards, etc. Successful remediation reduces the risks of further attacks and makes things much safer.

Step 7: Continuous Improvement

Penetration testing is a process. It doesn’t stop on the day of delivery. It’s part of your security process. Regular testing tells you how the threat landscape is transforming and how well your defenses are.

Safeguard Your Business

Business security relies on penetration testing services to find and fix security flaws before attackers use them. Hiring the right professionals will guarantee your system gets a thorough checkup. Be proactive. Be safe.