Types of Penetration Testing: A Comprehensive Guide

Organizations need to perform penetration tests for a strong cybersecurity strategy. A typical penetration testing involves authorized and controlled efforts to audit the security of computer systems, networks, applications, and infrastructure, looking for vulnerabilities that an attacker could use to break in and threaten the integrity of internal systems.

In this blog, we will explore different types of penetration testing, from applications and networks to social engineering, IoT, and cloud penetration testing. We will also discuss the different requirements in various industries and some popular methodologies and frameworks used.

By the end of this blog, you’ll understand why pentesting is essential for organizations of all sizes and across all industries.

What are the Different Types of Penetration Testing?

Network Penetration Testing

Network penetration testing is essential for any business or organization to assess the security posture of its network infrastructure by identifying vulnerabilities that could be leveraged by threat actors (hackers) for malicious purposes. This type of pentesting covers three major areas, namely external, internal, and wireless network penetration testing.

To a great extent, internet / external penetration testing is typically performed to discover whether and how an attacker from outside can break into a company network, primarily focusing on firewall attack vector tests or router pentests.

On the other hand, internal network penetration testing checks an organization’s internal infrastructure, including servers, workstations, and network devices, to discover intramural vulnerabilities abused by insiders (insider threats) or attackers who obtain access to the internal network.

Lastly, wireless network pentests evaluate the security of an organization’s wireless networks and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices to expose weaknesses that attackers can use to gain unauthorized access or eavesdrop on wireless communications.

Tools used for network penetration testing include:

Paid:

• Nessus Professional
• Burp Suite Professional

Open Source:

• Nmap
• OpenVAS
• Metasploit Framework
• Aircrack-ng

Web Application Penetration Testing

As one of the most common types of penetration testing, web application pentesting evaluates the security of a web application (internal and external) by simulating attacks to identify vulnerabilities. This can be seen in black-box, white-box, and gray-box testing, all of which present different facets of information to the penetration tester.

The distinction is that black-box testing is performed with no knowledge of the application architecture, while white-box testing enables the tester to have full access to source code and other relevant information. Gray-box testing lies between both, in which the tester has partial knowledge of the application internals.

Factors	Black-Box Penetration Testing	Gray-Box Penetration Testing	White-Box Penetration Testing
Intel of the target system	No intel.	Partial intel.	Complete intel.
Environment tested	Tests only the exposed environment.	Tests exposed & internal environments.	Thorough testing of all assets - external, internal, and code.
Depth of testing	Provides a surface-level view of security posture.	Fairly in-depth.	Very in-depth.
Guesswork	Consists of guesswork, and hit & miss sessions.	Very limited use of guesswork involved.	No guesswork involved.
Automation	Automation is heavily used.	Automation is used sparsely.	Automation is used only as an aid to the manual process.
Completion time	Unpredictable completion time.	Predictable. Takes several days to a couple of weeks to complete.	Predictable. Takes a couple of months to complete.
Cost	Is usually more affordable.	Costs lie between the two extremes.	Is costly.

Tools used for web application penetration testing include:

Paid:

• Burp Suite Professional
• Acunetix
• Netsparker

Open Source:

• OWASP ZAP
• Nikto
• Wapiti
• W3af

API Penetration Testing

API (Application Programming Interface) penetration testing is a method of pentesting APIs to identify security vulnerabilities in an organization’s API by simulating attacks against them. 

Given how the API has continued to play a major role in integrating disparate applications and services, it has become a favorite target for hackers who want unauthorized access to core data or functionality.

Tools used for API penetration testing include:

Paid:

• APISec
• Burp Suite Professional
• NoName Security

Open Source:

• OWASP ZAP
• Insomnia
• Swagger

Mobile Application Penetration Testing

Mobile Application Penetration Testing is a type of penetration testing method used to assess the security of mobile applications for different platforms, such as Android, iOS, and Windows (which are no longer prevalent). 

Given the dramatic rise in mobile applications and the sensitive user information and critical functions they handle, it is only natural that today, security risks (whether noticed or not) have increased.

The iOS application testing audits verify the security of Apple’s mobile-side developments, emphasizing security and best practices. They also evaluate the application’s data storage, communication protocol, and logging aspects.

Meanwhile, Android application testing focuses on applications developed for Google’s mobile operating system. Since Android has a greater market share, it is more appealing to hackers.

Common Mobile App Vulnerabilities found in Penetration Testing include:

• Unprotected Data Storage: Such a situation occurs when a mobile app saves sensitive information on the device without security controls to encrypt or restrict access.
• Weak Server-Side Controls: The app’s backend infrastructure vulnerabilities can breach data or unauthorized access to confidential information.
• Inadequate Transport Layer Protection: An attacker can intercept unencrypted or poorly encrypted communication channels to steal sensitive data sent between the app and the server.
• Clear Text Storage of Data: Mobile apps can accidentally leak private information into logs, caches, or a temporary file accessible to attackers.
• Authorization and Authentication: Weak or misconfigured authentication and authorization mechanisms can allow attackers to access user accounts or critical app functions without permission.

Tools used for mobile application penetration testing include:

Paid:

• Data Theorem
• Veracode
• Ostorlab
• Checkmarx

Open Source:

• MobSF (Mobile Security Framework)
• Frida
• Drozer

Cloud Penetration Testing

Cloud penetration testing is an important process (as companies are now moving to cloud infrastructure) that includes evaluating the security of a particular enterprise’s cloud infrastructure and services. 

With a greater number of enterprises transitioning towards utilizing cloud computing, it is imperative to mitigate potential vulnerabilities that attackers can try to exploit. Cloud penetration testing is classified into three different categories based on the service model: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).

• IaaS security testing assesses the security of cloud infrastructure assets, including virtual machines, storage, and networks. It entails evaluating paradigms that prevent these resources from being tampered with and, therefore, made vulnerable.
• PaaS testing evaluates the security of the cloud service provider’s platforms and frameworks. This involves assessing the security of the development tools, databases, and runtime environments to determine whether they can be exploited.
• SaaS testing is security-related testing that verifies software application functionality delivered to customers (consumers) via the cloud. This involves evaluating how the application authenticates and authorizes users, how it stores and transmits data, what its security controls are, etc.

Tools used for cloud penetration testing include:

Paid:

• Wiz
• Orca Security
• Zscaler

Open Source:

• Prowler
• ScoutSuite
• cloudmapper

Social Engineering Penetration Testing

Social engineering (SE) is another type of penetration testing that checks an enterprise’s human-based attack surface to guide and train its staff to recognize and resist attacks, including manipulating individuals into revealing sensitive information or executing activities that breach security processes. 

This serves as a way for companies to see their shortcomings in educating employees about security and threats.

Phishing attacks are the most common type of SE technique. These attacks are perpetrated using emails/messages or websites posing as respectable companies to convince individuals to reveal sensitive information such as banking details or passwords.

Tools used for social engineering penetration testing include:

Open Source:

• SPF (Social-engineer Payloads Framework)
• Evilginx
• Modlishka
• Phishing Frenzy

IoT Penetration Testing

IoT (Internet of Things) penetration testing assesses the relationship between security and connected devices in company-specific infrastructure.

The IoT penetration testing is based on security testing of the different types of layers such as:

• Devices: Evaluating the physical and logical security posture of Internet-of-Things devices, including sensors, smart appliances, and wearables, and identifying vulnerabilities in their firmware, software, or hardware.
• Communication channels: Assess the security of communication channels like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or cellular devices used by IoT devices so that data transfer is secure from interception mode.
• Mobile applications: Assess how secure the mobile apps, characterized as gateways to control or manage IoT devices, are by checking whether these channels are potentially at risk of different threats, including reverse engineering, data exposure, privilege escalation, etc.

Tools used for IoT penetration testing include:

Open Source:

• OWASP IoT Testing Guides
• Firmadyne
• IoT Inspector

Importance & Benefits of Penetration Testing

By emulating real-life cyberattacks in a controlled environment, various types of pentesting help enterprises understand their true security posture and what vulnerabilities they need to fix before the bad actors can exploit them.

Here is the list of benefits of performing penetration tests regularly:

Risk Identification and Risk Mitigation: 

Penetration testing allows you to identify vulnerabilities that might go unnoticed, such as privilege escalation, business logic attacks, and payment gateway manipulation. This provides your organization with specific security measures to reduce the risk of an attack.

Compliance: 

Different industries have different security requirements, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR, which necessitate penetration testing as proof of efforts to ensure the safety of infrastructures and data. 

Such compliance demonstration through thorough penetration testing reports can help your organization significantly save noncompliance fees and reparations.

Sensitive Data Protection: 

Organizations in various sectors collect and store sensitive internal and client information, such as identification details, intellectual property, and financial records of corporate and individual clients.

Thus, by highlighting and resolving weaknesses, penetration testing supports the security of such sensitive data.

Improving Incident Response Readiness: 

A penetration testing exercise aids organizations in modifying their incident response strategy and developing strategies to detect, contain, and recover from cyberattacks.

For example, a pentest might uncover a weakness in your web application that allows attackers to steal user credentials. This knowledge empowers you to update your response plan to include faster detection methods for such attacks, like implementing real-time intrusion detection systems (IDS) or firewalls.

Increasing Security Awareness: 

Penetration testing extends beyond technical expertise. By involving personnel across the organization, you can raise awareness of security measures and reinforce the importance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in preventing and responding to cyberattacks.

Red Teaming vs. Penetration Testing: Key Differences

Both red teaming and various different types of penetration testing are cybersecurity assessment methods organizations use to assess their security posture. Both approaches focus on looking for vulnerabilities but differ in nature, objective, and execution.

Red teaming is a more expansive, adversarial simulation that mimics real-world threats and evaluates an organization’s ability to detect and respond to them. It comprehensively summarizes an organization’s security status and resilience against advanced persistent threats.

Conversely, penetration testing is a targeted, technical evaluation of an organization’s systems, networks, and applications.

Aspect	Red Teaming	Penetration Testing
Scope & Objectives	Broad scope assesses overall security posture & resilience	Narrow scope, focuses on specific vulnerabilities
Duration & Depth	Longer engagements, comprehensive & iterative	Shorter engagements, focused & linear
Attacker's Perspective	Adopts real-world attacker mindset & techniques	Primarily focuses on technical vulnerabilities
Detection & Response	Tests the organization's detection, response & recovery capabilities	Mainly identifies vulnerabilities, not detection & response

Understanding Penetration Testing Requirements by Industry

Each industry has its own security challenges and regulations, many of which require some sort of penetration testing program. These requirements and respective types of pentests are designed to help organizations maintain a proper security stance and protect sensitive data. 

Banking and Financial Services:

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance mandates regular penetration testing to test the security of payment card transactions and cardholder data. Organizations like financial institutions need internal and external penetration testing to find application and network issues.

Health and Medical Devices:

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires the protection of patient data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. All healthcare organizations must perform regular penetration tests to identify and reduce the weaknesses of electronic protected health information (ePHI) data.

Government and Defense:

NIST & FISMA Compliance: NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) publishes security standards and guidelines. The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requires federal agencies to implement these security controls and testing requirements. 

Penetration testing is very helpful in determining whether government systems and networks comply with security standards under the Federal Information Technology Management Reform Act (FITMRA).

Energy and Utilities:

NERC CIP compliance: This standard offers security controls and testing requirements for the energy sector according to NERC CIP standards specified by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. 

The penetration testing service helps to ensure that energy and utility companies can identify and remediate any vulnerabilities in the refinery company’s critical infrastructure, thereby enhancing the resiliency and reliability of the power grid.

How Astra Security Can Help

Astra Security is a trusted brand offering comprehensive penetration testing services and solutions that help companies secure their digital assets while keeping them regulatory compliant. 

Providing more than 70 penetration testing services, Astra aims to make penetration testing hassle-free across web applications, network infrastructure, mobile apps, cloud environments, and even IoT devices.

The Astra Pentest platform blends artificial intelligence and human expertise to run 9300+ automated tests with vetted scans that guarantee zero false positives. The CXO-friendly dashboard, tailored reports, and 24/7 support help smoothen your experience.

Final Thoughts

Penetration testing is a key element of any expansive cybersecurity framework. It aims to identify and address points of failure before they become targets for hackers or attackers. In this blog post, we looked at the different types of penetration testing, industry-specific needs, and methodologies.

In today’s era, where cyber threats are rising, companies that take a proactive stance on security by working with knowledgeable security practitioners are far less likely to suffer a breach of data that could bring about crippling consequences and years of damage to reputation & finances.

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