{"id":16722,"date":"2021-11-29T15:42:11","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T10:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/?p=16722"},"modified":"2026-04-17T16:41:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T11:11:13","slug":"process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/penetration-testing\/process\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Down the Pentest Process: A 5-Step Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There were 5.6 billion malware attacks in 2020. As bad as it may look it was a 43% improvement on the stats from 2018. Google has been detecting 600-800 malware infected sites per week<\/a> in 2021, whereas it had detected 3000+ per week in 2019. It is good news for all technology enthusiasts and security-minded people. But at the same time, there has been a 485% increment in ransomware attacks<\/a> since 2020 according to a survey by ISACA<\/em>. There is no permanent relief from the fear of getting hacked.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all boils down to how security conscious your organization is and how well prepared you are to survive cyber-attacks. Your best course of action is consistent penetration testing and vulnerability remediation. We will discuss what penetration testing is, what is the Pentest<\/a> process, how it helps you defend your business and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Wrap your head around Pentesting<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The underlying concept of Penetration testing or pen testing is simple. You invite security engineers to test your website, application, or network. They simulate a hack and try to penetrate your system. They find the weaknesses and try to assess how dangerous those weaknesses can be. Then they create a report documenting the vulnerabilities and recommending fixes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot more than what meets the eye goes into the execution of a vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT)<\/a> operation. This article will cover five indispensable steps of the Pentest process. But before we get into all of that, let us understand why this is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes Pentesting important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cybercrime has reached a point of sophistication where targeted attacks are almost impossible to detect or prevent until some damage is done. 73% of black hat hackers opine that malware scanners are obsolete. However, there are 30,000 cyber attacks every day<\/a> and very few of them are targeted towards a particular organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to breaching a website, hackers want to cast as wide a net as possible, hence they automate the attacks. The only way to do that is to search for websites and networks with known vulnerabilities. For instance, a site using cross-site scripting or a vulnerable plugin is an easy target. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need consistent Pentesting because you do not<\/a><\/strong> want to be an easy target.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Who needs Pentesting?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any business with a digital existence and a willingness to manage risk and protect their customers\u2019 interests should have penetration tests performed. However, regular penetration testing with pen-testing software is essential for certain industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n