The Dangers and Benefits of Penetration Testing.
Penetration testing reveals security weaknesses.
The alert arose when a customer contacted the computer systems testing team after detecting a critical failure in their firewall. This issue resulted in a network outage, causing the entire company to be disconnected. Although the defect was similar to one recently reported by CrowdStrike, its impact was on a much smaller scale. After an intense 30 minutes, they managed to reintegrate the customer's network, who was surprised that, in years of testing, no one had considered attacking the defense protecting the network. That is the nature of a black hat hacker, and precisely the approach taken in this evaluation.
The penetration test, commonly known as "white hat" hacking, aims to identify vulnerabilities in systems, applications, or networks to assess an organization's exposure to potential data breaches. White hat hackers are tasked with discovering these weaknesses before malicious hackers do. In this case, the assessment revealed a defect in the customer's network, which they were able to quickly address, thereby avoiding a potential future disaster.
However, the penetration testing process is not without risks. The unpredictable nature of how systems react to these tests can lead to unexpected consequences, as experienced by the aforementioned customer. Experienced penetration testing professionals can anticipate certain problems, but the risk is always present. It is crucial to uncover these failures in a controlled environment rather than during an actual breach. Therefore, it is essential to have technical support personnel during the testing process.
Malicious hackers tend to attack any vulnerability they can find, so it is essential that tests cover all components of the network. Every part must be analyzed, as if any system is excluded from the assessment, there is a risk of missing significant weaknesses. Additionally, it is vital to ensure that testers have full access so that the validity of the tests is adequate.
Black hat hackers often use the most well-known vulnerabilities, as they are the most exploitable. While some old cyber threats, such as SQL injection, remain in use due to their effectiveness, testing must focus on a broad set of commonly used exploits. Not all vulnerabilities are equally dangerous; a competent white hat hacker will categorize flaws based on their ease of exploitation, concentrating on those that could cause the most damage.
The experience of the team conducting these tests is fundamental, so it is advisable to verify that senior members have at least five years of penetration testing experience before hiring. It is also recommended to change providers annually to avoid complacency, given the diversity of skills that different companies offer.
Caution should be exercised with so-called "trap tests," which focus on penetrating the network without assessing overall security, potentially overlooking other exploitable pathways. Additionally, there are vulnerable areas related to third-party applications that are often riddled with flaws due to the use of insecure plugins. Cooperation from vendors in allowing testing is vital to mitigate these risks.
Finally, after penetration tests, the responsibility for fixing identified vulnerabilities rests with the internal team of the organization. It is suggested to address flaws systematically, implementing organizational-level improvements that include automatic software updates and operating system patches. It is also important to consider emerging technologies, such as Mobile Target Defense, which make exploitation more difficult by maintaining a dynamic environment.
In conclusion, penetration testing is fundamental for organizational security, as it is preferable for a white hat hacker to discover a vulnerability before a black hat hacker does. However, no technology or security control is infallible. Complex systems will always have flaws, highlighting the importance of proper monitoring and management of security systems. Ultimately, thinking like a black hat hacker and testing each component, especially those that seem the most secure, is crucial to maintaining the integrity of the organization.
