More than ever, the activities involved in pentesting play a major role in detecting any type of security breach that could lead to not just one, but multiple vulnerabilities. But why? Pentesting’s main purpose is to expose everything that compromises integrity, especially in the aspect of security. Those responsible for the systems subjected to these tests will be able to anticipate potential cyberattacks. This article will explain the most common mistakes made during these tests to prevent potential inconveniences.
Pentesting is not a set of tests that are performed and applied to any scenario. Above all, if we talk about companies, there are various pentesting variables. We can cite those that focus on the network infrastructure to those that look for security flaws present in the devices that collaborators handle. Also, we must keep in mind that pentesting can be handled internally, that is, of the company. Likewise, you can delegate this task to a specialized company so that it can carry out the tests. The latter, after a detailed analysis and advice from that same company. In short, the person or group assigned will simulate a hacking scenario, applying all possible techniques to exploit the security flaws that are found.
Despite the fact that the concept of pentesting today is quite well known and clear, it is important to avoid making certain mistakes. These errors could further compromise the integrity of the systems under test. The mistakes that are used to making are due to reasons such as lack of experience or knowledge regarding the field.
Low quality in reports
Any security flaw and vulnerabilities found must be properly analyzed. The latter, in order to have visibility of the impacts it would cause on the business in which the company is operating. The high quality of post-pentesting activity reports should be mandatory in both the services offered by internal and external pentesters.
And with high quality we mean that the reports are easy to understand, with graphics that invite each one to commit to visualizing and analyzing the information that is available. People who hold leadership positions in companies must fully understand the reports presented. Why? Well, in many cases, it is these people who approve or reject action plans to mitigate security problems. In many cases, financial resources will be required.
Any type of report that is submitted after pentesting activities that has low quality of information presented, can be a potential security problem much bigger than you imagine. The high quality of data in the reports helps filter data that could be of little or no use, as well as highlighting the data that really matters to the company when you want to know about the security flaws found.
Outdated techniques and lack of planning
It is used to say that one of the keys to success is to be informed. However, it is more convenient to put a little more context to this. In any field, in addition to having your own knowledge of it, you should be informed about what is happening. Computer security, cybersecurity or information security, is part of a large industry that every day, in the worst case, has the odd couple of news or releases. As a professional or simply a foodie, you should adopt the good practice of educating yourself. In addition to the direct benefit of being “up to date”, you are building a much more sustainable criterion over time of what both the present and the future of the industry hold. Also, it allows one to make better decisions that can affect both positively and negatively to their work environment.
All of this applies to pentesting. The activities that involve penetration testing are executed using a plan. This plan has a specific scheme so that it can be executed successfully. However, according to the changes that may occur over time, those pentesting execution plans should change. What changes could pentesting undergo? It may be that updates of the tools that are used appear, as well as the appearance of new tools. New security flaws, vulnerabilities, cyberattacks can also come to light. The possibilities are endless.
Pentesting activities should not be reserved to take place only once a year. They should be carried out periodically, according to the needs and requirements of each company. There may not be a one-size-fits-all solution. Consequently, there must be proper planning when running the tests. In this way, the central purpose will be achieved much more easily: discovering the security flaws of a system. Therefore, it is extremely interesting to opt for pentesting test automation platforms.
Failure to prioritize risks
One of the aspects that determine the way in which the pentesting activities will be carried out is the risks. In principle and before opting for one or another variant of pentesting, you must have correctly identified the risks found. The tests in question have a target or an objective that can be customer data, intellectual property, financial and / or commercial data or everything related to the network infrastructure. If this aspect is neglected, one of the direct consequences is that the resources directed to the tests could be quite badly used and would result in a low quality of results obtained.
Misuse of available pentesting tools
Not precisely because one already has certain essential knowledge of pentesting, one could already be considered as a specialist or an expert. When we talk about knowledge, we mean what tools are used, how to implement and configure them properly. Today it is possible to find multiple solutions that are made up of integrations of multiple tools. However, without the necessary knowledge and experience, their implementation would be practically useless. It is possible to find both free and paid solutions.
With an emphasis on paid tools, especially those solutions that are offered by renowned specialized companies, they have the option of free trials and / or demos with advice included. On the other hand, the tools that are free tend to be open-source , that is, open source. Once again, the importance of having the necessary knowledge and experience is stressed. Thus, the solutions will be used in the best possible way.
Lack of professional ethics and compliance with the rules
It is clear that an ethical hacker is not the same as a cybercriminal. However, there are small but decisive differences. We refer to the legal aspect and the purposes of each one. If you are a pentester, you must have knowledge and experience. Likewise, your level of professional ethics must be of the highest. From the moment you have full access to the systems, you can obviously see and manipulate everything. Security and data failures of all kinds: personal, corporate, financial, commercial, payroll and much more.
A good pentester has to prioritize the confidentiality, privacy and legality of the tests that are carried out. Unfortunately, it is common practice for people to carry out inappropriate practices. It may be that they are unauthorized penetration tests or simply that they were not explicitly requested. There are also cases where the pentester runs one or more tests and demands a payment so that it can discuss the details of how to fix security flaws. The latter is highly unethical and even if he were an independent professional, the solution to the problems encountered should not be conditioned in this way. You must opt for legally established payment facilities.
It is possible to conclude that many of the mistakes made have to do more with the strategic and ethical, in general. However, ignoring the news regarding improved and new pentesting techniques may mean that certain security flaws are not detected in time. There is no single manual on how to run these tests, but it can be stated with certainty that by avoiding these errors, the quality of the results obtained will be much higher.