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What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing, or pentesting, is the practice of simulating cyberattacks on a system, network, or application to uncover vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them. It’s a proactive approach to identifying weaknesses and providing actionable insights to strengthen an organization's security posture. By thinking like an attacker, pentesters can help organizations understand their exposure and improve their defenses.

Pentesting isn’t just about finding flaws—it’s about understanding the overall security landscape, highlighting risks, and empowering organizations to prioritize and remediate issues effectively. This process is a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity strategies, offering real-world insights that traditional audits often miss.

To learn more about penetration testing methodologies and frameworks, check out these resources:

  • OWASP Testing Guide – A comprehensive guide to testing web application security.
  • PTES – The Penetration Testing Execution Standard offers a complete methodology for conducting pentests.
  • NIST SP 800-115 – A guide to technical aspects of information security testing.

Content

The following will be broken into dedicated sections for various pentesting domains to provide focused and actionable content:

  • Cloud: Focused on testing cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, and GCP. Topics will include configuration reviews, service exploitation, and identifying common misconfigurations.

  • Mobile: Dedicated to mobile application security testing. This section will cover tools, methodologies, and vulnerabilities specific to Android and iOS platforms.

  • OSINT: Highlighting the importance of OSINT in the reconnaissance phase, this section will link back to the OSINT tools and concepts pages while focusing on applying these techniques during engagements.

  • Web Application: Covering methodologies for identifying vulnerabilities in web applications. Topics will include SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, authentication bypass, and more.

  • Network: Addressing internal and external network testing. This section will include information on scanning, enumeration, exploitation, and pivoting within a network.

  • Physical: Exploring the hands-on aspect of security, this section will cover bypassing physical barriers, lockpicking, social engineering, and assessing building security.

Each section will include methodologies, best practices, and practical advice, tailored to the specific domain. Whether you're new to pentesting or a seasoned professional, this structure is designed to support your learning journey and professional growth.