Hands-on: Hands-on: Creating a Penetration Testing Plan (en)
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Penetration testing is an ethical simulation of cyber attacks designed to identify and evaluate security vulnerabilities in a system. Before starting hands-on testing, it's important to have a solid plan. Here are the preparations and steps you need to take:
Deep Understanding of the Target
- Target Identification: Clearly define the system or network to be tested. Is it a website, web application, internal network, or cloud system?
- Testing Objectives: Set clear goals. What vulnerabilities do you want to identify? Do you want to measure incident response times?
- Scope of Testing: Limit the scope of the testing. Will it cover the entire system or just specific parts?
- Initial Information: Gather as much information about the target as possible, such as used technologies, network configurations, and running applications.
Permissions and Approvals
- Written Approval: Obtain written permission from the system owner or authorized party.
- Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA): Sign an NDA to protect the confidentiality of information during and after testing.
- Testing Limitations / Scope of Work: Set clear boundaries to avoid damaging the system.
Information Gathering (Reconnaissance)
- Passive: Collect public information such as domain names, IP addresses, used technologies, and contact information.
- Active: Use tools like Whois, Shodan, and Google Hacking to dig deeper for information.
- Social Engineering: Utilize social media and other information sources to gather data from employees.
Tool Selection
- Scanning: Nmap, Nessus, OpenVAS for scanning ports, services, and vulnerabilities.
- Exploitation: Metasploit, ExploitDB for exploiting vulnerabilities.
- Post-Exploitation: PowerSploit, Empire for maintaining access and gathering information.
- Web Application Scanning: Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP for testing web applications.
Test Planning
- Methodology: Choose an appropriate methodology (black box, grey box, or white box).
- Test Cases: Create a list of test cases based on the vulnerabilities to be tested and the information gathered.
- Timeline: Develop a schedule for conducting the tests.
Testing Execution
- Scanning: Run scans to identify vulnerabilities.
- Exploitation: Attempt to exploit identified vulnerabilities.
- Post-Exploitation: If access is gained, carry out post-exploitation activities to gather further information.
- Documentation: Record all steps taken and results obtained.
Reporting
- Findings: Summarize all vulnerability findings, including severity and potential impacts.
- Recommendations: Provide remediation recommendations for each vulnerability.
- Prioritization: Order recommendations based on severity and risk.
- Presentation: Present testing results to relevant parties.
Sample Penetration Testing Plan
| Phase | Activity | Tools | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reconnaissance | Public information gathering | Whois, Shodan | Focus on used technologies |
| Scanning | Port and service scanning | Nmap | Identify open services |
| Vulnerability Assessment | Vulnerability assessment | Nessus, OpenVAS | Prioritize critical vulnerabilities |
| Exploitation | Exploit vulnerabilities | Metasploit | Simulate real attacks |
| Post-Exploitation | Maintain access | PowerSploit | Collect sensitive information |
| Reporting | Reporting results | Document | Include remediation recommendations |
Additional Tips:
- Ethics: Always adhere to hacking ethics and applicable laws.
- Documentation: Keep a record of every step taken for easier analysis and reporting.
- Learning: Continuously learn and update your knowledge on the latest hacking techniques.
- Collaboration: Work with the security team to remediate discovered vulnerabilities.
Warnings:
- Use tools wisely: Do not misuse tools for unethical purposes.
- Respect privacy: Do not access irrelevant data during testing.
- Comply with the law: Ensure all testing activities comply with applicable laws.
By following these steps, you can conduct penetration testing effectively and help enhance system security.
You can look for tutorials, online courses, or hacking communities to gain deeper knowledge. Some resources you might try:
- Hack The Box: Online hacking practice platform
- TryHackMe: Interactive hacking learning platform
- OverTheWire: Collection of classic hacking challenges
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and should not be used for illegal activities.