The term “penetration testing” is not unheard these days and perhaps
many of us are familiar with this type of testing. In this piece of writing we
have discussed how the penetration testing tools emphasize up on the network
security.
About Penetration Testing
- Penetration testing is yet another testing
methodology that has been adopted for testing the security of a computer
network or system against the malicious attacks.
- It provides a way to evaluate
the security level of the computer network by bombarding the network with false
simulated attacks as malicious attacks from the outside as well as inside
attackers.
- The aliens, foreigners or outside attackers do not hold any
authorized access to the computer system or network but the inside attackers do
have that access, but it is limited to a certain level.
- The whole process of
the penetration testing is dependent on an active analysis.
- This active
analysis carries out an assessment of all the potential vulnerabilities of the
computer network or system that are merely a consequence of its poor security
level as well as configuration level.
- Apart from this, the known and unknown
flaws form both the hardware as well as software system contribute to these vulnerabilities
rather than only operational weaknesses.
- Therefore they are to be blamed
equally.
- This active analysis is successful only if it is carried out from the
view point of a malicious attacker and is concerned about the active
exploitation of the recognized vulnerabilities.
About Network Security
- The network security depends up on the effectiveness of the testing.
- And the testing in turn is affected by the effectiveness of the tools that are
employed in the testing.
- The tools indeed affect the network security, since if
the tools are reliable and efficient in finding vulnerabilities, obviously
there will be more improvement in the security mechanisms.
Reasons why Penetration Testing holds good for Network Security
There are several other reasons why the penetration testing tools holds good
for the network security:
- They are effective for the
determination of the feasibility of the similar vectors of attack.
- Help in the identification of
the vulnerabilities which possess a very high risk when the exploitation of a
combination of low level risks is done following a particular sequence.
- Prove quite effective in the
determination of the vulnerabilities that cannot be detected with the help of
application vulnerability scanning software or automated testing processes.
- Assist in the assessment of the
measure of the operational and business impacts of the attacks on the computer
network or system.
- Successfully test the
effectiveness of the network defenders in detecting and responding to the
attacks.
- Provide the evidence in support
of the investments that need to be made in the security field of the computer
system or network.
