ptes pentest

The digital world has given a lot of scope for businesses to expand but has also opened more opportunities for cyberattacks. To prepare and mitigate such risks, penetration testing is essential in finding vulnerabilities in current security measures. Penetration testing execution standard (PTES) offers a set of guidelines that tell what should happen in a pentest.   Over 75% of global companies perform penetration testing to measure their security status and compliance reasons. Another study shows that since 2001, financial losses due to cybercrimes have grown 570 times (from $2,000 to nearly $1.2 million per hour). The total loss due to cybercrimes is approximately $36.4 billion in 22 years. Penetration testing execution standard (PTES) helps companies of all sizes to properly execute effective penetration testing. In this blog, we will discuss PTES in detail, what are its sections so that you know what to expect from a penetration test. What is Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES)? PTES is a standardized set of rules that guides all penetration testing processes. In fact, penetration testing has been practiced for a while now, but initially, there weren’t as many rules and regulations in place guiding pen testers. Since businesses did not know what to expect from a pentest, the results were not very consistent. Ethical hacking was still considered hacking that lacked oversight and had little to no quality control.   Then in 2009, a group of cybersecurity experts created the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES) to address these issues. PTES is a type of penetration testing methodology that provides rules and guidelines that help businesses know what to expect from penetration testing. In addition to that, it also includes how to evaluate penetration testing and whether businesses should conduct penetration testing by themselves or hire third-party service providers. Before we dive into the details of PTES, let’s understand penetration testing and why it is important. What is Penetration Testing and Why is it Required? Penetration testing or pentesting is a security testing measure where a cybersecurity professional attempts to find and exploit vulnerabilities in a digital infrastructure. They simulate a real-world attack on the system to identify weak spots in its defenses, which actual attackers or hackers could take advantage of. It is like a bank hiring someone as a thief and trying to break into their building and access their vault. If the thief succeeds and gets inside the vault, the bank will get valuable insights into their security and which areas need improvement. Penetration testing execution standard (PTES) allows these third-party testers to conduct a systematic pentesting process for a particular IT environment. Benefits of Penetration Testing: Are you looking to strengthen your security measures for potential attacks? Do you want compliance with the required industry standards? Book a consultation with us for the best penetration testing service now!   Talk to our Cybersecurity Expert to discuss your specific needs and how we can help your business. Schedule a Call Different Types of Penetration Testing Penetration testing can be performed in three different ways following the penetration testing execution standard (PTES). However, the type of penetration testing depends on the amount of information provided by the organization for the tested environment. These are: White Box Pentesting: Maximum information is given on the tested environment. Black Box Pentesting: No information is given on the tested environment. Grey Box Pentesting: Limited information is given on the tested environment. 7 Sections of Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES) Penetration testing execution standard (PTES) consists of seven main sections that cover all aspects of penetration testing. The purpose of PTES is to offer clear technical guidelines to help organizations understand what to expect from a penetration test and guide them throughout the process. The standard doesn’t include every single aspect or scenario that might occur during a pen test. Instead, it focuses on a basic set of rules that outline the minimum requirements for all pen tests.   1. Pre-Engagement Interactions The first section of the Penetration testing execution standard (PTES) deals with the processes involved before starting the pen test. It includes the interactions between the client or organization and the pen testing team, starting from the final negotiation till the pen testing begins. The guidelines PTES has set for this section are: Goals of the Pen Test: Both the testing team and the client establish specific goals for the pen test. The PTES suggests them to prioritize the following: The primary goal of the pen test should be security The secondary goal should be compliance and legal accountability Scope of the Analysis: After setting clear goals, the pen testing team and the client must agree on the scope and scale of the testing. Here are the elements that need to be considered: Identifying the areas to be analyzed Deciding on the quality and quantity of the test procedures Duration and time of the test Rules of Engagement: The testing team and the client should also establish clear expectations and limitations, regarding what behaviors are not allowed. This includes: Defining particular resources that are “off limits” Setting boundaries for social engineering scams Once these pre-engagement meetings are done and goals are set, then the pen testers can start the first stage of the penetration test, i.e. reconnaissance. 2. Intelligence Gathering During this phase, the pen testers gather information through sources available publicly and perform basic searches following the rules of engagement. This process, also known as open-source intelligence (OSINT), collects all the information that could be useful for the later stages of the testing process. The intelligence-gathering stage includes three levels of reconnaissance: Level 1: This is a basic level that focuses on the compliance requirement and can often be automated. It only collects the required information about a company’s required security measures. Level 2: Going beyond basic requirements, this level explores the organization’s best practices and priorities beyond compliance. Level 3: In this advanced level, the pen testers dive deep into the organization’s complexities and business relationships to discover hidden information. After