White Box Pentesting

White box penetration testing is a testing method to test the security of your applications, network, and other digital infrastructure. Penetration testing is a security testing method that simulates real-world cyberattacks to find vulnerabilities present in the tested environment. White box testing is one of the three types of penetration testing that organizations can choose from. In this blog, we will discuss white box penetration testing in detail, what are its techniques, and why businesses need it. What is White Box Penetration Testing White box penetration testing, also called clear box or transparent box testing, involves giving penetration testers maximum information about the tested environment. It grants them full access to the target, including source code, credentials, access to documentation, and multiple accounts with varying access levels. A white box penetration test is often used to check a system’s essential parts, especially by companies that develop their software products or use multiple applications. It is a method to check a system’s defenses and see if it can handle different types of cyberattacks. This specific approach helps detect vulnerabilities in the logic flow of an application, which sometimes automated tools miss. Why do Businesses Need White Box Penetration Testing? Successful white box penetration testing helps businesses avoid mistakes that can leave their organization vulnerable to hackers or cyber attackers. Businesses can identify security flaws in their web products and quickly fix them to avoid unauthorized access or data breaches. Penetration testing, in general, is very much essential to create strong security for a business and also to comply with certain mandatory industry standards. Benefits of White Box Penetration Testing Here are some crucial advantages of conducting white box penetration testing: Comprehensive analysis White box pentesting offers a comprehensive analysis of both internal and external vulnerabilities. In fact, it also analyzes the tested environment from the internal point of view that is usually not available to attackers. Early Vulnerability Detection White box pentesting can be integrated into the initial development stages before the software has a user interface, and even before it is available to users. As a result, it detects vulnerabilities at a very early stage. Wide Coverage White box penetration testing can detect vulnerabilities in areas that are not accessible with black box testing. For example, the app’s source code, design, and business logic. Precise Vulnerability Identification Since pen testers have a detailed knowledge of the system’s internal workings, they can accurately locate specific vulnerabilities. In addition to that, they can also exactly locate potential security gaps and flaws in the code’s logic. Time-Saving Especially when compared to black box testing, and even with grey box testing, white box penetration testing is by far the quickest security testing method. This is because the testers are already given all the required information and access to the tested environment.   Do you have an online business that needs security testing? Or do you need to comply with your industry standards? Whatever the reason, Qualysec Technologies can offer you the best penetration testing services to fulfill your needs. Contact now! Disadvantages of White Box Penetration Testing Despite having multiple advantages, white box penetration testing has certain drawbacks. Requires High Programming Knowledge White box penetration testing involves internal penetration testing. However, to carry out this method, testers need to know critical programming tasks such as port scanning, SQL injections, and executing common attacks. As a result of this, testers will have a better understanding of the access points through which breaches could occur. Limited Vulnerability Detection White box pentesting is conducted with complete knowledge of the tested environment, which doesn’t accurately mimic real-world cyberattacks, as hackers have limited to no knowledge of the system. As a result, testers might miss many of the critical vulnerabilities. Black Box, Grey Box, and White Box Penetration Testing Differences Penetration testing is a practice of testing web applications, mobile applications, networks, cloud, APIs, and other digital environments to find vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit. There are three types of penetration testing: black box, white box, and grey box. The main difference between these types is the level of information provided by the organization to the tester about the tested environment. All three types of penetration testing use both manual and automated techniques to identify vulnerabilities and security flaws. Let’s dive deep into each type and discover what sets them apart. Black Box Vs White Box Vs Grey Box Penetration Testing Black Box Pentesting White Box Pentesting Grey Box Pentesting Knowledge of the internal working structure is not required. Only GUI (Graphical User Interface) is required Knowledge of the internal working structure (coding structure) is required. Partial knowledge of the internal working structure (code) is required. Includes trial techniques and error guessing method as no information on internal coding is present. Includes verifying the system boundaries and data domains inherent in the software as maximum knowledge of internal coding is present. If internal coding knowledge is present with the tester, it involves validating data domains and internal system boundaries of the software.    No programming knowledge is required. High programming knowledge is required. Limited programming knowledge is required. Difficult to detect hidden errors as internal working information is absent. Easy to discover hidden errors as all the information is present. Difficult to discover hidden errors but might be found in user-level testing. Not considered for algorithm testing. Suitable and recommended for algorithm testing Not considered for algorithm testing. The tester, developer, and end-user can be part of this testing. Only the tester and developer can be a part of this testing. The tester, developer, and end-user can all be part of this testing. Least time-consuming security testing method. Most time-consuming security testing method. Less time-consuming than white box penetration testing. Resilience and security against viral attacks are covered. Resilience and security against viral attacks are not covered. Resilience and security against viral attacks are covered. White Box Penetration Testing Techniques In software security testing, the white box technique involves reviewing the source code (the internal structure of