The Importance of Penetration Testing

There are reasons that penetration testing is important and valuable to do. First, this particular testing could determine such feasibility of attack vectors that are possible in attacking computer or network security system. Second, this testing could find out the high-risk vulnerabilities that are actually a result of low-risk vulnerabilities combination on a particular network or computer system. Third, this testing could show any possible vulnerabilities or threats that cannot be detected just by using automated vulnerability scanner software. Fourth, this testing could provide the result or impact of such attacks on the vulnerabilities on the computer or network system. Fifth, this testing could provide reasons to invest on the development of the more sophisticated network or computer system in the future. Those are the five reasons that make this testing penetration are very important to do.

Moreover, the penetration testing is a kind of testing that need to be done regularly on a system that is changed regularly as well. The process of the testing could simply derive into two different parts. The first part of the testing is by finding out the legal operations combinations lead to illegal operation. The first process could be done by leveraging some flaws and then shaping the payload so that it would be considered as a valid operation.

Second part is finding out the specific illegal operation that is often called as payloads as well. There are companies and organizations that keep such large database containing known exploits. There is a certificate for this testing known as the Certified Penetration Tester or CPT which is managed by the Information Assurance Certification Review Board of IACRB. The exam candidate of the penetration testing should pass multiple choice exam and practical exam which is a penetration test against some servers in a virtual environment to be certified by the IACRB.

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