Penetration testing simulates real-world attacks to exploit vulnerabilities and test defenses.

• External Penetration Testing:
  • Simulates attacks from outside the organization on internet-facing assets (e.g., websites, VPNs).
  • Example: Exploiting a weak SSL/TLS configuration to steal sensitive data.
• Internal Penetration Testing:
  • Mimics an attacker who has already breached the network or an insider threat.
  • Example: Exploiting open shares to access confidential files in an internal server.
• Web Application Penetration Testing:
  • Focused on in-depth testing of web applications beyond basic vulnerabilities.
  • Example: Exploiting broken access controls to elevate user privileges.
• Mobile App Penetration Testing:
  • Focuses on mobile app-specific vulnerabilities such as insecure data storage or API misuse.
  • Example: Exploiting hardcoded credentials in a mobile app’s APK file.
• Wireless Penetration Testing:
  • Tests the security of wireless networks (e.g., Wi-Fi encryption, rogue access points).
  • Example: Cracking weak WPA2 passwords to gain network access.
• Cloud Penetration Testing:
  • Focuses on exploiting misconfigured cloud infrastructure, IAM policies, or APIs.
  • Example: Gaining unauthorized access to cloud VMs via weak IAM role policies.