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The Ultimate Guide to Network Pentesting

June 22, 2022 • César Daniel Barreto

A pentest, or penetration test, is an authorized simulated attack on a computer system that looks for security weaknesses. Network pentesting tests networks’ security and the devices connected to them for vulnerabilities. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about network pentesting: what it is, how to do it, and the benefits it can bring to your business.

How to put into practice the Pentesting?

Pentesting can be used to test both the security of networks and individual devices connected to those networks. To pentest a network, you only need a laptop with an Ethernet connection and a Kali Linux CD or USB drive. If you want to pentest an individual device, you will need that device, a Kali Linux live CD or USB drive, and physical access to the machine. When you get all the materials, you can follow the next steps:

  • Boot into Kali Linux from the live CD or USB drive.
  • Configure IP forwarding so that traffic coming into the machine on one interface can be routed out another.
  • Run an ARP scan of the local network to identify targets. Select a target.

Benefits of Network Pentesting Checklist.

There are many benefits of network pentesting, but the most important is that it can help you find and fix security weaknesses before attackers exploit them. Additionally, network pentesting can help you comply with industry regulations such as PCI DSS. 

Discovering Information About Targeted System.

During a pentest, testers try their best to collect as much information about the target system as possible. This is done using various tools and techniques, including Google hacking, social engineering, and dumpster diving. The more information they can gather about the system, the easier it will be to find weaknesses and exploit them.

Threat Modeling.

After information gathering, the next step is to create a threat model. This document outlines the potential threats to a system and how likely those threats are to be exploited. The threat model will help testers focus on the most critical threats. Once the pentest is complete, you should have a report detailing all the vulnerabilities found and how to fix them.

Inspection of Vulnerabilities.

After the pentest is complete, you should have a report detailing all the vulnerabilities found and how to fix them. By selecting these vulnerabilities, you can make your network more secure and reduce the risk of being hacked. Additionally, regular pentesting can help you comply with industry regulations.

Conducting a pentest is a great way to improve the security of your network and devices. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure that your systems are as secure as possible.

Exploitation.

The last step in a pentest is to exploit the vulnerabilities. Attackers do this to gain access to systems and data. Once the attacker gains access during a pentest, the testers can evaluate the harm that could be done by an attacker and find out how to fix any vulnerabilities.

Reporting & documenting network Pentesting.

After the pentest is complete, you should have a report detailing all of the vulnerabilities found and how to fix them. This report should be shared with the appropriate people so that they can take action to improve the vulnerabilities.

Network pentesting is a great way to improve the security of your network and devices. Additionally, regular pentesting can help you comply with industry regulations by providing documentation of your security posture. Regular pentesting can also help you comply with industry regulations by providing documentation of your security posture.

Conclusion

Following this guide’s steps, you can conduct a successful network pentest. This will help you improve the security of your network and devices and compliance with industry regulations. Regular pentesting is a great way to find and fix security weaknesses before attackers exploit them. By conducting regular pentests, you can ensure your networks and devices are as secure as possible.

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César Daniel Barreto

César Daniel Barreto is an esteemed cybersecurity writer and expert, known for his in-depth knowledge and ability to simplify complex cyber security topics. With extensive experience in network security and data protection, he regularly contributes insightful articles and analysis on the latest cybersecurity trends, educating both professionals and the public.