🔐 Penetration Testing (Pentesting) — From Basics to Advanced
Author: Cyber Pulse | Category: Pentesting | Updated: October 2025
Illustration: Penetration Testing Concepts
🧠 What is Penetration Testing?
Penetration Testing (Pentesting) is the process of simulating cyber attacks...
🎯 Objectives of Pentesting
- Find vulnerabilities in systems, networks, and web applications.
- Test the effectiveness of current security controls.
- Assess how far an attacker could go after gaining initial access.
- Improve security posture through remediation and configuration changes.
📚 Types of Penetration Testing
- Network Pentesting: Identifies open ports, weak passwords, and misconfigurations.
- Web Application Pentesting: Finds issues like SQL Injection, XSS, CSRF, and IDOR.
- Wireless Pentesting: Tests Wi-Fi and wireless protocols for weaknesses.
- Social Engineering: Tests human vulnerabilities through phishing or impersonation.
- Physical Pentesting: Simulates physical intrusions into facilities.
⚙️ Phases of a Pentesting Process
- Planning & Reconnaissance: Gather intelligence using tools like Nmap, theHarvester, and Shodan.
- Scanning & Enumeration: Identify open ports, services, and vulnerabilities.
- Exploitation: Gain access through discovered vulnerabilities.
- Post-Exploitation: Maintain access and escalate privileges.
- Reporting: Document findings and recommendations.
🧩 Tools Commonly Used in Pentesting
- Nmap — Network scanner
- Burp Suite — Web application testing framework
- Metasploit Framework — Exploit development toolkit
- Wireshark — Packet analyzer
- Hydra / John the Ripper — Password crackers
- SQLmap — SQL Injection exploiter
💡 Real-World Example
A company’s web app is tested using Nmap and exploited via Metasploit...
🚀 How to Become a Pentester
- Learn networking, Linux, and coding.
- Practice on TryHackMe / Hack The Box.
- Earn certifications like CEH, OSCP, PNPT.
⚠️ Ethical Responsibility
Always perform pentesting with written authorization...
🏁 Final Thoughts
Pentesting is not about breaking systems — it’s about securing them.
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