Back to Glossary
Pentest & Red Team

Penetration Testing

Controlled cyber attack simulation to assess system security

Penetration testing (pentest) is a security assessment method that simulates real cyber attacks on IT infrastructure. Pentesters use the same techniques and tools as malicious hackers, but do so legally with the system owner's permission.

Types of Pentest

  • Black Box — testing without knowledge of internal system structure
  • White Box — full access to source code and architecture
  • Gray Box — partial information about the system

Testing Phases

  1. Reconnaissance and information gathering
  2. Scanning and vulnerability analysis
  3. Exploitation of discovered vulnerabilities
  4. Maintaining access
  5. Report preparation with recommendations

Benefits

  • Identifying real vulnerabilities before attackers find them
  • Verifying effectiveness of existing security measures
  • Compliance with regulatory requirements (PCI DSS, ISO 27001)

Related Terms

Category

Penetration testing, attack methodologies, Red Team operations