Types of penetration testing: A comprehensive guide

The toll of cybercrime is presently at its highest. Statista estimates that the average cost of a single data breach will break the past decade’s record this year, settling at $4.88M. With cybersecurity threats continuously evolving, penetration testing services are essential to combat and prevent devastating attacks. So, what is penetration testing, exactly? What types of penetration testing exist, and how can they help secure your business assets? Let’s explore the main pen testing kinds and tips on how to use them effectively.

What is penetration testing?

Penetration testing, also known as pen testing or ethical hacking, is the process of simulating an attack on a network, application, or IT infrastructure. It’s akin to hiring a professional hacker to break into your system and observe how effective your current security measures and personnel are in countering such attacks. This kind of testing also helps find areas for improvement without doing any real harm.

In particular, N-iX uses pen testing to identify vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could exploit to wreak havoc on your organization. By mimicking the tactics of real-world attackers, our security experts identify weaknesses that don’t show up during regular vulnerability scanning. It’s a fully tailored process: we start by thoroughly exploring your needs and the state of your systems to help you choose the most fitting type of testing.

Pen tests can vary by these main factors:

• the amount of prior knowledge granted to the assessor;
• the tester’s starting level of access;
• the system components that the test targets.

Let’s review several main types of penetration testing in cybersecurity, what areas they examine, and how they can help improve your security posture.

The main types of penetration testing

Penetration testing helps evaluate how resilient different elements of your infrastructure and operations are, including your employees’ conduct. Here are several common kinds of pen testing based on what components they target:

1. Network penetration testing

Network testing is one of the pillars of penetration testing. It encompasses simulated attacks that target various network components and strive to breach defenses in servers, routers, and firewalls. For example, it can help prepare to counter Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), which target endpoints, gateways, cloud environments, and other network components.

N-iX can help if you want to strengthen your network security, for instance, if your company experiences a full or partial shift to remote work. With a large percentage of employees working from home, you may be facing a surge in data traffic that goes through your network, and more data in transit means there are more opportunities for hackers to intercept it.

2. Application penetration testing

This is a broad segment that includes different types of penetration testing for applications, be it desktop, mobile, or web-based apps.

Web applications, in particular, attract attackers like moths to a flame. Many are prone to configuration errors and other vulnerabilities while containing valuable personal information and financial data. They’re also generally easier to hack than networking hardware (such as routers) or operating systems. At N-iX, we conduct thorough web app penetration testing by uncovering weak spots in the front and back end, third-party services, APIs, web servers, and other components and fixing them before they can be exploited.

In addition to web apps, application security testing services cover mobile and desktop applications. In this regard, penetration testing can expose flaws such as insecure data storage, improper session handling, and other vulnerabilities unique to those environments.

3. IoT penetration testing

The increasing number of connected devices is quickly making them the prime target of cyberattacks. In 2023, as much as 33% of IoT devices encountered hacking attempts. Regular penetration testing helps ensure that your interconnected hardware stays resilient and secure.

IoT penetration testing focuses on examining smart device sensors, communication protocols, and back-end systems. When N-iX performs a pen test, our experts seek instances of weak authentication mechanisms and unencrypted communication to identify possibilities for system takeovers and data theft. By mending these vulnerabilities, you can ensure robust protection for your entire connected ecosystem.

Read more: How to ensure IoT security

4. Cloud penetration testing

If you use the cloud, this is one of the most crucial types of penetration testing that will help maintain the integrity of your cloud infrastructure. Unlike traditional on-premises systems, cloud environments are often more exposed to enable remote access and web services integration, making them attractive targets for attackers.

Cloud penetration testing examines APIs, storage buckets, virtual machines, and other unique components of cloud environments. It helps identify and remedy insecure access controls, misconfigurations, and other vulnerabilities to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches.

Read more: Cloud security assessment: 9 steps to security resilience

5. Social engineering penetration testing

Social engineering is the practice of manipulating people to obtain specific information, authorization, or access. It’s easier to hack humans, not technology. When sending a legitimate-looking email is all it could take to harvest an unsuspecting employee’s login credentials, it’s no wonder social engineering is rampant. In fact, the 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report by Verizon reveals that 68% of security breaches involve the human factor—a person succumbing to such manipulation or making an error.

Social engineering in penetration testing is used to gauge your staff’s susceptibility to outside influence. When N-iX performs this type of pen test, our experts try to trick your employees into revealing information, downloading infected files, or performing other actions that could compromise the company’s security. Testers and attackers commonly accomplish it through phishing, though it’s only one of many possible tactics.

You can benefit from this testing type if you want to assess how rigorously your employees adhere to corporate security standards. Also, if you aim to update or develop a security awareness program, social engineering penetration testing will help identify the most important points to emphasize.

6. Wireless penetration testing

Wireless pen testing is a part of cybersecurity services that focuses on identifying vulnerabilities in wireless networks. Wi-Fi networks, in particular, are attractive to attackers since they don’t require physical access to hack into, just proximity. This type of pen testing helps find weak encryption protocols, insufficient authentication methods, and vulnerabilities in access points’ configurations.

Wireless pen testing is particularly beneficial for organizations with large offices or retail environments—those that rely heavily on wireless infrastructure and often have public Wi-Fi access points.

Types of penetration testing based on methodology

Each pen test occurs under specific conditions according to your objectives, and it can feature different levels of information disclosure and collaboration. Here are the main types of penetration testing methods based on how much prior knowledge and access is granted to the tester:

By the amount of prior knowledge

• White box. White box penetration testing is a methodology where the assessor knows every last detail about the system’s internal structure, code, and logic. Testers apply this approach in different types of penetration testing to tailor test cases to the system’s internal workings.
• Black box. A complete opposite of white box testing, black box (or blind) penetration testing aims to get as close as possible to replicating a real-life cyberattack. In this instance, a penetration tester knows nothing but the name of the company they’re attacking. They can use publicly available information, but all internal knowledge about the company’s systems and processes isn’t disclosed.
• Gray box. Gray box testing is a bridge between white box and black box approaches. Testers have access to some internal information about the system’s architecture, database structure, or source code, but they lack complete details. This partial understanding of the system’s design sometimes helps construct more effective, targeted test cases than pure blind testing produces.
• Double-blind. Double-blind (or covert) penetration testing occurs when the tester has no internal information about the system, and the company’s security team is kept in the dark about the upcoming examination.
• Red Team vs Blue Team. Compared to the other types of penetration testing we’ve discussed, the Red Team vs Blue Team is as much of an exercise as it is an assessment. This methodology represents a more thorough, all-encompassing, and lengthy testing process. It’s carried out by two teams: the red team simulates real-world attacks on an organization to evaluate its defenses, and the blue team works to detect and mitigate the threats. Red Team vs Blue Team exercises generally foster collaboration between the two groups, distinguishing this approach from double-blind testing. This process can also take several days or weeks, depending on the objectives.

By the level of access

• Internal. Internal penetration testing simulates an attack that could be carried out by an employee with a certain level of access. Testers evaluate how adept the system’s security is at countering insider threats.
• External. External penetration testing is about launching an attack from the outside. It helps identify vulnerabilities that external adversaries could exploit without internal access levels.

Key tips to maximize the value of penetration testing

In penetration testing, the results are more valuable when you employ a targeted, structured approach to the whole process. Here are several tips to help you capitalize on the benefits of pen testing:

• Decide which systems to prioritize. Focus on high-risk areas first, as well as those that should be tested according to industry regulations.
• Prepare your employees and processes. Gather the necessary documentation, notify relevant teams, and make sure the assessment process won’t disrupt business operations.
• Design a testing schedule. Penetration testing works better when it’s a part of a long-term plan. Determine how often to test various systems depending on their criticality, recent changes, and evolving threats.
• Incorporate penetration testing into your overall security strategy. Consider how you can address the findings from pen tests via your vulnerability management, patching, and incident response processes.
• Select the metrics to quantify the ROI of pen testing. Track and analyze the results, such as the cost of potential avoided breaches, to better understand the long-term financial and security payoffs of penetration testing.
• Choose the right cybersecurity partner. If you decide on outsourcing penetration testing, ensure your selected provider is experienced, reliable, and certified in different types of penetration testing.

Why should you conduct penetration testing with N-iX?

Knowledge is power when it comes to cybersecurity: by understanding your weaknesses, you can take decisive steps to protect your assets. N-iX performs various types of penetration testing to help you secure your networks, applications, and cloud environments, effectively protecting your data.

Penetration testing requires trust. Being an ISO 9001:2008, PCI DSS, FSQS, CyberGRX, and ISO 27001-certified company, N-iX is fully prepared to become your reliable cybersecurity partner. With over 100 successfully delivered security projects, our engineers are proficient in various industries that operate sensitive data, including fintech, healthcare, energy, and retail. Contact our team if you’re looking for expert pen testing services to secure your systems and ensure regulatory compliance.