Penetration testing – detecting and exploiting vulnerabilities Training Course

How to Test Network and Service Security

• Penetration testing – what is it?
• Penetration test vs. audit – similarities, differences, and which is appropriate?
• Practical challenges – what can go wrong?
• Test scope – i.e., what do we want to check?
• Sources of best practices and recommendations

Penetration Testing – Reconnaissance

• OSINT – acquiring information from public sources
• Passive and active network traffic analysis methods
• Identifying services and network topology
• Security systems (firewalls, IPS/IDS systems, WAF, etc.) and their impact on tests

Penetration Testing – Vulnerability Hunting

• System identification and version detection
• Searching for vulnerabilities in systems, infrastructure, and applications
• Vulnerability assessment – i.e., 'will it hurt'?
• Sources of exploits and possibilities for adapting them

Penetration Testing – Attack and Gaining Control

• Types of attacks – how they are conducted and their consequences?
• Attacking using remote and local exploits
• Attacks on network infrastructure
• Reverse shell – managing the compromised system
• Privilege escalation – i.e., how to become an administrator
• Ready-made 'hacking tools'
• Analyzing the compromised system – interesting files, saved passwords, private data
• Special cases: web applications, WiFi networks
• Social engineering – i.e., how to 'break' a person if systems cannot be hacked?

Penetration Testing – Covering Tracks and Maintaining Access

• Logging systems and activity monitoring
• Cleaning logs and covering tracks
• Backdoor – i.e., how to leave yourself an open entry point

Penetration Testing – Summary

• Report preparation and its structure
• Report delivery and consultation
• Verification of recommendation implementation