In the next edition of our penetration testing tutorial, we`ll look at the pre-test phases of penetration testing, including fingerprinting. In addition, a penetration testing agreement should specify exactly what will and will not be done and the assumptions underlying the agreement. For example, if the penetration test is simply an “external” vulnerability scan, we need to define the scope (which is “external”) and the scope of the test. The same goes for an internal penetration test of what is being tested, how, and for what purpose. Avoid terms like “state of the art” that have no real meaning and only raise expectations. No one and I repeat, no one ever uses anything “state of the art”. At the time of the signing of the contract, the state of the art had evolved. Penetration testing is a security testing methodology that should be part of a comprehensive security testing strategy that you offer your customers. Whether large or small, every company needs to know what its “security posture” is, how secure its network is, and how this position relates to other companies in the same market.

In addition to specifying exactly what a penetration tester will and will not do, the range of IP addresses, subnets, computers, networks, or devices that will undergo penetration testing should also be discussed. If verification and decompilation of software is to be included, the copyright in the software must be reviewed to ensure that the copyright allows, and does not prohibit, reverse engineering or revision of the associated software code. The penetration tester must receive documents from those who authorize the penetration test, who specifically approves the penetration test, and that the client who authorizes the penetration test has the authority to do so. While technology is certainly a consideration, those you use for penetration testing in your business should consider the final legal considerations before entering a penetration testing process. One consideration that pen testers should keep in mind is the laws surrounding the practice of port scanning. These vary from state to state, and although Scott Moulton, a man who held the maintenance contract for the Cherokee County, Georgia emergency 911 system, was arrested for allegedly violating Section 1030(a)(5)(b) of the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the case was dismissed as unfounded. In this case, Moulton conducted a port analysis of the networks involved in Cherokee County`s emergency 911 system and accidentally scanned the port with a competing company, VC3.

Moulton sued VC3 for defamation, and VC3 later sued for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the Georgia Computer Systems Protection Act. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for penetration testing of medical devices are piling up as the agency struggles to keep up with advances in medical technology and advances in cybersecurity. Experts predict that the medical device market will grow by 30% by 2025. Even in this rapidly accelerating environment, only about half of medical device manufacturers follow FDA guidelines to reduce safety risks. Unfortunately, this attitude can have serious consequences. The tester is unknown to his client – so why should he have access to hacking sensitive data – sometimes clients want you to crack the attacker. Sometimes customers see you as an attacker and then attack you. The law treats hackers the same as hackers (in most cases). It is illegal.

This also applies to pentest systems that are not controlled by the customer. As a penetration testing service provider, you should be aware of this, as it is not clear what gives the customer the right to authorize penetration testing. Property? Intellectual property? Rental IP range? Software license? “Owning” a house is one thing, letting it out is another. What else do you want to test when you run a penetration test? Is the person safe? Logical security? Software security? Software requirements? Hardware requirements? establish? Another important issue in penetration testing contracts is where the penetration test will be performed. If a California company hires a Maryland company to perform a penetration test on its computers in Nebraska, and the penetration tester starts the test from Pennsylvania, what laws govern the conduct of the test? The answer, usually (but not universally), is to know what laws the parties have agreed. But if the penetration test goes wrong and harms a user or customer in New York, you can bet they`ll want to enforce New York law if that law is favorable to them. This defines the scope, procedures, and any other details that the customer wants to consider when performing penetration testing services in their infrastructure. Okay, so you have a contract that explicitly allows penetration testing, and you`ve agreed that you won`t be held liable for any damage you cause. But there are also those annoying third parties. Your penetration test destroys a patient`s medical record, and voila! They are suing you. In addition to stating liability for damages, you want the customer to indemnify and hold you harmless for damages resulting from what you say.

One of the most demanding and dry jobs is that of quality assurance experts. Normally, we perform software testing to provide better service to our customers so that our customers can breathe deeply as their sensitive information is safe when using our software products and applications. The software development industry relies solely on the satisfaction of its customers or users. A single dissatisfied user and a large portion of the population would violate your organization and products. To deal with this alarming situation, every software development entrepreneur tries to ensure the safety of users by providing them with advanced and high-quality software products and applications. That`s why companies conduct cybersecurity testing before launching or launching a product. A successful penetration test can cause the penetration tester to enter a computer or computer network that they would not have been able to access. This may include access to data or databases containing sensitive personal information, credit card information, personally identifiable information (PII), or private health information (PHI). The penetration test can expose the tester to sensitive information about EU citizens, such as sexual orientation or political affiliation, data whose privacy is protected by law. Does the pen tester`s access to this information constitute a “breach” in the database that needs to be reported? Does the pen tester have to sign a “Business Associate Agreement” in which he undertakes to protect the data he has just accessed? The pen tester must understand the scope and scope of his duty to protect all the data he accesses. This is the first article in a six-part tutorial for consultants and value-added resellers (VARs) on penetration testing.

Over the course of six articles, we`ll look at different elements of penetration testing, including testing phases, tools and techniques, types of wireless testing, and bugs to look for.