Knowing all these threats are out there is merely one-half of solving the threats and vulnerabilities equation. The other half is knowing how to test your network for vulnerabilities. This section will cover the following topics:
- Penetration testing
- Vulnerability scanning
- Black box
- White box
- Gray box
Penetration Testing
A properly configured network in terms of accessibility is a good thing. A properly configured network in terms of security is a priceless asset every company hopes to have. It is possible to test your network and see whether it is properly configured for security by performing penetration testing on it.
Penetration testing does exactly what it sounds like it does: it tests your network by attempting to penetrate it, as a hacker or a malicious user would, but instead of causing chaos or harm to your network or data, you will use the information you gain about the security status of your network for good. This information is usually invaluable to companies, enabling them to make improvements to their security infrastructure.
This type of testing should be performed only on a network under controlled conditions and by highly trained professionals. This should also be done only with the network owner’s permission. As penetration testing can mimic hacking and attacks, it is important to know when such testing is going to occur, and to be able to account for network outages and instabilities due to testing.
Penetration testing is usually used to attempt the following on a network:
- Bypass security controls
- Actively test security controls
- Exploit vulnerabilities
Once again, the results of penetration testing should be reported to the networks’ owners so they can take appropriate action to remediate any security holes or vulnerabilities found.
One last note on penetration testing is on hacking itself. There are black hat, gray hat, and white hat hackers. Black hat hackers are malicious, and their only intent is to steal information or do harm to systems. Gray hat hackers usually have an agenda and perform attacks merely to raise awareness of security vulnerabilities or in order to stage a protest. White hat hackers are usually called “ethical hackers” and are the types of people who are hired to perform penetration testing: they are trusted and will not do harm to a network, though they have the tools and knowledge to do so. White hat hackers can do more than penetration testing; they can also be associated with the broader realm of network and computer security.
Vulnerability Scanning
Vulnerability scanning is most often referred to as a more passive method of penetration testing. It does not involve network disruptions, which can benefit a network that requires high uptime and stability, as it only “scans” a network for vulnerabilities rather than attempts to break in.
Vulnerability scanning is usually employed to do the following on a network:
- Passively test security controls
- Identify vulnerabilities
- Identify lack of security controls
- Identify common misconfigurations
Common tests include port scanning for open ports and open access points.
Black Box
Those individuals who are given the responsibility to perform penetration testing and vulnerability scanning are commonly presented with one of three testing scenarios: black box, white box, or grey box.
A black box testing scenario means that the technicians who are performing the testing have no prior knowledge of the network infrastructure and are performing as a hacker would from the outside. This gives more real-world results; however, black box testing also can omit major security issues simply because the security team did not know they were there and did not find them during testing.
White Box
A white box testing scenario is the opposite of black box: the testing party knows every detail about the network infrastructure to be tested. Testers have logon credentials, documentation, hardware information, and a test environment that emulates the production environment. While this provides much more in-depth testing, it reveals network information (usually an outside group or third party) and does not provide a real-world scenario in which hackers and malicious individuals may be seeking vulnerabilities from the outside without any prior knowledge of the network.
Gray Box
Gray box testing can fall anywhere between black box and white box testing. This means testers have some amount of knowledge of the network; specific amounts and types vary.