What is penetration testing used for?

Penetration testing is used to check how secure a particular network is. If someone can penetrate into the network that means there are some sort of bugs and loopholes which could be exploited by hackers to hack the network. Penetration testing is a very essential step in order to secure any network and keep it safe from hackers.

The main purpose for pen-testing is to exploit weaknesses in security systems and defence mechanisms…

We use this to our advantage to then be able to build better more sustainable structured security tools which disable and lower the risk of hackers.

Penetration testing, often referred to as pen testing or ethical hacking, is a cybersecurity practice used to identify and assess vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, applications, and other IT infrastructure. Its primary purpose is to simulate potential cyberattacks and security breaches to evaluate the overall security posture of an organization. Penetration testing serves several important purposes:

1. Identifying Vulnerabilities: Penetration testers actively search for weaknesses and vulnerabilities in a system or network. These vulnerabilities can include software bugs, misconfigurations, weak passwords, and other security flaws.
2. Assessing Security Controls: Penetration tests help organizations evaluate the effectiveness of their security controls, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and access controls. By attempting to bypass these controls, testers can determine their strengths and weaknesses.
3. Risk Assessment: By identifying vulnerabilities and assessing their potential impact, organizations can prioritize their security efforts. They can focus on fixing the most critical vulnerabilities that pose the highest risk to their operations.
4. Compliance Testing: Many industries and regulatory bodies require regular security assessments and penetration testing to ensure compliance with security standards and regulations. Penetration tests can help organizations demonstrate their commitment to security compliance.
5. Security Improvement: After identifying vulnerabilities, organizations can take steps to remediate and strengthen their security measures. This can involve patching software, updating configurations, and implementing additional security controls.
6. Incident Response Planning: Penetration tests can simulate real-world attack scenarios, helping organizations prepare for potential security incidents. This includes testing their incident response plans and procedures.
7. Security Awareness: Penetration testing can raise awareness among employees about security risks and best practices. It can be used as a training tool to educate staff on how to recognize and respond to security threats.
8. Third-Party Assessment: Organizations can use penetration testing to assess the security of third-party vendors, partners, and service providers with whom they share data or integrate systems.
9. Continuous Improvement: Cybersecurity is an ongoing process. Regular penetration testing helps organizations continually improve their security posture by addressing new vulnerabilities and threats as they emerge

Penetration testing is defined as "A method for gaining assurance in the security of an IT system by attempting to breach some or all of that system's security, using the same tools and techniques as an adversary might." Essentially penetration testing is purposefully hacking into a system in order to access its security capabilities and to identify weaknesses to be addressed.