Website Penetration

A penetration test is a method of evaluating the security of a computer system or network by simulating an attack from a malicious source, known as a Black Hat Hacker, or Cracker. The process involves an active analysis of the system for any potential vulnerabilities that may result from poor or improper system configuration, known and/or unknown hardware or software flaws, or operational weaknesses in process or technical countermeasures. This analysis is carried out from the position of a potential attacker, and can involve active exploitation of security vulnerabilities. Any security issues that are found will be presented to the system owner together with an assessment of their impact and often with a proposal for mitigation or a technical solution. The intent of a penetration test is to determine feasibility of an attack and the amount of business impact of a successful exploit, if discovered. It is a component of a full security audit.

Black box vs. White box

Penetration tests can be conducted in several ways. The most common difference is the amount of knowledge of the implementation details of the system being tested that are available to the testers. Black box testing assumes no prior knowledge of the infrastructure to be tested. The testers must first determine the location and extent of the systems before commencing their analysis. At the other end of the spectrum, white box testing provides the testers with complete knowledge of the infrastructure to be tested, often including network diagrams, source code, and IP addressing information. There are also several variations in between, often known as grey box tests. Penetration tests may also be described as “full disclosure”, “partial disclosure” or “blind” tests based on the amount of information provided to the testing party.

The relative merits of these approaches are debated. Black box testing simulates an attack from someone who is unfamiliar with the system. White box testing simulates what might happen during an “inside job” or after a “leak” of sensitive information, where the attacker has access to source code, network layouts, and possibly even some passwords.

The services offered by penetration testing firms span a similar range, from a simple scan of an organization’s IP address space for open ports and identification banners to a full audit of source code for an application.

Rationale

A penetration test should be carried out on any computer system that is to be deployed in a hostile environment, in particular any Internet facing site, before it is deployed. This provides a level of practical assurance that any malicious user will not be able to penetrate the system.

Black box penetration testing is useful in the cases where the tester assumes the role of an outside hacker and tries to intrude into the system without adequate knowledge of the system.

Risks

Penetration testing can be an invaluable technique to any organization’s information security program. Basic white box penetration testing is often done as a fully automated inexpensive process. However, black box penetration testing is a labor-intensive activity and requires expertise to minimize the risk to targeted systems. At a minimum, it may slow the organization’s networks response time due to network scanning and vulnerability scanning. Furthermore, the possibility exists that systems may be damaged in the course of penetration testing and may be rendered inoperable, even though the organization benefits in knowing that the system could have been rendered inoperable by an intruder. Although this risk is mitigated by the use of experienced penetration testers, it can never be fully eliminated.

Methodologies

The Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual is a peer-reviewed methodology for performing security tests and metrics. The OSSTMM test cases are divided into five channels which collectively test: information and data controls, personnel security awareness levels,fraud and social engineering control levels, computer and telecommunications networks, wireless devices, mobile devices, physical security access controls, security processes, and physical locations such as buildings, perimeters, and military bases.

The OSSTMM focuses on the technical details of exactly which items need to be tested, what to do before, during, and after a security test, and how to measure the results. OSSTMM is also known for its Rules of Engagement which define for both the tester and the client how the test needs to properly run starting from denying false advertising from testers to how the client can expect to receive the report. New tests for international best practices, laws, regulations, and ethical concerns are regularly added and updated.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) discusses penetration testing in SP800-115. NIST’s methodology is less comprehensive than the OSSTMM; however, it is more likely to be accepted by regulatory agencies. For this reason NIST refers to the OSSTMM.

The Information Systems Security Assessment Framework (ISSAF) is a peer reviewed structured framework from the Open Information Systems Security Group that categorizes information system security assessment into various domains and details specific evaluation or testing criteria for each of these domains. It aims to provide field inputs on security assessment that reflect real life scenarios. The ISSAF should primarily be used to fulfill an organization’s security assessment requirements and may additionally be used as a reference for meeting other information security needs. It includes the crucial facet of security processes and, their assessment and hardening to get a complete picture of the vulnerabilities that might exist. The ISSAF however is still in its infancy.

Standards and certification

The process of carrying out a penetration test can reveal sensitive information about an organization. It is for this reason that most security firms are at pains to show that they do not employ ex-black hat hackers and that all employees adhere to a strict ethical code. There are several professional and government certifications that indicate the firm’s trustworthiness and conformance to industry best practice.

The Information Assurance Certification Review Board (IACRB) manages a penetration testing certification known as the Certified Penetration Tester (CPT). The CPT requires that the exam candidate pass a traditional multiple choice exam, as well as pass a practical exam that requires the candidate to perform a penetration test against live servers.

The International Council of E-Commerce consultants (EC-Council) certifies individuals in various e-business and information security skills. These include the Certified Ethical Hacker course, Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator program, Licensed Penetration Tester program and various other programs, which are widely available worldwide. The EC-Council Network Security Administrator (ENSA) training was recognized at the 12th Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education (CISSE) when it was certified as meeting theCommittee on National Security Systems (CNSS) 4011 National Training Standard for Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professionals.

SANS provides a wide range of computer security training arena leading to a number of SANS qualifications. In 1999, SANS founded GIAC, the Global Information Assurance Certification, which according to SANS has been undertaken by over 20,000 members to date. Two of the GIAC certifications are penetration testing specific, namely the GIAC Certified Penetration Tester (GPEN) certification, and the GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester (GWAPT) certification.

Government-backed testing also exists in the US with standards such as the NSAInfrastructure Evaluation Methodology (IEM).

For web applications, the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) provides a framework of recommendations that can be used as a benchmark.

Web application penetration testing

Web application penetration testing refers to a set of services used to detect various security issues with web applications and identify vulnerabilities and risks, including:

• Known vulnerabilities in COTS applications
• Technical vulnerabilities: URL manipulation, SQL injection, cross site scripting, back-end authentication, password in memory, session hijacking, buffer overflow, web server configuration, credential management, Clickjacking, etc,
• Business logic errors: Day-to-Day threat analysis, unauthorized logins, personal information modification, pricelist modification, unauthorized funds transfer, breach of customer trust etc.

OWASP, the Open Web Application Security Project, an open source web application security documentation project, has produced documents such as the OWASP Guide and the widely adopted OWASP Top 10 awareness document.

The Firefox browser is a popular web application penetration testing tool, with many pluginsspecifically designed for web application penetration testing.

Damn vulnerable web app other wise know as DVWA is an open source web application which has been made to be vulnerable so that security professionals and students can learn more about web application security.

Foundstone’s Hacme Bank simulates a banking application. It helps developers and auditors practice web application attacks, including input validation flaws such as SQL injection and Cross Site Scripting (XSS).