Ethical Hacking Lifecycle —Five Stages Of A Penetration Test

Penetration testing is the process of exploiting an organization’s network to help defend it better. Here are five steps involved in a successful penetration test.

Before we get into the article, I would like to emphasize that I am not responsible for any damage you do trying to attack systems. Its illegal. You should have written permission before you even try to scan a system or a network.

Cybersecurity is one of the hottest fields to be in, thanks to companies going remote. Cyber threats are increasing and cybercriminals are finding new ways to exploit systems.

Penetration testing is how the good guys work. They think like hackers and attack their own systems. This helps them understand their strengths and weaknesses and protect their organizational assets.

A pen-test comprises of multiple stages. You cannot simply get into a system by using a tool unless the target is hopelessly vulnerable.

In most cases, systems are secured via firewalls, antiviruses, default operating system configurations, etc. It takes the right tools, a strong skill set, and most importantly, patience, in order to successfully exploit a network.