The cybersecurity market is extensive, and so are the job vacancies. Mitigating risks and attacks is vital. Thus, opting for a career in cybersecurity as a pentesting expert is the best decision you can make.
Join forces with Network Kings to acquire the apt skills to land a high-paying job in the industry. Keep reading the blog till the end to understand pentesting in detail.
What is pentesting?
Pentesting means identifying vulnerabilities and activities beforehand on a system, network, or application by malicious hackers. These simulating cyberattacks can exploit the data and integrity of an organization.
The task of a pentesting engineer is to understand the security flaws in the infrastructure and fix them using the tools and techniques that real attackers might use but in a restrained and licensed environment.
What is pentesting in cyber security?
Pentesting is a vital element in cybersecurity that assesses and improves an organization’s security posture. It involves ethical and white-hat hackers who endeavor to breach a system to discover security gaps.
These gaps appear from misconfigured software, weak passwords, insecure applications, or flaws in network design. Once identified, resolving these vulnerabilities helps bolster the overall security architecture.
Why is pentesting crucial?
Pentesting in cybersecurity has become a vital segment. A few of the reasons why pentesting is crucial are as follows-
- Identify Vulnerabilities Before Attackers Do
Pentesting allows organizations to find and fix loopholes in their fortresses before malicious actors exploit them.
- Compliance Requirements
Multiple industries dealing with sensitive data (e.g., healthcare, finance) must conduct regular pentesting operations to comply with security regulations such as GDPR, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA.
- Risk Management
Pentesting assists companies in understanding probable risks and prioritizing fixing loopholes based on their impact on the organization.
- Protects Brand Reputation
Pentesting helps to prevent security breaches leading to data theft, financial losses, or reputational damage since a successful breach can taint a company’s prestige.
How to do pentesting?
Pentesting operations comprise several steps and tools. A few of the requirements are as follows-
- Planning and Reconnaissance
While carrying out pentesting operations, planning and surveillance are marked crucial since they involve gathering as much data as feasible regarding the target system, network, or application, such as IP addresses, domain names, and technologies in use.
- Scanning
While carrying out pentesting operations, another crucial step is scanning. Tools like Nmap and Nessus can complete the scanning process of the network or system for conceivable entry points, including open ports, obsolete software, or known susceptibilities.
- Gaining Access
Pentesting operations include gaining unauthorized access to the system to check the presence of possible vulnerabilities. The pentester tries to exploit them to understand how a hacker can intervene and damage the system.
- Maintaining Access
A pentester tries to gain access and establish dogged control over the compromised system to evaluate how long an attacker could stay concealed.
- Analysis and Reporting
Once the pentesting operation ends, they record the results in a detailed report, including the exploited vulnerabilities, the methods used, and proposals for improvement.
- Remediation and Retesting
After fixing the vulnerabilities, the pentester performs a follow-up test. Retesting helps them fix loopholes to secure their data and systems efficiently.
What are the pentesting tools?
There are various pentesting tools used in cybersecurity. A few of them are as follows-
- Nmap
- Metasploit
- Burp Suite
- Nessus
- Wireshark
- John the Ripper:
- OWASP ZAP
How many types of pentesting are there?
The types of pentesting are as follows-
- Black Box Testing
- White Box Testing
- Gray Box Testing
- External Pentesting
- Internal Pentesting
Note: Know the difference between black box and white box by clicking on the link
Where can I learn the pentesting course?
There are various ed-tech platforms to learn pentesting, but the one that can be beneficial is where you get practical knowledge, too. Therefore, Network Kings is the ultimate training platform for learning pentesting directly from a pentesting engineer with over 12 years of industry experience.
How to learn pentesting with Network Kings?
Network Kings has curated the Cybersecurity Master’s Program comprising CEH, CompTIA PenTest+, and CompTIA CySA+ courses to help you understand the domain in detail. You can acquire all the required skills to land a high-paying cybersecurity job by learning with Network Kings.
What skills will you learn with the pentesting training?
The skills you will learn with the pentesting training are as follows-
Planning and Scoping
- Compare and contrast governance, risk, and compliance concepts
- Explain the importance of scoping and organizational and customer requirements
- Demonstrate an ethical hacking mindset by maintaining professionalism and integrity
Information Gathering and Vulnerability Scanning
- Perform passive reconnaissance
- Perform active reconnaissance
- Analyze the results of a reconnaissance exercise
- Perform vulnerability scanning
Attacks and Exploits
- Research attack vectors and perform network attacks
- Research attack vectors and perform wireless attacks
- Research attack vectors and perform application-based attacks
- Research attack vectors and perform attacks on cloud technologies
- Explain common attacks and vulnerabilities against specialized systems
- Perform a social engineering or physical attack
- Perform post-exploitation techniques
Reporting and Communication
- Compare and contrast written reports.
- Analyze the findings and recommend the appropriate remediation within a report.
- Explain the importance of communication during the penetration testing process.
- Explain post-report delivery activities.
Tools and Code Analysis
- Explain the basic concepts of scripting and software development
- Analyze a script or code sample for use in a penetration test
- Explain the use cases of the following tools during the phases of a penetration test
What job roles will I get after earning pentesting certification?
The top job roles you are eligible for after earning pentesting certification are as follows-
- Penetration Tester
- Ethical Hacker
- Security Consultant
- Security Analyst
- Vulnerability Assessor
- Cybersecurity Engineer
- Incident Response Analyst
- Information Security Manager
- Network Security Engineer
- Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst
- Cybersecurity Specialist
- Security Architect
- Red Team Operator
- Blue Team Operator
- Cybersecurity Trainer/Instructor
- Forensic Analyst
- Risk Analyst
- Security Auditor
- Compliance Officer
- Cybersecurity Program Manager
How much can I make being a pentesting certified?
Once you are pentesting certified, you can earn as follows in different countries-
- United States: USD 72,000 – USD 152,000 per year
- Canada: CAD 67,000 – CAD 120,000 per year
- United Kingdom: GBP 37,000 – GBP 76,000 per year
- Australia: AUD 76,000 – AUD 142,000 per year
- Germany: EUR 49,000 – EUR 100,000 EUR per year
- France: EUR 40,000 – EUR 80,000 per year
- Spain: EUR 30,000 – EUR 70,000 per year
- Italy: EUR 30,000 – EUR 60,000 per year
- India: INR 350,000 – INR 1,200,000 per year
- Brazil: BRL 60,000 – BRL 120,000 per year
- Mexico: MXN 400,000 – MXN 900,000 per year
- South Africa: ZAR 240,000 – ZAR 480,000 per year
- Saudi Arabia: SAR 120,000 – SAR 250,000 per year
- United Arab Emirates: AED 120,000 – AED 300,000 per year
- Singapore: SGD 70,000 – SGD 150,000 per year
Wrapping Up!
Network Kings can help you become a pentesting engineer in 6 months with the Cybersecurity Master’s Program and land a high-paying job by acquiring the required industry skills.
For queries, feel free to reach out to us. We are ready to assist you.
HAPPY LEARNING!
Related Blogs-
Learn to Safeguard Yourself from Cybercrime
Cybersecurity: Myths and Facts
What is Hacking? Types of Hackers: Cyber Security Explained
How to Become a Cyber Security Expert? A Guide to Success
Top 6 Highly-Paying Jobs in Cybersecurity
How To Start a Career in Cybersecurity: A Roadmap to Success
Is Cyber Security a Good Career?
Cyber Security vs Data Science – Choose the Better Career Path
