Penetration Testing Workflow

1. Planning and Scoping:
   • Define test objectives and goals.
   • Agree on the scope (systems, applications, networks).
   • Establish rules of engagement (limits, allowed tools, timing).
2. Information Gathering (Reconnaissance):
   • Passive Reconnaissance: Collect public information (e.g., WHOIS, social media).
   • Active Reconnaissance: Scan the target system for active services, open ports, and vulnerabilities using tools like Nmap.
3. Vulnerability Analysis:
   • Identify and analyze potential vulnerabilities based on the gathered information.
   • Use automated tools and manual techniques to assess weaknesses in the system.
4. Exploitation:
   • Attempt to exploit identified vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access or control over the system.
   • Simulate real-world attacks (e.g., SQL injection, buffer overflows).
5. Post-Exploitation:
   • Assess the impact of the exploitation (e.g., data theft, privilege escalation).
   • Determine how deep the attacker could go once inside the system.
6. Reporting:
   • Document findings, including exploited vulnerabilities, impact analysis, and recommendations for remediation.
   • Provide a detailed report for the client, including suggested fixes and security improvements.
7. Remediation and Retesting:
   • Based on the report, the client addresses vulnerabilities.
   • Retest to verify that vulnerabilities have been successfully mitigated.

This workflow ensures a thorough and structured approach to identifying and mitigating security risks.