Internal vs. External Penetration Tests
Penetration testing is a form of practice aimed at improving the security system of an organization by testing the computer systems, web application, network, and databases to establish possibilities of an attacker exploiting the system vulnerabilities.
Two types of penetration testing exist, the internal and the external testing. The external penetration testing aims at determining the possibility of a remote attacker to access the internal network by accessing specific crown jewels and servers within the system’s internal network. It exploits the external perimeter of the technology, people, and process and systems connected to the public network infrastructure. The external pen-test must include remote access vectors such as VPN and dial-up connections in addition to application-layer and network-layer assessments. On the contrary, the internal penetration testing aims at exploiting possibilities of attack from inside the organization secured. Its scope is the internal perimeter of the technology, people, and process and systems that have authorized access to the internal network. It accesses the possibility of users from within the system to exploit its vulnerabilities. The internal pen-testing includes only application-layer and network-layer assessments (Penetration Test Guidance Special Interest Group, PCI Security Standards Council, 2015).
Both the internal and external penetration testing are critical to ensuring the security of information within the organization. However, the external pen-testing is more useful than the internal pen-testing because it helps safeguard the system from both internal and external exploitation vulnerabilities. Elements that attack a computer security system such as attackers and malware come from outside the organization. The presence of a strong system capable of detecting any outside attacker helps safeguard the computer system from possible threats both internally and externally.
Significance of penetration tests in the organization’s security program
Penetration testing plays a critical role in promoting the organization’s security program. Attackers today access the firm’s information by exploiting weak channels available in either the internal or external environment of the system. The penetration testing helps in detecting planned attacks and taking appropriate actions to seal any vulnerability. Additionally, penetrations tests help in identifying risk routes in the firm (Pearson, 2014). It is important to utilize penetration testing in the environment as an information security manager. Penetration testing should be planned twice every year and performed randomly to help detect areas of weakness within the security system.
References
Pearson, A. What is penetration testing and why is it important? Security Innovation Europe.
Retrieved July 6, 2016, from http://www.securityinnovationeurope.com/blog/what-is-penetration-testing-and-why-is-it-important
Penetration Test Guidance Special Interest Group, PCI Security Standards Council. (2015,
March). Information Supplement: Penetration Testing Guidance. Security Standard Council. Retrieved July 06, 2016 from https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/documents/Penetration_Testing_Guidance_March_2015.pdf
