Penetration Testing Pen Test External Attack Surface Management EASM Digital Risk Protection DRP Security Ratings Cyber Risk Ratings

Penetration Testing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Maximize Your Penetration Testing ROI with ThreatNG: Efficiency Meets Effectiveness

Effective penetration testing optimizes resources and enhances returns. ThreatNG is your ideal partner in this endeavor. This FAQ highlights how ThreatNG's Security Ratings, External Attack Surface Management (EASM), and Digital Risk Protection (DRP) capabilities streamline workflows, automate key processes, and equip testers with the valuable information they need to concentrate on high-impact vulnerabilities, significantly elevating your security investment.

ThreatNG Security Ratings for Penetration Testing FAQ

  • ThreatNG Security Ratings help penetration testers improve efficiency by providing a prioritized view of an organization's most critical external vulnerabilities. Instead of starting with a broad, unprioritized assessment, testers can focus on areas with the highest potential impact, such as:

    This targeted approach saves time and resources by concentrating on the most critical weaknesses.

  • Yes, here are some examples:

    • Example 1 (Web Application Hijack): ThreatNG identifies an insecure authentication mechanism in a web application. The penetration tester can then prioritize testing this mechanism to prevent account takeovers rather than spending time on less critical areas.

    • Example 2 (Subdomain Takeover): ThreatNG discovers a subdomain pointing to a non-existent server. The tester can immediately assess the impact of a potential takeover, such as whether sensitive information is exposed or if it can be used for phishing.

    • Example 3 (Data Leak Susceptibility): ThreatNG finds misconfigured cloud storage services. The penetration tester can focus on securing these services to prevent data breaches.

    ThreatNG's ratings direct the tester to the most pressing security concerns in each case.

  • The Cyber Risk Exposure rating offers a summary of an organization's total cyber risk. This assists penetration testers in:

    • Gain a comprehensive understanding of the organization's risk profile.

    • Identify key areas of weakness, such as exposed code repositories or compromised credentials.

    • Prioritize remediation efforts by focusing on the most critical risks.

  • Yes, the “Supply Chain & Third Party Exposure” rating identifies potential risks associated with an organization's supply chain and third-party relationships. For example, it can reveal if a key vendor has a history of security breaches or if there are vulnerabilities in third-party software used by the organization. This allows penetration testers to assess the risks these relationships introduce.

  • The “Breach & Ransomware Susceptibility” rating assesses an organization's vulnerability to data breaches and ransomware attacks. It considers factors like:

    • Exposed sensitive ports and known vulnerabilities.

    • Dark web presence, including compromised credentials and ransomware activity.

    • Financial indicators that could increase the organization's likelihood of paying a ransom.

    This helps penetration testers prioritize assessments and provide relevant recommendations.

  • ThreatNG includes a “Mobile App Exposure” rating that evaluates the security of an organization's mobile apps. It can discover mobile apps with exposed API keys or hardcoded credentials, helping penetration testers identify and address mobile app-related risks.

  • No. ThreatNG also identifies and highlights an organization's security strengths. This feature detects the presence of beneficial security controls, such as Web Application Firewalls or multi-factor authentication, and validates their effectiveness. This gives penetration testers a balanced view of the organization's security posture.

  • ThreatNG performs purely external unauthenticated discovery, meaning it doesn't require connectors. This is crucial for penetration testing as it simulates an attacker's view of the organization's attack surface.

  • ThreatNG uses various intelligence repositories, including:

    These repositories provide valuable context for penetration testers.

  • The “Data Leak Susceptibility” rating helps identify potential data leakage points. It considers factors like misconfigured cloud storage, dark web mentions, and vulnerabilities in web applications. This enables penetration testers to prioritize testing areas where sensitive data is at risk. 

ThreatNG External Attack Surface Management (EASM) and Digital Risk Protection (DRP) for Penetration Testing FAQ

  • ThreatNG's EASM capabilities comprehensively view an organization's internet-exposed assets. This is crucial for penetration testers as it replicates an attacker's perspective and helps them understand potential entry points. By automating attack surface discovery, ThreatNG saves testers significant time and effort.

  • ThreatNG offers several EASM capabilities:

    • External Discovery: ThreatNG can perform purely external unauthenticated discovery, providing a realistic view of the attack surface.

    • Domain Intelligence: This module provides in-depth information about an organization's domains, subdomains, DNS records, and related assets. Testers can use this to identify potential subdomain takeovers, misconfigurations, and other vulnerabilities.

    • IP Intelligence: ThreatNG provides information about an organization's IPs, ASNs, and related data, which can be valuable for network-based penetration testing.

    • Technology Stack: ThreatNG identifies the technologies used by an organization, helping testers target technology-specific vulnerabilities.

    • Cloud and SaaS Exposure: ThreatNG helps identify the organization's cloud services and SaaS solutions, allowing testers to assess potential cloud-related risks.

  • ThreatNG's DRP capabilities provide valuable context for penetration testers by identifying risks beyond traditional vulnerabilities. This helps testers assess the potential impact of vulnerabilities and prioritize their efforts.

  • ThreatNG's DRP capabilities include:

    • Dark Web Presence: ThreatNG monitors the dark web for compromised credentials, ransomware activity, and other information that can be used in attacks. This information can help testers with credential stuffing attacks or ransomware simulations.

    • Sentiment and Financials: ThreatNG analyzes information like news, social media, and financial filings to assess an organization's susceptibility to social engineering attacks and the potential impact of security incidents.

    • Code Repository Exposure: ThreatNG discovers public code repositories and identifies sensitive information, such as credentials or API keys. This can provide testers with valuable information for accessing systems.

    • Mobile Application Discovery: ThreatNG discovers mobile apps and analyzes them for vulnerabilities and sensitive data exposure, helping testers assess their security.

    • Search Engine Exploitation: ThreatNG helps identify information exposed through search engines that attackers could use.

    • Online Sharing Exposure: ThreatNG identifies organizational information shared on platforms like Pastebin or GitHub, which could reveal sensitive data.

  • Yes, here are some examples:

    • EASM for Attack Surface Reduction: Instead of manually identifying all subdomains, ThreatNG's EASM capabilities provide a list of all subdomains, allowing the tester to identify potential targets for subdomain takeover attacks quickly.

    • DRP for Credential Stuffing: ThreatNG's dark web monitoring can provide compromised credentials, which the penetration tester can then use to attempt credential stuffing attacks rather than spending time guessing passwords or phishing for credentials.

    • EASM for Cloud Security Testing: ThreatNG's Cloud and SaaS Exposure capability can quickly identify cloud services in use, allowing testers to focus their cloud security assessments.

    • DRP for Code Review Efficiency: ThreatNG's Code Repository Exposure capability can pinpoint repositories with exposed credentials, allowing testers to prioritize their code review efforts.

  • EASM and DRP capabilities help penetration testers prioritize their work by:

    • Identifying the most critical assets: EASM helps testers focus on the most essential internet-exposed systems.

    • Highlighting the highest-risk vulnerabilities: DRP provides context about the potential impact of vulnerabilities.

    • Providing actionable intelligence: EASM and DRP deliver information that testers can directly use in their assessments.

    By providing a focused and efficient approach, ThreatNG's EASM and DRP capabilities empower penetration testers to deliver more impactful results.