Types of Penetration Testing: How to Choose the Right One

Cybercrime is likely to cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, as estimated by Cybersecurity Ventures. To stay ahead of attackers, companies must identify and fix vulnerabilities before they become major threats. Penetration testing is one effective way to do this. However, before you do it, you need to know the types of penetration testing so you can create a plan that suits your business.

What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing is a cybersecurity assessment that simulates real-world attacks to identify and fix security vulnerabilities. The process begins by detecting weaknesses in networks, software, and data storage systems, often uncovering misconfigurations that could expose businesses to cyber threats.

Once vulnerabilities are identified, cybersecurity experts assess their severity and potential impact, such as unauthorized data access or malware infiltration. To ensure effective remediation, organizations prioritize threats based on risk levels, focusing on the most critical issues first.

Pentest offers multiple benefits, including early detection of security gaps, compliance with industry regulations, and reduced risk of data breaches. This method allows businesses to enhance cybersecurity posture, protect sensitive information, and maintain customer trust.

Types of penetration testing in cybersecurity

There are several types of penetration testing, each focusing on different aspects of cybersecurity. Here are the main types:

Network Penetration Testing

Network penetration testing entails security loopholes testing of an organisation’s internal and external networks. Ethical hackers simulate cyberattacks to expose weaknesses in firewalls, routers, servers, and network devices.

This type of penetration testing is important because:

• Prevents unauthorised access to sensitive systems. 81% of hacking-related data breaches are due to stolen or compromised passwords (Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report).
• Reveals misconfigurations and weak security controls.
• Helps organizations achieve cybersecurity compliance requirements such as ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and NIST.

Example: In 2021, according to IBM Cost of Data Breach Report, a misconfigured firewall at a Fortune 500 company resulted in a massive data breach affecting over 100 million records 

Web Application Penetration Testing

Since 43% of cyberattacks are web application attacks (Akamai), securing websites, portals on the web, and cloud systems is more critical than ever. Web application penetration testing identifies vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and broken authentication.

Web application penetration testing is crucial because:

• Safeguards customer data from exposure. 60% of small businesses closed within six months of a cyberattack (National Cyber Security Alliance).
• Protects customers against cyberthieves who target web-based vulnerabilities.
• Guarantees secure login practices and data encryption.

Example: 2020 Twitter Bitcoin scam exploited weak access controls to allow hackers to hijack high-profile accounts like Elon Musk and Bill Gates to promote a cryptocurrency scam.

Physical Penetration Testing

Physical penetration testing is the process of testing security measures like access badges, security staff, surveillance systems, and physical barriers to identify vulnerabilities that could allow unauthorized access to sensitive systems.

Why it’s important?

• Avoids unauthorized entry to sensitive spaces.
• Expose building security vulnerabilities.
• Reduces hardware theft and insider threat risk.

Example: In 2019, during a security audit of a Fortune 500 organization, 90% of its personnel admitted unauthorized people to secured sections without verification (CyberArk Research).

Social Engineering Penetration Testing

Human error remains the biggest cyber threat, over 90% of attacks are launched by human-targeted errors (IBM). Social engineering penetration testing is an assessment of employees’ phishing, impersonation, and other influence technique awareness.

Here are some of the benefits of social engineering pentesting:

• Educates employees on phishing and scam tactics.
• Blocks unauthorized access through social manipulation.
• Enhances security in-house awareness campaigns.

Example: In 2016, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) hack employed a simple phishing assault to release 150,000 emails into a U.S. presidential election.

Wireless Penetration Testing

Wireless networks are the favorite target of hackers, nearly 63% of companies experience security issues related to open Wi-Fi networks. Wireless penetration testing assesses network security by scanning for poor encryption, rogue access points, and poor security settings.

By conducting wireless penetration testing, your business can get:

• Prevents hackers from accessing confidential business data.
• Ensures proper encryption protocols (WPA3 vs. WPA2) are in place.
• Detects unauthorized devices on the network.

Choosing the Right Type of Penetration Testing for Your Business

Selecting the right penetration testing approach depends on your organization’s infrastructure, security risks, and compliance requirements. Below is a guide to help you determine which test suits your needs:

Industry Regulations

Regulatory requirements dictate which penetration tests are necessary.

• Financial institutions and businesses handling payment data should prioritize network penetration testing to secure firewalls, servers, and data transmissions, ensuring compliance with PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and NIST.
• E-commerce businesses and SaaS providers must focus on web application penetration testing to safeguard customer data from SQL injection, XSS attacks, and authentication flaws.
• Healthcare and government organizations that store sensitive personal information should combine network and physical penetration testing to prevent unauthorized access to data centers and on-site systems.

Company Size

• Small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) should start with network and web application testing to address common cyber threats. SMBs processing online transactions or handling customer data should also consider wireless penetration testing to secure Wi-Fi networks.
• Large enterprises require more comprehensive security measures, including social engineering penetration testing to assess employee vulnerability to phishing and impersonation attacks, as well as wireless security testing to detect rogue access points and weak encryption protocols across multiple office locations.

Security Risks

• Companies with high insider threat risks should conduct physical penetration testing to assess access control systems, surveillance, and employee security protocols. This is critical for businesses handling intellectual property, high-value assets, or classified information.
• Businesses with remote workforces should prioritize wireless penetration testing to ensure that employees’ connections remain secure against unauthorized access and weak encryption settings.
• Organizations that rely heavily on human interactions, such as customer support centers or finance departments, should conduct social engineering penetration testing to educate employees on phishing tactics and prevent unauthorized data exposure.

White box, black box, and grey box penetration testing

Penetration testing types are also often defined as either white box, black box or grey box penetration testing. However, it is actually more appropriate to call it a testing method.

• White box testing: The tester has full knowledge of the system, including source code, architecture, and configurations, to identify vulnerabilities.
• Black box testing: The tester has no prior knowledge of the system and tests it as an external attacker would, relying solely on external interfaces.
• Grey box testing: The tester has partial knowledge of the system, typically access to limited internal information, combining aspects of both white and black box testing.

In closing

While there are more than one type of penetration testing, choosing the right one for your business is actually simple. You just need to know the scale of your business, the current security situation, and what the relevant industry regulations are. Armed with this information, you can go to penetration testing services and the relevant provider will recommend the right type.

If you are still confused, discuss it with Interscale. We provide affordable penetration testing for various business scales, plus free consultation.