Pentesting for Companies: The Why, Goals, Solution Offered, and Common Interview Questions

Pentesting, or “penetration testing,” is a process by which security professionals attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in systems or applications.

By finding and fixing these vulnerabilities, the pentester or pentesting team can help improve the security posture of the company and protect it from malicious actors.

The pentesting process also offers other benefits such as improving system reliability and performance. 

Pentesting can be used by companies for various purposes, including identifying and resolving security issues, verifying the security of systems and applications, and training employees to identify and respond to attacks.

This article will discuss the why, goals, and solutions offered through pentesting for businesses. We will also cover some common interview questions for pentesters and job opportunities in the field.

Why Do Companies Need Pentesting?

Pentesting is a critical part of any company’s overall security strategy. This includes protecting sensitive data, preventing attacks on critical infrastructure or applications, and ensuring compliance with regulations.

Companies today are facing increasing threats to their network security as they become more connected through the Internet of Things (IoT).

The size of these companies is also growing rapidly; this means there will be many more potential vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.

Goals Of Pentesting:  What Are They?

The main goal of pen testers is to identify the weaknesses in your systems before an attacker does so maliciously.

A good pentester will have extensive knowledge about all aspects of information technology including hardware configuration management, operating system settings and software installation procedures among others.

Pentesters will try to exploit these vulnerabilities using a variety of methods, including social engineering and malware.

By doing so, they can provide the company with a clear picture of its security posture and what needs to be done to improve it.

Other goals of pentesting include verifying the security of systems and applications, identifying potential threats, training employees on how to identify and respond to attacks, and improving system reliability and performance.

Solution Offered Through Pentesting

The solution offered through pentesting is twofold: first, find and fix vulnerabilities with the goal of improving the security posture of the company; second, educate employees on how to prevent and respond to attacks.

Employees need to be aware of common attack vectors such as phishing scams, social engineering tactics like “baiting” (offering free gifts in exchange for personal information), and malware disguised as legitimate software updates or other downloads from trusted websites.

The solution offered through pentesting is twofold: first, find and fix vulnerabilities with the goal of improving the security posture of the company; second, educate employees on how to prevent and respond to attacks.

Employees need to be aware of common attack vectors such as phishing scams, social engineering tactics like “baiting” (offering free gifts in exchange for personal information), and malware disguised as legitimate software updates or other downloads from trusted websites.

The second part involves training staff members so they know what steps should be taken if an employee sees something suspicious or an attack occurs.

Job Opportunities for Pentesters

There are many job opportunities for pentesters in both the public and private sectors. The U.S. Department of Defense, for example, is looking for a “Cybersecurity Penetration Tester” to conduct red team operations and assessments against its networks.

The job market for pentesters is expected to see an increase greatly within the coming years owing to the growing awareness regarding the need for network security.

Skills Required By Pentesters

As we mentioned above, software penetration testing is a highly technical field that requires expertise in many different areas.  You may need to have knowledge about-

• Networking protocols such as TCP/IP and UDP; how firewalls work (e.g., what types of attacks they prevent); operating systems like UNIX or Linux; scripting languages like Perl Python Ruby Bash Shell Scripting Etc.;
• Programming skills including C++ Java PHP SQL JavaScript HTML XML CSS jQuery JSON ReactJS AngularJS Vuejs MongoDB NodeJs ExpressJs MySQL PostgreSQL NoSQL databases etc. ;
• Familiarity with common web applications (such as WordPress), their codebases and vulnerabilities specific to those apps;
• Understanding of cybersecurity concepts like risk management or threat modeling;
• Knowledge about wireless networks including encryption methods used (e.g., WPA/WPA-TKIP) and how they can be compromised through sniffing tools such as AirSnort or Kismet;
• Familiarity with ethical hacking techniques like SQL injection, cross-site scripting attacks, command execution, etc.

Commonly Asked Interview Questions for Pentesters

What are some common interview questions for pentesters? Here are a few:

• What do you know about penetration testing?
• What methods do you use to find vulnerabilities?
• Name some tools used by you to evaluate security systems?
• The duration for which you have been doing penetration testing? Do you like it?
• What types of attacks do hackers usually target companies with, and how can we prevent them from happening in the future?
• What would you do if you discovered a bug in your software?
• What would your reaction to an assault on your system be like?
• Can you give me an example of a successful attack that you’ve done in the past?
• Your strengths and weaknesses in your opinion?
• How good are you at multitasking?
• What do you think it takes to be successful in this job?

These are just a few of the questions that potential employers will ask during a pentesting interview therefore, be prepared.

Conclusion

We’ve discussed the need for pentesting in businesses and why it’s critical in this article. We’ve also provided some questions that you may encounter during interviews along with upcoming job opportunities in the industry.

Pentesting is a hot career opportunity for those who want to make their way into cybersecurity. If these three things interest you, now’s the time to apply!