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11 Best Vulnerability Assessment Scanning Tools

Posted on January 2, 2020 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Computer systems, applications, software, and other network interfaces are vulnerable to a lot of threats. These threats need to be identified by experts as potential risks. Further, these threats are classified into different types. Then these vulnerabilities are prioritized, and the issue is resolved for the safety of the system. There are tools in existence that can fish out the issues impeccably. They are called Vulnerability assessment tools.
Before we get to that let’s have a look at the term vulnerability assessment and how it’s classified.
Table of Contents

What is Vulnerability Assessment?
Qualys Vulnerability Management
Nessus Professional
Skybox
Intruder
Tripwire IP360
Wireshark
BeyondTrust
Paessler
OpenVAS
Aircrack
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)

What is Vulnerability Assessment?
The term vulnerability assessment is self-descriptive. Assessing the vulnerabilities in a system or application is called vulnerability assessment. These vulnerabilities are very risky for big IT techs or huge enterprises. These entities need to undertake proper vulnerability assessment and act on the recommendations immediately to cancel out any potential threats to the system.

These threats can give access to hackers to enter the security system of any giant company and exploit it to their advantage cause huge losses to the company. Hence, it becomes necessary to address these issues through a vulnerability assessment.
To carry out this assessment efficiently, one needs to use some already available tools like the task cannot be done manually with complete perfection. These tools include some scanners which scan the whole system for any possible threat and generate an assessment report for the user to go through and act upon it accordingly.
There are a lot of types of vulnerability assessment that can be carried out in a system, such as: –

Network-based: Detects possible threats and vulnerabilities on wired and wireless networks.
Host-based: This scans ports and networks related to hosting like servers and workstations. It is like a network-based scan but provides a better and detailed scan of hosts.
Application scans: This scans the websites in order to figure out possible threats and vulnerabilities in software.
Database scans Scans databases to find out possible vulnerabilities in them.
Wireless network scans: Scans the company’s Wi-Fi networks to find out possible leaks and threats.

The whole process of identifying threats, scanning systems, and applications, prioritizing threats, creating patches and applying them is a long process and doing it manually is not a very efficient choice. For the purpose of identification and prioritizing, vulnerability assessment tools are available which are basically software and applications that scan your system and create an assessment report. Some vulnerability assessment scanning tools go to the extent of fixing some potential threats and patching for you.
These vulnerability scanning tools reduce your work to a great extent, and you are mostly left with the job of fixing or checking the reports. These scans can be either carried out internally after logging in as an authorized user or externally to look for threats from the point of view of a hacker. The sole cause of vulnerability scanners is to keep the system secure and safe while resolving any leaks or security vulnerabilities in the system.

Top Vulnerability Assessment Tools
There are many paid tools available for the purpose, but if you do not want to spend money on vulnerability assessment tools, there are some tools that are available as open-source and you can use them for the required task without paying anything. Here are some of the best vulnerability assessment tools that are available for you:
1. Qualys Vulnerability Management
This tool can seem a little expensive to many, but the truth is that great things come at a cost. Although Qualys Vulnerability Management is expensive than most other vulnerability management tools, it provides extensive protection from possible malicious attacks.

Qualys has the capability of working under extreme internal complex networks and works behind the firewall to look for vulnerabilities.
It can also scan the cloud storage system for security purposes. Further, Qualys Vulnerability Management can also scan the shared networks geographically, which is really commendable.
It claims that its accuracy goes up to 99% making it an almost perfect tool that figures out most of the vulnerabilities and presents them to you for fixing and patching.

2. Nessus Professional
Nessus Professional is one of the best tools available for vulnerability assessment scans. It checks the system for compliance. It also searches the Internet protocol addresses and the websites for any potential risks that can attack the system later on.

Nessus scans all the sensitive data to protect it from hackers and malicious attackers.
The best part about Nessus Professional is that it is easy to use a scanner that comes with a user-friendly interface to enable the users to enjoy an easy experience.
Nessus professionals can also detect an SQL injection attack which is hard to detect.
It provides a detailed and unlimited assessment of the system.
It comes with an advanced detection technology which gives an additional and upgraded assessment of the system.
Nessus Professional is the kind of vulnerability scanning tools that gives deep insight into the vulnerabilities of the system and exposes all network threats.

3. Skybox
Skybox has great user reviews for its capability to protect the system from alarming threats and system dangers. Skybox is unique because it provides the assessment of the vulnerabilities of the system without using any scanning procedures.

Skybox provides you with the benefit of prioritizing the threats which helps you to look at the threat, which is most dangerous at the present moment.
The prioritization helps you to decide about which threat is supposed to be fixed first.
Well, that is not all! Skybox also provides special features to secure the system.
Skybox is great at looking for blind spots. It uses third party scanners to look for threats and then uses its own intelligence to prioritize them.
After making the report of the threats, it provides the benefit of controlling vulnerability which makes it very efficient at what it does.
It is better to use Skybox in medium to large-sized organizations.

4. Intruder
Intruder works just like its name. Its scanning abilities are based on the cloud. The software tool looks for any security breaches in the entire computer system that would give out a way for the malicious attackers to intrude in the system and exploit the security of the user.

For a simple vulnerability scan, Intruder offers around tens of thousands of checks to ensure the security of the system.
Intruder comes with a notification offer. You can be emailed the notification after it completes scanning the whole system for any breaches.
Even the reports of the scan of a month can be aggregated in a PDF format, and you can choose to receive it through email every month.
It is a friendly software and can even be coupled with other software to give better results to protect the system.

5. Tripwire IP360
Tripwire IP360 can secure the system from many vulnerability threats. It can work on critical systems and generate reports about such systems so that the user can protect the important files. It also offers management of the cloud environment. Tripwire has many other features like protection from vulnerabilities, security controls, security management, and many other benefits.

The structure of Tripwire IP360 is modernized and updated with the present time needs.
It can classify the high priority risks and low priority ones.
It has the capability to fulfill all needs that one can have from a vulnerability management tool.
Tripwire IP360 is an integrated system of many other tools that you would require separately to secure your system.
Tripwire IP360 provides you with the benefits of all such tools by bringing them in one place for your integrated use.
It looks through the assets of the company to protect them securely.

6. Wireshark
This vulnerability assessment tool keeps its notice over the networks of the system. The report generated by this tool can be viewed in the TTY mode. Another way of viewing its results of the assessment is through using a graphical user interface that presents you with the whole assessment report.

Wireshark captures the details of threats, securities in the live-action and saves it for later.
When the system is offline, it analyses the data collected and generates an analysis report for the organization.
It can read many files of varying formats that work to the additional benefit of the user.
It can run on various operating systems which includes Windows and Linux.
The analysis report can be converted into simple and plain text for the user to understand it easily without diving deep into the computer science terms.
It supports decryption too for some selective protocols.

7. BeyondTrust
BeyondTrust is perfect for someone who does not want to spend some bucks on vulnerability assessment tools. BeyondTrust is an open-source and absolutely free application for anyone to use and assess their systems. BeyondTrust is available online and easily accessible to anyone who wants to use it.

BeyondTrust searches the network systems, virtual environment, and operating system.
It also scans the devices and computers to look for vulnerabilities. Along with vulnerability identification, BeyondTrust offers its management with the help of some patch fixes.
The tool is designed to increase the ease of use and does so brilliantly with its user-friendly interface.
It also aims at risk management and prioritizes the threats.
The vulnerability assessment tool can be paired up with other software and can be used to scan the virtual environment.
Further, it also supports the scanning of virtual images. Having so many features for free software is truly commendable.

8. Paessler
Paessler, a vulnerability assessment scanning tool, comes with higher and advanced technology. It provides advanced infrastructure management to the concerned system. Paessler uses technologies like simple network management protocol, windows management instrumentation, representational state transfer, application program interface, structured query language, and many others. By using so many technologies, Paessler provides an advanced management system.

Paessler can monitor over a vast range of systems which includes internet protocols, firewalls, Wi-Fi, LAN, SLA, and many others.
The result report is available via emails. Any potential risk triggering items are scanned and tested, and the user is informed if any malicious behavior is noticed.
Paessler supports the web interface for multiple users at a time.
It provides the facility for monitoring the network connections through a map that is visually convenient.
Apart from monitoring the data carefully, Paessler gives you the data, demographics, graphs and all the numerical data related to the data which is supposed to be monitored.

9. OpenVAS
OpenVAS provides with the high-level scanning technology. It can test both authenticated and unauthenticated protocols. It also scans the industrial protocols. The industrial protocol can be of both high level and low level. Along with all this, it also scans the Internet protocols that may range from high level to low level.

The vulnerability tests that are carried out are extremely detailed, bringing up all the history.
The vulnerability assessment scans are updated regularly to keep up with the malicious intents of hackers.
It contains more than fifty thousand tests for vulnerability assessment, which means that it looks through the entire system in extreme detail.
Now, if you are still not satisfied with the kind of performance that it delivers, then you can work on the internal programming code that it provides. With Open VAS you can perform any kind of vulnerability tests you want to.

10. Aircrack
The technology of Aircrack is aimed at securing Wi-Fi networks with the utmost security possible. It consists of Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) key along with Wi-Fi protected access and Wi-Fi protected Access 2 encryption keys. These encryption keys provide the means to resolve issues generated due to Wi-Fi networks.

Aircrack is a kind of universal assessment tool as it supports all kinds of the operating system along with all types of platforms.
Fragmentation attack is another raising issue in terms of network attacks. Aircrack provides safety from fragmentation attacks.
The tracking speed is improved in the case of Aircrack. It also supports protocols required to provide security from Wired Equivalent Privacy attacks.
It also supports multiple numbers of cards and drivers. With Aircrack, the Wi-Fi network system is secured.
The connection problems are resolved, and you can be free from issues in the Wi-Fi.

11. Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)
Powered by Microsoft, Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) looks for any security configurations that are missing from the system. It also looks for configuration issues in the systems that are common in computer systems.

The unique feature of Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer is that it provides it download in a variety of languages that includes German, French, Japanese and English.
This makes it easier for users to use the services of Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer universally.
The Microsoft Windows system is scanned carefully with the local or remote scan available.
The vulnerability assessment tool supports two of the common interfaces, i.e., the command-line interface for high-level skilled programmers and graphical user interface for lesser-skilled programmers.
Any error or missing security settings is reported to the user, and a patch for fixing the issue is expected.

Conclusion
There are various vulnerability assessment tools that are available both for free and some basic cost. It is very necessary to secure the system from potential cyber threats and malicious attacks so that your organization or company stays free of the danger of the outside world.
The main motive of these assessment scanning tools is to secure the leaks and patches before any malicious intent intruder can figure it out to exploit the system.
So select the one which meets your requirements and take a firm step towards securing your system from vulnerabilities.

How Much Does Penetration Test Cost?

Posted on November 7, 2019 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

How much does penetration test cost? have you ever thought about it? You would, absolutely! if your business is based on the digital domain.
The digital world is very susceptible to security threats. Hackers are increasingly hacking websites for various reasons. There had been many security threats that had made many big companies reconsider their security measures.

Hackers find the loopholes in the website and accomplish their felon ideas. Even web world biggies find it hard to evade these stacks. To lessen the chances of such security breaks, companies are taking help on website penetration testing. But, how much does penetration test cost?
Before we get to the cost of penetration testing let’s have a look at the latest cybersecurity statistics

Around 230,000 malware’s are created by hackers every day
It is estimated that cybercrimes will cost around $2 trillion
60% of companies have cyber-attacks one way or another
A frightening 56% increase in web-based attacks have been reported
33% increase in mobile-based ransomware attacks
25% of the attack groups use harmful malware
There are tools available on the dark-web which help any person with computer knowledge to be a hacker. Pricing of these tools are mostly $1
94% of the email attacks have a malicious email attached to it

What is Penetration testing?

Penetration testing or also known as ethical hacking refers to testing websites to discover security susceptibilities that the hackers could use to get an illegal entry to your website. Penetration testing of websites can be done both automatically and manually.

Know : Top 10 Penetration Testing Companies in India

The process helps organizations find the following vulnerabilities in their websites:

Target point of hackers
How can attackers attack the website
How effective is your website defenses mechanism
Probable size of the breaks

What are the types of penetration testing?
Black box penetration testing
Performed after there is no or little information available regarding the digital architecture of a company. The main intention behind such an attack is to imitate cyber-attack.
White-box penetration testing
performed after a complete analysis of the system. White-box penetration testing is performed for in-depth security audit
Gray box penetration testing
Performed after having only partial knowledge about the system. For instance, testers escalate user privilege for an efficient assessment.
Network service penetration testing
Done to perform vulnerabilities of network architecture such as switches, firewalls, servers, routers, printers, workstations, etc.
Web-app penetration testing
A continuously evolving type of testing used to find the vulnerabilities of web-based applications
Penetration testing can also be used to recognize

application layer flaws
network-level flaws
system-level flaws
Physical security barriers

Automated penetration testing has the ability to discover some cybersecurity issues but extensive penetration testing also focuses on business’s susceptibility to manual breaches also.
Why penetration testing important?
• Helps in experiencing real-life scenario of intrusion
• Helps in revealing lacking security policy
• A single target can be attacked in a various manner to reveal flaws
• Gives a user perspective of your software security
• Saves a lot of money by saving your company from devastating breaches
• Ensures the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance
• Pentest result can be used as training material for developers to make fewer mistakes in the future
Why penetration testing differs from vulnerability scanning?

Penetration testing	Vulnerability Assessment
Evaluates the security defense of your company software architecture	Used to unravel as much security flaws as possible
Combination of manual and automated techniques	Can be automated easily
Unknown vulnerabilities can be traced out	Exploitable vulnerabilities that are known can be fished out
Must be done by skilled individuals or a team of individuals	Can be done by an in-house team
Mostly performed once or twice in a year	Performed quarterly

How much does penetration testing cost?

The cost of penetration testing varies based on the size and complexity of the website. There are many other factors that also play an important role in defining the cost of penetration testing. Let us discuss in detail various factors that affect the calculation of penetration testing.
1. Objective
The objective of your website plays an important role in deciding the pricing of penetration testing of the website.
Whether you are going to get a small website tested or a huge website or a social media app, the size of your website will largely affect the penetration testing of your website.
Also if you want to test networks, applications, IoT devices, etc. will affect the cost of the testing. Also, the amount of information you want to give to the tester will affect the cost of penetration testing.
2. Scope
Scope in penetration testing is related to the time required by the testers to test the website.
Both cost and time are related to the number of parties/networks/IP addresses/applications/facilities involved, etc. The cost also depends on the restrictions if any.
3. Approach
There are many ways to approach penetration testing. These approaches play an important role in the cost of the pen-testing. Some go only for the basic level of testing, while others are only bothered about the entry points for the breaches, but if you are interested in the more extensive approach to penetration testing you might have to pay more.
The deeper insight into the vulnerabilities means more cost. While the less deep the penetration approach testing, the lesser will be the cost.
4. Skills
The very common phenomenon for all types of testing is the skills of the testers. The more expertise of the testers, the more will be the cost. If you will go for high expertise, you ensure deeper penetration testing but will have to pay higher for it.
But if we consider in a long term perspective, the deeper penetration testing will give you more chances to protect your website and hence saving you from many cybersecurity issues and thus saving you a lot of money.
5. Re-Testing
When testers conduct penetration testing, the vulnerabilities in the website get unveiled. The developers again work on the code, to correct the code and bar all the vulnerabilities. But once after the corrections are done, the code is again retested to check if the vulnerabilities have been taken care of and the website is secure from any future security breaches.

Read also : 15 Best Penetration Testing Tools

Re-testing is a very important factor that adds up to the cost of a penetration test. There are few testing teams that offer to retest for free. Though there are many companies that charge an amount for retesting. The cost of retesting depends upon the amount of retesting that is required to be done and the number of retests that are conducted.
6. Service
Penetration testing cost also depends on the services offered by the testing teams. Some teams offer you all-inclusive services consisting of many reports, suggestions, etc. These teams keep you completely involved in the testing process.
Penetration testing costs can vary from a few thousand dollars to more than $100,000 depending upon the size and complexity of the website.
7.The complexity of the system
A penetration test is a mandate for corporate of all types, be it a start-up or a multibillion-dollar company. But depending upon their size, the cost of penetration testing also differs as the difference in size leads to differences in the amount of work required for penetration testing. The number of systems, number of roles, type of testing play an important role in determining the cost of penetration testing.
8. Types of tools used
Penetration testing might require a variety of tools for its execution. There is a large variety of such tools and even their pricing differs by a huge margin. Some of the tools are available free of cost while others come for a hefty amount. The use of these tools in penetration testing plays an important role in determining the overall cost of penetration testing.
Cost of pen testing
The cost of penetration testing can range from $1500-$5000+ in a normal situation with respect to how big the company and complex the systems are.

For somewhat decent testing, it would cost around 5000$ for a small company which has fewer than 100 employees
There will be another 25% increase in the cost if the penetration test has to be PCI compliant.

Conclusion:
Penetration testing is an important part of website testing to ensure the high-end security of your websites. But many website owners consider it as an expensive overhead and avoid conducting penetration testing. But focusing more on the initial cost of penetration testing they forget to count on the cost they might have to incur for not getting the penetration testing done.

Not getting penetration testing done opens the doors of your website to security breaches. These security breaches cannot bring you monetary losses but can also be very harmful to your reputation and name. Hence, realize the importance of penetration testing and ensure you conduct penetration testing.
hope you get an idea about How much does penetration test cost?
Why Testbytes?
Testbytes can carry out penetration testing for your company with astounding efficiency. Price ranges from 1500$ to – 5000$ based on the complexity of the system.

11 Easy Steps to Secure Your Website From Hackers

Posted on November 1, 2019 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

In this time of heightened cyber-attack you must be aware of how to secure website from hackers. Your website is an important asset to your business. It is very important to protect it from any kind of threat and hacking. Here are some ways that can help you protect your website from hacking.
1. Install security plugins

If your website is built using a content management system, you can easily improve the security of your website using the plugins. Most of the CMS offer security plugins so that you can improve the security of your website.

Security plugins for WordPress:

iThemes Security
Bulletproof Security
Sucuri
Wordfence
fail2Ban

Security options for Magento:

Amasty
Watchlog Pro
MageFence

Security extensions for Joomla:

JHackGuard
jomDefender
RSFirewall
Antivirus Website Protection

These plugins prove helpful in barring security vulnerabilities. You can also opt for siteLock. It supports both CMS managed and HTML pages. SiteLocks does regular monitoring for all security loopholes including malware detection, vulnerability identification, active virus scanning, etc.
2. Use HTTPS

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate helps in secure-transfer of information amid the website and the server. There is a lot of secure information that we need to share through the websites.
The secure transaction ensures the end clients to freely transact their information without worrying about the treats the insecure transfer of sensitive information can bring.

Must Know : Top 10 WordPress Plugins For Developers and Testers

The security of your website plays a very important in today’s world unless your clients are satisfied and trust your security system, they will not share their sensitive information with you. SSL is an important way to convince your customers about the security of their information.
3. Keep your website platform and software up-to-date

One of the main causes of security threats on the website is vulnerabilities in CMS’s extensible components. Many of these extensible components are open source, and hackers could easily detect the security vulnerabilities and take control and exploit your website.
To ensure the security of your website your CMS, plugins needs to be updated.
4. Make sure your passwords are secure

Making your password strong might not seem to be a very unique and dominant idea, but the fact is keeping your password strong plays a very important role. It is important that you keep your password strong.
It should be long enough, with special characters, numbers, letters, etc. Avoid keeping your password on the names of special people in your life and on special dates of your life. It gets easier for hackers to hack such a password.
Not only you, but your team should also follow these rules so that the hackers could not enter your system through any of your team member’s ID.
5. Invest in automatic backups

Even after following all the precautionary methods, there are still few chances of you getting attacked by hackers. The best way in such cases is to have a backup copy of your website. In case you do not have a backup copy, you might land lose everything.
Though data breaches are very stressful no matter what, having a backup can give you a levy to recover your website easily. But sometimes you might forget to back up your website, regularly and hence investing in the automatic backup can give you peace of mind.

Must Read : How to Find Bugs in Your App

The above steps are easy to follow and can even be followed by people with minimal technical knowledge, but here we move on to some more complicated ways to protect your website from hackers.
These advanced techniques might require a technically skilled person and also ensure a higher level of security from hackers.
6. Be cautious while accepting file uploads.

Allowing uploads to your website can be pretty dangerous. Hackers can upload malicious files to your system and can gain access to your system, overwrite existing files, can bring your website down, etc. hence, it is very important to check the kind of files that are being uploaded to your system.
If not required, do not permit file uploads at all. But if it’s a necessity, do keep a check on it. The following points may help you to protect your website by the hackers.

Allow only specific file types to be uploaded to your system.
The above point can be easily defied by renaming the file. Hence it is highly recommended to use file type verification.
Set maximum file size and reject all the files over this size.
Scan files for malware. Use antivirus software to check all files before opening.
Use a system to automatically rename a file when uploaded to your system. In such a case hackers will keep looking for their file to accomplish their notorious intentions.
Do not include upload folder in the web root, it will keep hackers away from accessing your website using their uploaded file.
These steps can prove helpful in defending your website from file uploads risks.

7. Use Parameterized Queries

SQL injections are a widely used method to hack websites by hackers. SQL injections can be exploited if your website has a web form or URL parameters that accept information from outsiders.
It these parameters are way too open they let the hackers exploit your website by inserting them with the codes that allow them to access your database. Though there are many ways to protect your website from hackers using SQL injections the easiest way is to use parameterized queries.
8. Use CSP

Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks are another very common way that allows hackers to slip malicious JavaScript code into your website. This code can further infect the devices of the users of the website exposed to that code.
The easy way to defend your website from such abuses is to ensure that the code that accepts input that is categorical in accepting the inputs. It protects your website from getting induced to any malicious scripts and keeps it protected.
Content Security Policy (CSP) is also an effective tool to protect your website from XSS attacks. It permits you to allow specify domains a browser should consider.
9. Restrict the permissions for directories and files

There are several files and folders inside your web hosting account. They contain data that makes your website work and also includes the permissions on who can read, write, and execute the files and folders.
Ensure these rights are properly set to ensure the highest safety of your website. Any intrusion to these files and folders can put your website security on risk.
10. Be careful about the error messages.

Error messages can play a huge role in putting your website security on risk. How? Here it is: a detailed error message tells you what is wrong with your website and how can you rectify it. It can help you a lot internally. But if the same messages are displayed to your visitors they can exploit these messages and find vulnerabilities in your website and can exploit them.
Ensure that the error messages are not very detailed one that can give hackers a chance to get inside your system. But also make sure that these messages give an idea to the visitors to what to do next in case an error occurs.
11. Do proper validation

Validation has to be done both on both on the browser side and server-side. Imagine that someone is trying to inject code through one of the mandatory fields. The browser has to reject such an invalid input.
When it comes to validation like this it has been performed on server-side also to ensure that malicious code hasn’t been injected to the website.
Conclusion:
Hacking is a very common practice in the digital world that has put on stake the security of your systems. Your website can too be easily exploited by hackers. It is very important that you take enough preventive methods to secure your website from hackers.

The security threats to your website can not only harm you and your business but can be equally harassing for your audiences. Ensure that you take proper measures to protect your website from hackers.

Top 15 Penetration Testing Companies in India

Posted on October 16, 2019 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

When it comes to penetration testing companies in India, there are indeed a handful of promising companies that are proving their capability all over the world.
Penetration testing has to be done by experienced and skilled personnel and in the long run, it can save companies who rely on it by millions. Wish to know how much does penetration testing cost?
Click here!
However, you need assistance from penetration testing companies who are good at what they do. Wish to know more about them let’s have a look
Let’s have a look at them

What is penetration testing?
Penetration testing is to intentionally simulate a cyber-attack on a system to detect the system vulnerabilities to these attacks. Penetration testing requires great expertise and hence only a few companies conduct penetration testing. Here are some of the expert penetration testing companies in India.
1. Test Bytes
TestBytes is a Pune based software testing firm that uses software testing strategies to offer its clients quantifiable results. TestBytes helps development teams deliver bug-free software and has expertise in IT cyber-security testing.

Core Services: Penetration Testing, Mobile App Testing, Game Testing, Automation Testing, Test management services, Ecommerce testing services, Web Application testing, security testing, software performance testing, Functional Testing, Browser compatibility.
Features

Employs CMMI, ISO, Agile best practices.
certified in ISTQB, CSTE, CSQA, and Automation Tools
Expertise in developing reusable automation frameworks, templates, & repositories
Expertise in penetration testing
A large team of in-house and remote testers
High-end testing laboratory

2. eSec Forte
eSec Forte, founded in 2010 is a CMMI Level-3 ISO 9001-2008, 27001-2013 certified company that is counted among the best IT service providers and cybersecurity consulting services. eSec Forte is headquartered in Delhi and was founded in the year 2010 and is one of the best penetration testing companies in India.

Core Services: Penetration Testing, Mobile Application Security, Configuration Assessment, Vulnerability Assessment, Source Code Review, Wireless Network Assessment, Malware Analysis, Incident Response
Products: Core Impact for Penetration Testing, Smokescreen for Cyber Deception, Nessus for Vulnerability Management, CHECKMARX, Digital Guardian for Data Loss Prevention, Netsparker, and Web inspect for Application Security
Speciality

It provides veteran penetration testing services.
It offers mobile apps based on the skeletal framework.
It involves the clients completely in all the processes, to give the best satisfaction.

3. ISECURION
ISECURION is a Bangalore based IT cybersecurity firm and is known for its high-end services, modernization, and research in IT Security Consulting and Technology. ISECURION caters their clients based on the current information security setting.

Core Services: Penetration Testing, Mobile Application Security, Vulnerability Assessment, Network Security, Red team Penetration Testing, Blockchain Security, Compliance Audits, Source Code Audit, SCADA Security Audits, ISO 27001 Implementation & Certification, SAP Security Assessment, etc.
Speciality

Manual and automated penetration testing
Good domain expertise.
Certified IT Security Consultants
Recognizes gaps in the company’s people, technology, and process.
Does not only find vulnerabilities in the system but also helps to fix them.
Uses modern technologies, techniques, and industry best practices.

4. SumaSoft
SumaSoft is a Pune based ITES and BPO Company providing customized Business Process Management Services.

Core Services: Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessment, Network Security Monitoring, Business Process Outsourcing, Cloud Migration Services, Database Support Services, Logistics Services, Software Development Services.
Products: Cloud-based Asset Management System.
Speciality

18+ experience
Offers various services in Software and QA, BPO, and Security Management Services.
Best Business solution providers.
Software solutions for web, mobile, and cloud.

5. Kratikal Tech Pvt. Ltd
Kratikal Tech Pvt. Ltd is a Noida Based firm that offers services to protect your businesses from cyber threat attacks. They use advanced technologies to assist you with critical security issues.

Core Services: Network Penetration Testing, Infrastructure Penetration Testing, E-Commerce, Cloud Security Testing, Application/Server Security Testing, Compliance Management etc.
Products: ThreatCop, a cybersecurity enhancer.
Speciality

Provides cybersecurity services to various sectors including Financial Services, Healthcare, Government, Payment Services, E-Commerce, and Educational firms.
Offers Real-Time Attack Simulation services
Offers Manual and automated security testing.
Good RoI on security investments.
Conducts Risk Assessment.

6. Secugenius
Secugenius is a Noida based Information Security provider that offers expert solutions to defend the businesses from cybercrime. Their security expertise and ethical hacking services to defend the business against cyber threats has made a remarkable presence in the market.

Core Services: Web app Penetration Testing, Network Penetration Testing, Website Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessment, Database Pen Testing, Mobile App Security Testing, Cloud Security, Source Code Review, etc.
Products: QuickX platform
Speciality

Quick X platform is an effective solution for cost, scalability, and time-related issues.
24 x 7 R & D support.
Quick X also offers an instant payment option.

7. Pristine Info Solutions
Pristine Info Solutions is a Mumbai based penetration testing provider that offers real-world threat assessment and wide-ranging penetration tests. It is known as one of the best Ethical Hacking and Information Security service provider in India.

Core Services: Penetration Testing, Cyber Law Consulting, Information Security Services, Cyber Crime Investigation
Speciality

Manual and automated penetration testing:
Information Security Services encompassing Network Security Audit, Security Compliance Audit, Website Security Audit, Mobile Security Testing, etc.
Flexible service delivery models, and security alignments

8. Entersoft
Entersoft Security is a Bengaluru based application security solution service provider that provides its clients with a strong application for operational threat susceptibility valuation.

Core Services: Penetration Testing, Code Review, Vulnerability Testing, Application Security Monitoring, Cloud Security, Compliance Management, etc.
Specialty

Entersoft Business Suit and Entersoft Expert for Business Intelligence
Entersoft Retail for E-Commerce
Entersoft WMS for Warehouse Management
Entersoft Mobile Field Service etc.

Features:

Offensive assessment
Proactive monitoring and assessment.
FinTech and Nasscom award winner

9. Secfence
Secfence is a New Delhi based, Information Security service provider and has its expertise in research-based cybersecurity solutions.

Core Services: Penetration Testing, Web Application Penetration Testing, Anti-Malware Software Development, Vulnerability Assessment, R&D Services, Information Security Training, Intelligence Analytics, Web Application Code Review, Cyber Crime Investigation, etc.
Products: Pentest++.
Speciality

Specializes in real-world cyber-attack
Offers pioneer technologies and methodologies to prevent National, Corporate, and Individual firms and infrastructure from extreme cyber-attacks in terms of information security.

10. SecureLayer7
SecureLayer7 is based in Pune and is a globally acclaimed cybersecurity service provider that offers information security solutions to businesses.

Core Services: Vulnerability Assessment, Penetration Testing, Source Code Audit, Network Security, Mobile App Security, SAP Security Assessment, Telecom Network Security, etc.
Specialty

Offers knowledge-based support.
Assures ‘Zero Security Threat Alert’.
24x 7 Real-Time Solutions.

11. Indian cybersecurity solution

ICSS or Indian cybersecurity solution in Kolkata based on a leading web application penetration testing company. It offers vulnerability assessment services for various programming languages and environments. ICSS serves the world with its outstanding penetration testing capabilities. They offer penetration testing for
Core Services
Web-based apps, AWS environments, Traditional normal apps, etc.
The company has proven its mark by servicing various organizations worldwide and securities them from any vulnerable cyber attacks. They have a team of highly skilled testers who work in detail to ensure no loopholes in the system remains undetected.
12. Holm security

Holm Security is located in New Delhi in India. With increasing cyber attacks, it has become extremely important to unveil all the vulnerabilities in your system.

At Holm security, their highly experienced and certified testers ensure to leave no loopholes in your system and ensure high security.
With systems having highly secure and sensitive information, the vulnerability check becomes even more important.
And Holm security is one company that ensures highly comprehensive penetration testing leaving their clients worry-free.

13. Shieldbyte infosec

This Mumbai based penetration testing company is a team of skilled, certified, and experienced team with many years of experience.

With the help of their highly expert team, they are capable of taking off the high-end information security.
The Shieldbyte Infosec is renowned for their time management and on-time delivery.
Their main services include RISK ASSESSMENT & SECURITY MANAGEMENT, Vulnerability Assessment, Penetration Testing, Web Application Security Assessment, Mobile Application Security Assessment, Source Code Review, DDOS Assessment Services, Network & Wireless Assessment, Social Engineering Risk Assessment, Forensic Analysis, etc.

Core Services
Security risk and gap analysis, digital forensic and cybercrime investigation
14. Cybersecurity hive

Cybersecurity hive is a Bangalore based security testing specializing in penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. Their
cybersecurity services include

Web VAPT
Mobile VAPT
Network VAPT
Cloud security assessment
Phishing simulation.

With their expert and dedicated team, they ensure they secure their clients from any kind of cyberattacks.
Core Services
Penetration testing, Threat intelligence, VAPT, etc.
15. EC-Council Global Services

EC-Council Global Services is among one of the most reputed penetration companies in India. It helps secure your organization by implementing high-end penetration testing. It carries out a comprehensive assessment and testing to find loopholes in your system. It is located in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad.

The company employs highly talented, expert, qualified and experienced testers to ensure high-grade security of your system.
The company also offers remote services to ensure better security services.
EC-Council Global Services ensures high-quality services by offering customized penetration testing services to its clients based on their specific needs.

Core Services
Secured Artificial Intelligence Based Vulnerability Assessment Tool for Enterprise, Cyber Security, etc.

Company Name	Company presence	Services	Founded Year
Testbytes	Pune	Penetration testing, information security testing, vulnerability assessment, Wapt, App testing, Game testing, etc.	2011
EsecForte	Delhi	Security Assessment, security consulting, etc.	2011
Isecurion	Bangalore	Vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, closed security assessment, etc.	2015
Sumasoft	Pune	Enterprise Security, VAPT, security testing, etc.	2000
Kratikal tech	Noida	Application security testing, server security testing, network penetration testing, etc.	2013
Entersoft	Bangalore	Cloud security testing and consulting	2002
Securelayer 7	Pune	Application penetration testing. Mobile app security testing. VOIP security etc.	2012
Secfence	New Delhi	Red Teaming Platforms, Vulnerability & Exploit Research, Cyber Deception Platform, Automated End-user Attack Simulation Platform	2010
CyberOps	Jaipur	Penetration testing, Assessment, and review, etc.	2016
Prestine infosolution	Mumbai	Information security, cyber law consulting, and training	2010
Secugenius	Noida	penetration testing, Source code review, DDoS protection etc.	2011
EC-Council Global Services	Mumbai	VAPT, Cybersecurity posture assessment, etc.	NA
Cyber security hive	Bangalore	Web VAPT, Mobile VAPT, Network VAPT, Cloud security assessment, Phishing solution, etc.	2018
Shieldbyte infosec	Mumbai	Security risk and gap analysis, digital forensic and cybercrime investigation	2018
Holm Security	New Delhi	Penetration testing, Threat intelligence, VAPT, etc.	NA
Indian cybersecurity solution	Kolkata	Secured Artificial Intelligence Based Vulnerability Assessment Tool for Enterprise, Cyber Security, etc.	2013

Things to be considered while hiring a penetration testing company
There are a few things that you should consider before hiring a penetration testing company

1. Ensure that the company employees expert, trained, and certified testers.
2. Always choose a reputed firm for penetration testing. The company will have access to the inner infrastructure of your company and will know all your security loopholes, so ensure the company you are hiring is trustworthy and well certified.
3. Ensure that the company is proficient and adopts the latest methodology and penetration testing techniques.
4. Always have well documented and signed rules of engagement documents. Also, ensure the safety of your crucial and sensitive data.
5. Ensure that the company offers customized pen testing services and has all the required pen-testing tools and people expert in using such tools.

Conclusions:
Penetration testing is the need of the present-day world, with the rising security threats. Hence it should be ensured that that penetration testing should be done with utmost care. So, while choosing the company for getting penetration testing done, be assured to pick the best.

What is gray/ grey box testing? Examples Included!

Posted on April 18, 2019 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Gray box testing/ grey box testing is a method of testing a software system – application or product, externally and internally by using a combination of “white box testing” and “black-box testing”.
Gray box testing is carried out with limited or partial knowledge of the internal workings of the software system/application.
With a view to conquering the deficiencies and ambiguities found in such type of testing, Grey Box Testing (also spelled as Gray Box Testing) has been developed as a productive merger of white box and black box testing.
White Box Testing – the internal structure (code) is known
Black Box Testing – the internal structure (code) is unknown
Grey Box Testing – the internal structure (code) is partially known
let’s dive dip into the implication of grey/gray box testing in software engineering.

Grey Box Testing Methodology
First – White Box Testing to study and gain a basic understanding of the internal features of the application.
Second – Design and define test cases based on thorough knowledge and understanding to cover each and every aspect of the application.
Third – Black box testing to execute developed test cases to externally test the qualities of the software application.
Best Suited Applications:
Grey-box testing is an ideal fit for Web-based applications.
Grey-box testing is the best technique for domain or functional testing
Grey Box Testing Strategy in software engineering
It’s not necessary in this methodology that source code is required by the tester to design test cases. To carry out this testing process, test cases can be designed based on the algorithm, knowledge of architectures, internal states, or other advanced descriptions of the program behavior.
It utilizes all the clear-cut techniques of black box testing for function testing. The generation of a test case is based on requirements and presetting all the conditions by the assertion method.
The standard steps to carry out Grey box Testing are as follows:
Step 1: Selection and identification of inputs from White-Box and Black-Box testing inputs.
Step 2: Identification of probable outputs from the above-selected inputs.
Step 3: Identification of all the key paths to pass through during the testing phase.
Step 4: Identification of sub-functions to carry out deep-level testing.
Step 5: Identification of inputs for sub-functions.
Step 6: Identification of likely outputs for sub-functions.
Step 7: Execution of a test case for sub-functions.
Step 8: Verification of the appropriateness of outcome.
Step 9: Repetition of Steps 4 and 8.
Step 10: Repetition of Steps 7 and 8.
Security-related, GUI-related, Database related, Browser related, and Operational system-related testing are all part of the test cases designed for the process.
Types of Grey box testing/gray box testing/Grey box testing techniques
Matrix Testing
Matrix testing, a technique coming under Grey Box testing, defines all the used variables of a particular program. In any program, variables are the essential elements through which values can move through the program.
It should be on par with the requirement without which the readability of the program and speed of the software will be reduced. The matrix technique is a way to eliminate uninitialized and unused variables by identifying used variables from the program.
Examination of inherent risks like technical risks and business risks that are associated with the variables with different frequencies labeled by the software developer is carried out under this type of testing.
The design of test cases becomes smooth and easier when all of this information is summarized in two types of tables as in the following example:
All Info About Grey Box Testing (With Examples)
From the information in the above two tables, the testing analyst can immediately make out that the technical and business aspect of the code, namely saving and deleting records requires testing.
Regression Testing
This type of testing is carried out after executing a functional development or repair to the program.
To verify whether the modification in any of the previous versions of the software has regressed or caused any unintended or adverse side effect in other aspects of the program in the new version, the following testing strategies can be pursued:

Retesting within a firewall where dependencies are analyzed for choosing baseline tests
Retesting risky use cases where the risk factor is considered
Retesting all existing test cases
Retesting by profile where time is allocated in proportion to the operational profile
Retesting changed segment where code changes are compared for choosing baseline tests

At some stage in confirmation testing, if any defect got rectified, and that part of the software started functioning as intended, there might be a possibility that the rectified defect may have initiated a different defect somewhere else in the software.
Here, regression testing takes care of these types of defects by utilizing the above-mentioned testing strategies. The tester, as a reference, may use 80% of the allowed time to run existing test cases and 20% of the allowed time to execute exploratory testing.
Orthogonal Array Testing or OAT
The intention behind this testing is to locate defective logic in the system by providing coverage with the maximum code as well as GUI functions and with minimum test cases in a statistical and organized way of software testing.
Complex applications and e-comm products can be tested with this technique. Orthogonal Array Testing is composed of an array of values in which a variable is represented in each column and a test case is represented in each row.
A simple example is as follows:

By conveying values for each factor and then, of course, extrapolating for combined pairing, the total number of test cases will surely come down to nine from 27.
Though simple, this effective technique helps in maximizing the required testing coverage.
Pattern Testing
This testing is carried out by using the record of analysis on the historical data of the previous system defects. These analyses may contain specific reasons for the defect or bug with information on the problem that has been addressed, applicable situation, generic test cases, etc.
Unlike black box testing, grey box testing plows within the code to determine the reason for the failure so that they can be fixed in the next software. It is noteworthy that pattern testing is applicable only to such type of software that has been developed by following the same pattern of previous software as the possibility of similar defects occurs in this software only.
Generally, the Grey box methodology employs automated software testing tools to conduct the testing. Module drivers and stubs are created to relieve the tester from manually generating the code.
Examples for grey/gray box testing
Grey Box Testing is said to be performed when –

The codes for two modules or units are studied for designing test cases which is the White Box Testing method and then
Actual tests are conducted using the exposed interfaces which are the Black Box Testing method.

For example, during testing of Drupal website containing links, if an error crops up while clicking that link, changes can be made in the HTML code for further checking. Here the user is carrying out white box testing by altering the code and black-box testing by testing on the front end.

Objectives of Grey Box Testing
Some of the main objectives are:

To help combine the inputs from both testers and developers to get the best results
To improve the overall quality of the product with less cost
To find defects early and get the developers more time to fix the issues
To combine the advantages of both black box and white box testing
To reduce the overhead of functional and non-functional test documentations

Advantages of Grey Box Testing
Now, let us look at some of the advantages of choosing Grey Box testing.

The testing is carried out from a user perspective and hence helps to improve the overall quality of the application.
In most cases, the testers do not need technical or programming knowledge to get started with grey box testing. This also means that the manual and automation testers can both perform this testing with equal ease.
Since the defects are found earlier, it gives the development teams more time to fix and deploy the changes.
The clarity and transparency of the test ensure there are no conflicts between the testers and developers.
It can be much more effective both quality-wise and cost-wise when compared to integration testing

Disadvantages of Grey Box Testing
In this section, we look at some disadvantages of Grey Box testing

Since we are looking at only part of the system, it is very difficult to assign defects to a particular module.
Since the testers have only limited access to the code, they have only limited knowledge about the paths traversed. This can reduce the coverage.
It can be difficult to design effective test cases for grey box testing
It can not be used for algorithm testing
Neither white box nor black box testing benefits can be reaped fully through the process.

Challenges in Grey Box Testing
Here, we discuss few common challenges related to Grey Box Testing, that are preventing companies from utilizing it fully.

In some cases, the test case may be a pass but the displayed results would be incorrect. Such cases can not be handled well in grey box testing.
In case the module under test crashes it may lead to aborting the test and it would be difficult to find the reason.
Testers do not have access to the source code, hence they may miss some critical vulnerabilities in the application
For large applications, it can be very time-consuming to check all the input combinations and traverse all the different paths involved.

Tools used for Grey Box Testing
The tools used for automation of black and white box testing can also very well be used for Grey Box Testing. The most popular tools used are:

Selenium
Appium
Postman
Chrome Dev Tools
Burp Suite
JUnit
Cucumber
RestAssured

What is gray box penetration testing?
The main idea behind the gray box/ grey box pen testing is to form a precise idea about network security. By leveraging the information provided in the design document of a particular network assessments can be made that can be used to predict risk-prone areas in a network. Usually minimal credential and information is available for this type of testing. The level of access a hacker could gain can be envisioned using this type of testing. In short, both internal and external attacks can be simulated

Conclusion
Nowadays in this modern world, nobody is indisputably safe from cybercrime irrespective of whether it is a big corporate or an individual, government organization, or non-benefit association.
The potentiality of becoming a cybercrime target looms large. Grey box testing comes up as a priceless tool for securing security in software. Significant vulnerabilities can be uncovered by giving in less effort and cost.

17 Top-Notch Penetration Testing Tools (2021 Update)

Posted on March 29, 2019 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

There is a bunch of penetration testing tools available on the internet. This article brings to you the 15 most coveted, critically acclaimed, and best penetration testing tools.
What is penetration testing?
Cyber attacks can happen at any point in time. To be on the safer side you need to know thoroughly about the loose ends of your software defense. Penetration testing unravels the vulnerabilities of your software so that you can tighten it later.
Following Penetration Testing Tools are Covered in this Blog.

1. 1. Netsparker
  2. Coreimpact
  3. Metasploit
  4. W3AF
  5. Nessus
  6. Cain & Abel
  7. Accunetix
  8. Probe.ly
  9. Wiresharker
  10. Kali Linux
  11. Burpsuite
  12. Zedattackproxy(ZAP)
  13. Openvas
  14. Sboxr
  15. Webscarab
  16. nmap
  17. Hashcat

1. Netsparker
Netsparker is perhaps the most accurate penetration testing tool. It automatically identifies vulnerabilities in both web API and applications.
Features

Considered as a pioneer in web application security
NETSPARKER eliminates the need for the penetration tester to manually sit and test different vulnerabilities.
All the real vulnerabilities are brought into the limelight just with a simple scan and it is capable of finding vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and so on. You can simply download and install it from the internet.
Can easily integrate with CI/CD and other systems in software development, in short, a fully customizable workflow can be created
Verified bugs are automatically posted to the bug tracking system

2. Core impact
It is one of the oldest penetration testing tools present in the market. The range of exploits in this penetration testing tool is impeccable.
Features

Core Impact has Metasploit exploits, automated wizard processes, PowerShell commands, etc. Exploits written by Core Impact are commercial grade and widely used in both companies and security consultancies. The price of this tool is on the higher side but you get exactly what you are paying for.
Has the ability to replicate attack across systems, devices, and applications
Security posture can be validated by methods used by dreaded cyber-criminals
An up-to-date library on leading threats
Programmable self-destruct capability so that no loose end will be left behind
The reporting feature of the tool can be used for compliance validation
Can be used for network testing
Can capture information shared between a real user and the website

Also Read: Top 10 Automation Testing Tools 2020

3. Meta sploit
It is one of the most prevalent and advanced penetration testing tools for penetration testing. It has a set of exploits that can enter a system bypassing its security. If the exploit successfully enters the system, a payload is run which basically provides a framework for testing.

Features

This is a commercial product; therefore you have to purchase it after the free trial if you want access to all the features. Metasploit is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
There are modules that can send a sequence of commands that can focus on a particular type of vulnerability
Metasploit can be used to gain as much information to learn about the weakness of a software system.
Has a database that can store system log, host data, and evidence
A multi-function payload module

4. W3AF
This is a free penetration testing tool and to be frank, does a great job. It has a bunch of useful features like fast HTTP requests, injecting payloads, various HTTP requests, and so on.
Features

The user interface of W3AF is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. Unlike other tools, this one is free to download and use.
Has web and proxy servers that can be easily integrated into the code of the software
Helps in sending lightning speed HTTP request owing to the surplus of extension
Various type of logging methods such as Console, Text, CSV, HTML, and XML
Be it any part of the HTTP request, W3af can inject any type of payload

5. Nessus
Nessus is a very capable vulnerability scanner with a website scan, IP scan, and has a sensitive data search specialist module. All these functionalities are built into Nessus and help in finding vulnerabilities in the system, capable of handling all testing environments.
Features

Up-to-date database that’s updated on a daily basis
Can be used to expose scalability
(Nessus Attack Scripting Language) NASL is used as the scripting language
Nessus can identify an FTP server on a non-standard port, or even a web server running on port 8080
The tool can make services like HTTPS, SMTP look like SSL so that they can be injected into a PKI-type environment.

6. Cain & Abel
This is the perfect tool for decoding passwords and network keys. Cain & Abel accomplishes this by using different methods like network sniffing, cryptanalysis attacks, cache uncovering, dictionary, and routing protocol analysis. This is a free tool but is only available for Windows operating systems
Features

Can crack WEP(Wired Equivalent Privacy)
VoIP conversations can be recorded
LSA (Local Security Authority ) can be dumped
Password related issue can be resolved

7. Acunetix
It is a full-fledged, fully automatic vulnerability scanner capable of scanning over 4500 different types of vulnerabilities.
Features

The best feature of this tool is that it can complete several tests automatically which sometimes takes hours to complete. The results generated on this tool are accurate and fast.
Acunetix supports all systems including JavaScript, HTML5, and CMS.
Can detect over 4500 vulnerabilities
Hidden inputs that haven’t revealed in black-box scanning can be revealed
Javascript of websites and SPAs can be crawled
Ability to create management and compliance report
Can integrate with CI tools
Configurable workflow
Replication of e-mail injection attack

8. Probe.ly
Probe.ly not only finds vulnerabilities but also suggests a possible fix on it. The user interface of this tool is ridiculously intuitive and has all the necessary features for penetration testing.
Features

Probe.ly is capable of finding out upward of a thousand different types of vulnerabilities including OWASP TOP10.
Guidance to fix the issue will also be provided by Probe.ly
Can integrate with other tools
Can do intrusive and non-intrusive scans
Available also as a plugin for integration with CI tools
Has the ability to generate scan result, compliance report and the coverage report

9. Wireshark
This is less of a penetration testing tool and more of a network analyzer. It is compatible with Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Solaris, and so on and so forth. Wireshark is free to download and install on all operating systems. All the information gathered by Wireshark is presented in a systematic manner on TShark utility.
Features

Can inspect 100s of protocols
Detailed VoIP analysis
Offline analysis and live capture
Data that has been captured by Wireshark

10. Kali Linux
Kali Linux is developed and maintained by Offensive Security. It is an open-source tool which basically means that anyone can use it and add features to it.
Version tracking, tool listings, and meta-packages are integrated into Kali Linux for penetration testing.
Kali Linux is free to download and use on almost all operating systems.
Features

Debian based Linux distribution
600+ pre-installed tools designated for security research, penetration testing, web app testing, etc.
Multilingual support
Completely customizable

11. Burp Suite
This penetration testing tool has an intruder tool mainly for executing attacks. The intruder tool has limited functionality but all of its functions can be unlocked by purchasing it. This tool makes penetration testing very time efficient. Burp Suite is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
Features

Impeccable web vulnerability scanner
CI integration
Advanced manual tools
Can detect server-side vulnerabilities that are completely invisible
Pioneer in using OAST (out-of-band techniques)
Can perform interactive application security testing (IAST)
Advanced web application crawler
Can perform javascript analysis

12. Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)
ZAP is free to download and use. It basically scans web applications for vulnerabilities. There are different types of scanners integrated into the ZAP penetration testing tool.

Features

The main feature of ZAP is perhaps the proxy intercepting tool which is particularly useful in different test scenarios. is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
Easy to integrate
Automated scanners
Both manual, as well as automated pen-testing, are used
Can mimic activities of a hacker to expose the vulnerability
It will stand between a browser and a tester so that it can intercept and inspect messages

13. Open VAS
Open vas is a vulnerability scanner that is capable of performing authenticated testing, unauthenticated testing, and various protocols (both high and low) Performance tuning, etc. Open VAS also has an inbuilt powerful language that can be used for performing any type of vulnerability test.
Features

More than 50,000 vulnerability tests
A comprehensive vulnerability management solution
Open-source
Open VAS is controlled by the service layer

14. SBOXR
Over 30 DOM security issues can be traced out by Xbox. Python/Ruby capability makes Sboxr an impeccable tool
Features

Ease of use
Can be used by DEV, QA as well as security teams
Detailed reporting
Good customer support

15. WebScarab
Used for analyzing application that uses HTTP and HTTPS protocol for communication. Since the tool is written in JAVA it’s portable to many platforms. It has several modes of operation as well as plugins.
Features

Operates as an intercepting proxy
Review and modify requests
Can be used to intercept both HTTP and HTTPS communication
Primarily designed for those who can write codes

16. nmap
nmap is a free network discovery and security auditing software that’s widely used for managing service upgrade schedules, network inventory, and monitoring host or service uptime
Features

Helps in mapping out networks filled with IP filters
Supports OS like, Linux, Microsoft Windows, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, IRIX, Mac OS X, HP-UX, NetBSD, Sun OS, Amiga, etc.
Can be used to scan large network

17. Hashcat
One of the fastest password cracking software in existence and the first and only in-kernel rule engine.
Features

Open-source
Multiple OS, device, platform, and hash support
Supports hex-salt and hex-charset
Has a built-in benchmarking system
Automatic performance tuning

Conclusion
The 15 above-mentioned penetration testing tools are the best in the business and will get the job done for you. The only thing you have to check out is the compatibility with your operating system.

How Important is Penetration Testing to Network Security

Posted on June 19, 2017 by tbsupadminnxtbackendacc

Penetration testing can create wonders for upcoming enterprises if they come up with the right solution according to the demands and blend them with the automated testing method for security expert analysis.

Penetration testing services is not just about jumping into the network security by running different steps at random, but it is about creating an organized, step by step plan that details on what, when, and how exactly are you going to do things.
How Important is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing is an essential process that needs to be performed on a regular basis in every organization to secure the network system. Penetration testing is of different types, which include:

Network Penetration Testing
Application Penetration Testing
Wireless Penetration Testing
Infrastructure Penetration Testing

But the main problem is that many of us will have a misconception that once penetration testing is done, their systems are safe forever. Such people will never get the real benefits of this process until they follow the method regularly and will practically have to face disappointing outcomes in the future.
The need for conducting a penetration test varies according to businesses as they all work in a different way. However, the question is, what are the main benefits that a company gets from penetration testing and here we have listed a few:

Manage the Risk Factors

One of the most important benefits of pen testing or penetration testing is that it will provide you the baseline to work with the risk factors in a structured and optimal way. In this testing, the number of vulnerabilities is listed out, which is found in the target environment and also the risk factors associated with it. At first, the sequence with the highest risk is tackled and then followed to the lower ones.

Increase the Business Continuity

Business continuity is the main aim for every organization and any hurdles to this can cause a huge loss to the entire company. A breakdown in business continuity can be due to many reasons and lack of security loopholes can be one of them.
If your systems are insecure, then it might suffer more breaches. It is always important to set a stronger encryption to avoid MITM (Man In The Middle) attacks. This is because, even hackers are hired today by the rivals to stop business continuity by exploiting the vulnerabilities of the competitors to gain access to their network and also create a denial of service condition, which causes a crash in the working of the company.
3. Evaluate Security Investment
Penetration testing provides an opportunity to know about the current situation of a company and analyse the existing potential breach points. It gives us a clear idea about the entire security system and helps us to ensure whether the configuration system management has been followed properly within the company.
Such type of testing methods helps to evaluate the security investments, that is the total investment required to secure the entire network systems, what is needed, what works properly, and what does not work properly.
4. Protect your Clients, Projects or Third Parties
A vulnerability that attacks a company not only causes problems to themselves, but also to their clients, third parties and even the projects a company is handling with. However, if a company performs penetration testing regularly and takes necessary actions for security, then it will help others to have trust and confidence in that organization.

5. Guard Reputation of the Company and Maintain Public Relationships
A good public relationship and reputation are built by a company through years of struggle, regular hard work, and a large amount of investment. Even a small security issue or vulnerability attack can cause major damage to their reputation in public.
6. Help any sort of Financial Damage and avoid Fines
Simple unnoticed breaches can cause a great loss to the financial support of the company and systematic penetration testing can help you protect your organizations. Such testing keeps the major activities updated within the auditing system, which can avoid fines in the future.
7. Helps to keep a Check on Cyber Defence Capability
During the process of penetration testing, the target company should be able to identify multiple attacks and should be able to respond accordingly. The effectiveness of the protected devices like IDS, WAF or IPS can also be checked during penetration testing.
8. Performed after Deployment of New Infrastructure & Application
Pen testing should be certainly performed in companies after the deployment of a new infrastructure and application, like updating of the firmware, changes in the firewall rule, patches and upgrades to software. Because once changes happens in software performance testing, it’s easy for breaches to occur, so it is always better to keep the network secured.
9. Gap Analysis Maintenance
Pen testing/penetration testing is not a one time event, instead it should be a continual process that measures how well the entire security system performs. It also helps companies to gain awareness on gaps if any, in the system at a given point of time.
Penetration testing is necessary for any businesses that wants their network to be secure and operations to continue without any service disruption. With high-profile data vulnerabilities continuing to dominate, methods for enterprise cyber security have started to change. If you fail to test the network security and environment prior to use, it might be impossible to ensure complete security. And this is why penetration testing makes sense for organisations of all sizes.