In the ever-evolving landscape of offensive security, staying ahead of potential threats is crucial to protect your business and its sensitive data. This year’s Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) sheds light on significant trends in security breaches and attack vectors over the last year. Notably, web applications have emerged as the dominant attack vector, surpassing other methods. Additionally, ransomware attacks have surged, accounting for approximately 10% of breaches – a significant increase from the previous year.
To combat these threats, organizations must adopt smarter patching strategies. Identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in their systems is paramount, and penetration testing is a key method for achieving this. Pen testing helps organizations effectively assess their security posture against evolving security threats. There are two types of pen testing approaches: manual pentesting and automated pentesting. Each approach offers unique advantages and disadvantages that must be considered.
AMATAS’ expert comparison of manual and automated pen testing provides valuable insights into these methods. This blog post will delve into the pros and cons of each approach, demonstrating why penetration testing is an essential practice for maintaining robust cybersecurity.
Curious to learn more? Keep reading to discover which method might best suit your needs and how penetration testing can help safeguard sensitive information about your organization against potential threats.
What is penetration testing?
Penetration testing, sometimes also called ethical hacking, is a type of vulnerability assessment of an organization’s operating systems via a deliberate and carefully planned attack. This process helps identify potential vulnerabilities and strengthen security measures.
Imagine penetration testing as hiring a team of professional ‘burglars’ to evaluate the security of your house. These experts try to break in using various techniques, identifying entry points like doors, windows, and even hidden vulnerabilities such as weak locks or unnoticed back doors. Once inside, they assess how many rooms they can access, how easy it was to get in, and estimate the potential damage and value of items that could be stolen if a real burglar attempted the same break-in.
The critical difference between these professional testers and actual burglars is intent: while burglars aim to exploit discovered vulnerabilities to steal and cause harm, penetration testers aim to reveal these weaknesses so you can fortify your organization’s security posture, preventing real criminals from succeeding in the future.
What is manual penetration testing?
Manual penetration testing mimics a malicious attack with the goal of helping the organization. It involves security professionals simulating the actions of malicious hackers to uncover security vulnerabilities that could be exploited in a real attack. Skilled testers gather information about the vulnerabilities of the target system, assess them, and use various tools to exploit these vulnerabilities to breach the system’s defenses and compromise its data. After the attack simulation, a detailed report highlights the findings and offers remediation steps. For more information on the subject read our article about what a pentester does.
Advantages of manual penetration tests
Manual penetration testing offers several distinct advantages that can significantly enhance an organization’s overall security posture. These benefits stem from the depth, creativity, and thoroughness that human testers bring to the process. Here’s a detailed look at these advantages:
In-depth and detailed security testing of all 7 security layers
Manual penetration testing allows for comprehensive assessment across all seven layers of the OSI model, from the physical layer to the application layer. Testers can dive deep into each layer to identify and exploit vulnerabilities that an automated vulnerability scan might overlook. This thoroughness ensures that no aspect of the security of the target system is left unchecked.
Utilizes various tools and techniques
A testing team brings a toolkit of diverse tools and techniques to the table. They can switch between automated scripts, custom code, and manual probing methods to uncover vulnerabilities. This versatility enables them to address different types of security issues more effectively than a single automated tool.
Discovery of unexpected vulnerabilities
Manual testing excels in revealing unexpected vulnerabilities that popular vulnerability scanners might miss. Testers use their experience, intuition, and creativity to combine tools and information in innovative ways. This approach can uncover complex security flaws that do not fit into the predefined patterns recognized by automated scanners.
Inclusion of pivot attacks
Manual testers can conduct pivot attacks, where they gain access to one system and use it as a springboard to compromise another. This technique mimics real-world attack scenarios, providing a more realistic assessment of the potential impact of a security breach.
Effective elimination of false positives
The testing team can differentiate between actual vulnerabilities and false positives more effectively than an automated pentest. Their expertise allows them to verify findings and focus on genuine security threats, reducing the noise that can result from inaccurate automated scans.
Essential for robust and extensive security reviews
Manual penetration testing is indispensable for comprehensive security reviews. It provides a level of scrutiny and detail that automated tests cannot match, ensuring that all potential vulnerabilities are identified and assessed.
Snapshot of an organization’s security status
Manual testing offers a detailed snapshot of an organization’s current security status. This includes insights into existing vulnerabilities, their potential impact, and the overall effectiveness of existing security measures. Such a snapshot is crucial for informed decision-making and strategic planning.
Exhaustive reporting on all vulnerabilities
The reports generated from manual penetration testing are exhaustive and detailed. They include a thorough analysis of all identified vulnerabilities, explanations of how they were discovered, and the methods used to exploit them. Additionally, these reports provide actionable recommendations for remediation, helping organizations prioritize and address security issues effectively.
Disadvantages of manual penetration testing
Despite its many benefits, manual pen tests have several drawbacks that organizations should consider when choosing their security assessment approach. Here are some of the key disadvantages:
Cost-prohibitive
One of the most significant drawbacks of manual penetration testing is the cost. Conducting a thorough manual test requires highly skilled professionals who command higher fees due to their expertise. Additionally, comprehensive testing can be time-consuming, further driving up costs.
Slower process
Manual penetration testing is inherently slower than automated testing. The meticulous nature of manual testing, which involves detailed analysis and the creative application of various tools and techniques, takes a considerable amount of time.
Variability in results
The effectiveness of manual penetration testing can vary significantly depending on the skills and experience of the testers. Different testers may employ different methods and tools, leading to inconsistent results. Experienced testers might uncover deep, complex vulnerabilities, while less experienced ones might miss critical issues.
Potential for errors and omissions
Even skilled testers are not immune to human error. There is always a risk of oversight or mistakes during manual penetration tests. Testers might overlook certain vulnerabilities, either due to the complexity of the system or simply human error. These errors and omissions can leave critical security gaps unaddressed, undermining the effectiveness of the testing process.
The above are the main pros and cons of conducting a manual pentesting on your systems. While manual penetration tests cannot exhaust all possible cases, they provide a great degree of depth and detail which can result in a significant increase in applications’ security.
What is automated penetration testing?
The automated penetration testing process leverages software tools to scan and evaluate an organization’s systems for vulnerabilities. Unlike manual pen testing, which relies on the human expertise of the testers, automated testing uses predefined algorithms and scripts to identify potential security weaknesses. This method is often referred to as vulnerability scanning or automated security testing.
Those tools are crucial because new vulnerabilities are discovered daily, and organizations need to be able to quickly establish whether they present a danger to them. In addition, automated exploit tools are also utilized, to test the vulnerabilities found by a scanner, due to the potential for false positives.
Advantages of automated penetration testing
Given the difference in scope, automated testing has its own set of advantages when compared to manual pen testing. Here are the key benefits that automated pen testing and tools offer:
Cost-effective
Automated penetration tests are generally cheaper to perform than manual tests. The initial investment in such tools is quickly offset by the ability to run frequent and repetitive tests without incurring additional labor costs.
Quick execution and regular testing
Automated testing can be executed rapidly, allowing tests to be run regularly. The speed of automated tools enables organizations to quickly identify and address vulnerabilities. Regular automated testing ensures continuous monitoring of the network’s vulnerability status, helping to keep up with the evolving threat landscape.
Easy identification of vulnerabilities
Automated tools, such as automated vulnerability scanners, are adept at quickly identifying potential weaknesses. These tools can scan large systems efficiently, flagging common security issues like outdated software, misconfigurations, and known vulnerabilities.
Integration during development and security reviews
Automated vulnerability scans can be seamlessly integrated into the development lifecycle and security review phases. Running scans during these stages helps identify and mitigate security issues early in the development process, reducing the risk of deploying vulnerable code into production environments.
Minimal manual input required
Automated tests require little to no manual input or external assistance once they are set up. This ease of use reduces the dependency on skilled security professionals and allows organizations to run tests more frequently without additional overhead.
Benchmarking over time
Automated tools facilitate benchmarking of security controls over time by providing consistent and repeatable results. Organizations can track their security posture across different periods, identify trends, and measure the effectiveness of their security measures.
Handling large data volumes
Automated tools are capable of doing repetitive tasks and collecting and analyzing large amounts of data efficiently. This capability allows for comprehensive assessments of extensive systems connected, ensuring that no area is overlooked.
Disadvantages of automated pen testing
Naturally, vulnerability scanners also have disadvantages and limits that you must keep in mind when vetting these options. The cons of using automated pen testing tools include:
Limited coverage of security layers
Automated tools cannot test all 7 security layers of a system comprehensively. They are typically designed to identify common vulnerabilities and may not delve deeply into each layer’s intricacies. This limited coverage can leave certain aspects of the system’s security unchecked.
Higher chance of false positives and negatives
Automated tools have a higher likelihood of generating false positives (incorrectly identifying vulnerabilities) and false negatives (failing to detect actual vulnerabilities). The lack of human judgment means that these tools might miss issues or raise unnecessary alarms, requiring further validation.
Inability to perform pivot attacks
Automated tools are generally unable to perform pivot attacks, which involve compromising one system to gain access to another. This limitation reduces their effectiveness in simulating real-world attack scenarios where attackers often use such techniques to escalate their access to target systems.
Lack of human expertise and creativity
Automated tools lack the expertise, experience, and creativity of human testers. They follow predefined rules and scripts, which limits their ability to adapt to novel or complex attack vectors. Human testers can think outside the box and identify vulnerabilities that automated tools might overlook.
Ineffectiveness of web applications
Automated tools can be less effective for web applications, which often require intricate testing methods that consider the unique logic and functionality of each application.
Pre-generated, less detailed reports
The reports generated by automated tools are often pre-generated and may lack depth and detailed analysis. These reports might not provide the comprehensive insights needed for effective remediation, leaving organizations with a superficial understanding of their security posture.
Automated penetration testing tools are significantly easier to implement and can be used regularly to keep track of vulnerabilities. However, they cannot match the depth, creativity, and adaptability of a manual pentest. So, which solution is better?
Automated and manual pen testing: Full Comparison
If you’re wondering which type of penetration testing service is right for your organization, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of manual testers and automated approaches is crucial. Both methods offer unique benefits and limitations, and the best choice often depends on your specific needs, budget, and security goals. Let’s compare an automated and a manual pentest at a glance to help you make a more informed decision.
Effectiveness
Manual testing excels in identifying complex vulnerabilities and provides in-depth analysis, while automated testing offers quick detection of common vulnerabilities but may miss more nuanced issues.
Coverage
Manual testing covers all security layers in detail, whereas automated testing provides broad but shallow coverage.
Cost
Automated penetration tests are generally more cost-effective, with lower initial investment and maintenance costs. Manual testing, though more expensive, offers a comprehensive security review.
Time Efficiency
Automated testing is faster and more frequent testing can be performed regularly. Manual testing, while thorough, is time-consuming and less frequent.
Accuracy
Manual testing is more accurate, minimizing false positives and negatives, and effectively identifying critical software vulnerabilities first. Automated testing has higher false positive rates than manual pen testing and may miss critical issues.
Flexibility
Manual penetration testing methodology is highly flexible and can adapt to different environments and scenarios. Automated testing is limited by the predefined test cases provided by the vendor.
Which one to choose?
The choice between manual and automated penetration testing depends on your organization’s specific needs, budget, and security goals. Ideally, a combination of both approaches should be used.
Manual penetration testing provides detailed analysis and identifies complex vulnerabilities, while automated testing ensures regular monitoring and quick identification of common issues. Combining both methods offers a comprehensive security assessment strategy, leveraging the strengths of each approach.
Looking for Manual Penetration Testing? Here’s How We Can Help!
Need a comprehensive evaluation of your system’s security? AMATAS offers in-depth manual penetration testing, providing a complete vulnerability assessment. Our experts take a multifaceted approach to identify weaknesses and deliver actionable remediation strategies tailored to your unique environment.
Ready to strengthen your defenses? Book a meeting with our experts today and discover how AMATAS can help protect your business with our expert cybersecurity testing services.
