11 October 2024

In today's complicated digital world, cyber threats are always coming at companies. Organizations need to do regular penetration testing to find security holes and evaluate their security stance in order to protect their valuable assets and keep their operations running smoothly. Having a named penetration test point of contact (PTPOC) is a key part of any penetration test that goes well.

The role of the penetration test point of contact

The PTPOC is where the company and the penetration testing team talk to each other the most. They are very important for making sure that the testing process goes smoothly and that everyone involved is on the same page and up to date. The PTPOC works as a go-between and gives the penetration testing team the information, tools, and access they need to do their job. They also act as a way for people to talk to each other, telling the group how the test is going and answering any questions or concerns that may come up.

For any penetration testing job to go well, there needs to be a specific point of contact for the test. The PTPOC is very important for keeping an organization safe because it helps with testing, communicates clearly, and makes it easier for people to get in.

penetration test point of contact for smooth coordination, streamlined communication

In a penetration test, what is a point of contact test?

A penetration test point of contact (PoC) is the person who is in charge of coordinating between the company being tested and the external penetration testing team, which is usually a group of third-party consultants. As a Security Testing Liaison, the PoC is very important for making sure everything runs smoothly by managing contact, giving people access to the systems they need, and fixing any problems that come up during testing. This person usually works for the company and knows a lot about its technical infrastructure and security rules. They may be from the IT, cybersecurity, or compliance team.

What makes a Point of Contact so important for penetration testing?

There are several important reasons why a penetration test point of contact is necessary for the test to be successful:

1. Makes communication easier

During a penetration test, it's important for the testing team and the company to keep in touch. A clear way to communicate is needed for talks about the test's scope, progress reports, and dealing with problems that came up out of the blue. The PoC makes sure that the right people get all the important information, which keeps the process on track.

2. Makes it easier to get to resources

The proof of concept makes sure that the testing team has access to important things like system credentials, network diagrams, application access, and security rules. This keeps things from taking too long, so the testing team can focus on finding holes instead of waiting for entry.

3. Takes care of the test's goals and scope

The PoC is very important for laying out and talking about the test's goals and scope, making sure that the test stays within the limits that were agreed upon. This includes writing down information about private systems that shouldn't be accessed so that important business operations don't get interrupted.

4. Plans how to respond to the findings

Once weaknesses are found, the PoC works with internal teams to fix the problems that were found. As a Vulnerability Assessment Coordinator, they make sure that everyone knows how bad each problem is and that efforts to fix them are properly tracked and carried out.

Important Things a Penetration Test Point of Contact Must Do

1. Setting the goals and scope of the test

Before testing starts, the PoC works with both internal teams and the testing team to set the goals and boundaries of the test. This makes sure that everyone knows what needs to be tested, what can't be tried, and what the goal of the test is.

2. Making sure everyone has access

The PoC makes entry easier by giving the testing team credentials, whitelisting IPs, and making sure they have the rights they need to work quickly and efficiently.

3. Keeping lines of communication open

During the penetration test, the PoC makes sure that regular progress updates are shared, problems are dealt with quickly, and results are shared with the right people so there are no misunderstandings or delays.

4. Handling interruptions to tests and keeping the business running

If there is a problem during the test, like setting off security alarms, the PoC helps handle the situation and makes sure there are plans in place for business stability.

5. Supervising the cleanup after the test

After the test, the PoC makes sure that all the appropriate teams work together to fix the problems, checks to see if the vulnerabilities have been fixed, and may set up follow-up tests if needed.

How to Pick the Best Person to Talk to About Penetration Testing

1. Knowledge of technology

To speak well with the testing team and understand technical details, the PoC should know about the company's IT infrastructure, security protocols, and architecture.

2. Being aware of security rules

For the PoC, it's important to know about compliance standards like SOC 2 and PCI DSS, especially when planning tests that involve private data or regulatory requirements.

3. Good at talking to people

The PoC needs to be able to communicate clearly about the test's goals, keep everyone up to date, and keep everyone on the same page throughout the process.

4. Power to Make Decisions

If the PoC wants to make sure the test goes smoothly, they should be able to make decisions like giving system access or changing the test's scope.

Stages penetration test point of contact

1. Making plans and doing research

In the first step of vulnerability testing,

  • Choosing the systems that will be tested and the testing methods that will be used, as well as the test's goals and limits.
  • Getting information about the target, like network data, domain names, and mail servers, to learn more about how it works and find possible weaknesses.

2. Looking at

At this stage, you check to see how the target program handles different attempts to break in. There are two main ways that scanning is usually done:

  • Static analysis looks at the code of an application to guess how it will act when it is working. Static analysis tools look through all of the code at once.
  • Dynamic analysis looks at an app while it's running, giving you a real-time picture of how well it works when it's being attacked.

3. How to Get In

At this point, testers use web application hacks like SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and backdoors to take advantage of the holes they've found. The goal is to get more power, steal private information, or listen in on traffic in order to figure out what kind of damage an attacker could do.

4. Keeping access open

The point is to find out if a weakness lets someone stay in the system for a long time. This looks like advanced persistent threats (APTs), in which attackers stay hidden for a long time and could compromise important data over time.

5. An analysis

In the last step, the data are put together into a full report that includes:

  • Exploits of Vulnerabilities
  • Access to sensitive data

Ways to Do Penetration Testing

1. Testing from outside

External tests are mostly about things that can be seen by everyone, like websites, web apps, and email services. The goal is to find weaknesses and take advantage of them to get useful information.

2. Testing on the inside

In internal testing, a tester pretends to be an insider who can get in through the firewall and launch an attack. This can include things like using stolen passwords from a phishing attack to act like a bad employee or someone who has been hacked.

3. Tests to hide

The tester only knows the name of the company being tested on in a blind test. This mimics an actual attack, which helps security teams understand how a real attack might go.

4. Tests with Two Blind People

In a double-blind test, neither the tester nor the security staff know about the fake attack ahead of time. This makes a true situation where defenses aren't ready, which is like the real world.

5. Testing with a Goal

During focused testing, the tester and the security team work together and share information as the process goes on. This method is used as a training tool because it gives security staff real-time feedback and views from the tester's (hacker's) point of view.

Conclusion

Having a specific penetration test point of contact is important for making sure that security is coordinated well during the testing process. The PoC makes it easier for internal teams and external testers to talk to each other. This helps avoid misunderstandings, solve problems quickly, and improve the quality of the security review as a whole. This job is very important for keeping operations running easily and making sure that the penetration test goes as planned. Trust SafeAeon to give you professional advice and full cybersecurity solutions that are tailored to the needs of your company for penetration testing and security coordination.

SafeAeon offers complete cybersecurity awareness solutions that are designed to meet the needs of today's digital world for companies that want to improve their security culture. Work with SafeAeon to set up proactive, up-to-date training programs that are in line with the online Cyber Awareness Challenge 2024. This will help your company stay safe from online threats that are always getting worse.

Frequently Asked Questions About Penetration Test Point of Contact

Setting up clear lines of communication between the organization and the testers, keeping everyone up to date on progress on a daily basis, and quickly responding to any concerns or requests for information that may come up during testing are all things that the point of contact makes sure happens.
Yes, a well-organized penetration test proof of concept (PoC) can greatly enhance the test outcomes by making sure that testers have quick access to the resources they need, minimizing any potential delays, and raising the general standard of the testing process.
A penetration test point of contact (PoC) should know a lot about cybersecurity, be able to communicate clearly, and have managed security projects or tests before. It's also helpful to know about the organization's foundation.
The Proof of Concept makes sure that private data is treated safely by following best practices for data protection, limiting access to important data, and making sure that the testers follow the agreed-upon privacy protocols.

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