Tutorial 12 – Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT)

Question 01. Elaborate the necessity of the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES).

Ans : Penetration testing method, it was developed by a team of information security

practitioners with the aim of addressing the need for a complete and up-to-date standard in
penetration testing. In addition to guiding security professionals, it also attempts to inform
businesses with what they should expect from a penetration test and guide them in
scoping and negotiating successful projects.

Question 02. Simply list down, the seven phases of the PTES.

Ans: The seven phases of the PTES are listed below:

 Pre-engagement Interactions
 Intelligence gathering
 Threat Modelling
 Vulnerability Analysis
 Exploitation
 Post Exploitation
 Reporting

Question 03. Elaborate the seven phases of the PTES in as much detail as you can.

Ans: The seven phases are described below

 Pre-engagement interactions: This is the preparation phase for the pen test. It is all
about document approvals and tools needed for the test.
 Intelligence gathering: In this phase information about the target system are
gathered from external sources like social media websites, official records etc. This
phase comes under OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence).
 Threat Modelling: It is a procedure for optimizing network security by identifying
objectives and vulnerabilities, and then defining countermeasures to prevent, or
mitigate the effects of, threats to the system. It is skipped in typical pan tests.
 Vulnerability Analysis: This phase discovers and validates vulnerabilities.That is risk
that an attacker could exploit and gain authorized access to the system or
application.
 Exploitation: In this phase, the tester try to reach the security of the target system
using the vulnerabilities previously identified and validated.
 Post Exploitation: This phase maintains the control over target system and collects
data.
 Reporting: Documents entire process in a form understandable to the client. The
report about the security of the target system.

Question 04. List down 4 common network vulnerabilities and elaborate them in detail.

Ans: 4 common network vulnerabilities are:

  Malware: Malware is a malicious software that is unknowingly purchased,
downloaded, or installed.
 Virus: A virus is the most common type of malware attack. In order for a virus to
infect a system it requires a user to click or copy it to media or a host.
 Keyloggers: Keylogging, or keyboard capturing, logs a user’s keystrokes and sends
data to the threat actor. Users are typically unaware that their actions are being
monitored.
 Ransomware/Crypto-Malware: Ransomware is a type of malware designed to lock
users out of their system or deny access to data until a ransom is paid. Crypto-
Malware is a type of ransomware that encrypts user files and requires payment
within a time frame and often through a digital currency like Bitcoin.

Question 05. List down and elaborate any 2 web application vulnerabilities in brief.

Ans : 2 web application vulnerabilities are

1. SQL Injection: SQL injection is a type of web application security vulnerability in

which an attacker is able to submit a database SQL command, which is executed by a
web application, exposing the back-end database.
2. Coss – Site Scripting: XSS vulnerabilities target scripts embedded in a page that are
executed on the client-side (in the user’s web browser) rather than on the server-
side.

Question 06. Elaborate the life cycle of a software vulnerability.

Ans: The life cycle of a software vulnerability.

Step 1. Unknowingly creation of the software vulnerability.

Step 2. The discovery of the software vulnerability.

Step 3. The disclosure of the software vulnerability.

Step 4. The correction of the software vulnerability.

Step 5. The revealing of the software vulnerability.

Step 6. The creation of specific exploit for that software vulnerability.

Step 7. The passing of the software vulnerability.

Step 8. The end-of-life of the software vulnerability.

Best of luck!