Become a Penetration Tester
Overview
What Are Some Penetration Tester Roles and Responsibilities?
Penetration testers seek to identify security vulnerabilities in an organization’s networks and then resolve them, sometimes creating new or improved security protocols. Your job would involve many responsibilities and tasks.As a penetration tester, you will likely be required to:
While the above are typical responsibilities for a penetration tester, you may have additional duties depending on the organization you work for. Sometimes there is overlap in IT positions, so it is essential to be flexible and to work as part of a cohesive team.
What Are Some Penetration Tester Job Requirements?
While it may be possible to find a job as a penetration tester based solely on having the right set of skills, most employers prefer to hire penetration testers who have previous relevant work experience. Some employers want employees who have at least a bachelor’s degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that employers prefer to fill entry-level positions in the field of information security analysis with applicants who have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information security, or another comparable field of study. Some employers may want penetration testers to have programming skills in specific programming languages and operating systems. Additionally, employers may require that penetration testers have certification in ethical hacking and other IT security areas.Most employers will want penetration testers to have excellent computer skills so they can attempt hacking systems. Penetration testers require solid analytical skills to evaluate and analyze the processes involved in resolving existing and potential security threats. It’s also important for penetration testers to have proficient communication skills as they will be writing reports and working closely with other IT professionals and departments. Most importantly, penetration testers must have exceptional problem-solving skills to determine the best course of action when resolving issues and protecting networks from potential threats or breaches.
What is a Typical Penetration Tester Job Description?
As a penetration tester, you will be responsible for protecting computer information systems from adversaries. Your role will include running tests on applications, networks, and software. You will attempt to hack in, allowing you to access data that should not be accessible to unauthorized individuals. You will be responsible for identifying any potential weaknesses in existing systems and collaborating with other departments and professionals to determine the most effective and efficient way to resolve them. This may require adding new or additional security measures and rewriting program code.Additional duties for a penetration tester includes reviewing any security system incidents, documenting threats, and completing reports concerning your findings. You may also be asked to design improved security protocols and policies.
Ultimately, you will utilize your knowledge to find vulnerabilities in networks, internal systems, and applications. This may include automated testing but may also require manually attempting to breach security. It may also include creating new tests to identify system weaknesses and pinpointing entry points for adversaries. When vulnerabilities are identified, you will be responsible for advising managers or executives on how to make systems more secure.
A Day in the Life of a Penetration Tester
What a typical day as a penetration tester looks like will depend on your employer. Some may travel between different sites or be required to work evenings and weekends to not disrupt the company’s workflow, or they may be able to perform some duties remotely or by telecommuting. The heart of the penetration tester position is identifying security system vulnerabilities by attempting to exploit them and then coming up with solutions to resolve the weaknesses to keep their organization’s information safe.A typical day for a penetration tester may include the following tasks:
How Long Will It Take To Be Job Ready?
Course Outline
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Fundamentals
NMAP
Social Engineering
Kali Linux Fundamentals
Password Cracking Tool Fundamentals
Password Cracking 101
Web Application Penetration Testing
Intro to Burp Suite Pro
Advanced Penetration Testing
How to Use Unicornscan (BSWR)
Offensive Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES)
Core Impact Vulnerability Scan
This exercise will introduce students to the advanced settings within the Core Impact. Students will modify scan settings to perform different types of scans and to learn about the different functionalities Core Impact provides. Students will then compare the results of a Core Impact scan to the results of a port scan against the same target and discuss the differences and similarities between the two tools. Lastly, students will use the reporting feature to generate Core Impact reports.
Creating Recommendations Based on Vulnerability Assessments
Students will use nmap and OpenVAS / Greenbone Vulnerability Scanner to confirm old vulnerable systems and discover new ones. They will perform a risk analysis of the findings and determine steps to be taken to mitigate the issues discovered.
Scanning and Mapping Networks
Students will use Zenmap to scan a network segment in order to create an updated network map and detail findings on the systems discovered. They will use the material they generated to help them discover if there have been any changes to the network after they compare it to a previously generated network map/scan.
Use a Password Cracking Utility in Linux
In this IT Pro Challenges lab, learners create five user accounts and passwords to audit in a Linux password cracking utility called John the Ripper. Skills used preparing and executing a password audits advance Exploitation, Cyber Defense, and SOC Analysts Level 3, in addition to CyberSecurity Engineers, and Penetration Testers career paths.
Red Team and Blue Team Fundamentals
Learn the cybersecurity fundamentals of how to protect IT systems from cyberattacks. In each module of this series, you will examine a scenario from both the Red Team and Blue Team perspective. First, you learn how to perform an exploit, then you learn how to apply the preventative measures to prevent that exploit from happening.
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