What is gray box penetration testing?
Gray box penetration test is like gray color which is a combination of black and white colors, it is a combination of white box penetration test and black box penetration test. In the black box method, without any knowledge of the internal details of the application, the security evaluation of the application is done by tools or manually. In white box testing, the application is evaluated using information products from the application such as source code, design and architecture diagrams, and data model manually or by automated tools. The gray box test is also placed between the previous 2 methods in terms of the amount of information from the application.
In fact, in this method, unlike black box testing (where the tester has no internal knowledge) and white box testing (where the tester has complete internal knowledge), the tester has limited knowledge of the performance of the system or application under review, the infrastructure, the technologies used, the mechanisms It has existing security and... It is also suggested that clear distinctions be made between testers and developers when performing gray box penetration testing so that the evaluation results are reliable.
What test level is best for you?
Black-box, white-box, and gray-box penetration testing each have unique advantages.
White box testing is an approach that involves evaluating a system or application based on thorough knowledge of its internal functionality, code, and architecture. This test can help uncover security issues, data flow errors, and bugs in rarely used paths. This type of test is performed when the company needs to test the security level of the systems against a certain type of attacks or specific targets.
Black box testing evaluates a product from the perspective of an external user, without knowing its inner workings. So it's an end-to-end approach that evaluates all systems that affect the end user, including UI/UX, web servers, database, and integrated systems.
Gray box testing is a combination of black box and white box testing. On the one hand, tests are performed from the user's perspective, and on the other hand, testers use some limited internal information to focus on the most important issues and identify system weaknesses.
The advantages of gray box penetration testing include the following:
Unbiased assessment: Gray box penetration testing is conducted unbiased and without any preconceived notions. This allows the tester to check and identify all the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the system.
Identifying Unknown Vulnerabilities: By logging into the target system and with limited knowledge, the tester can discover vulnerabilities that are not yet known and identify and report them through manual testing and assessment methods.
Comprehensive Security Assessment: Gray-box penetration testing allows the tester to assess all aspects of a system's security, including technical, functional, and operational vulnerabilities. This helps organizations to improve their security vulnerabilities and protect their systems from various attacks.
Tips for increasing security: Gray box penetration testing provides organizations with comprehensive information about system weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and attack paths. This information can help organizations to implement the necessary solutions and improve the security of their systems.
However, the goal of penetration testing is to identify as many vulnerabilities as possible. While all three types of penetration testing have their pros and cons, choosing the right penetration testing strategy for your business depends on the systems you want to assess, your cybersecurity goals, and the amount of information you want to provide to the testing team. Gray box testing is generally the best strategy for most organizations because it is the most efficient, fastest, and most cost-effective method of penetration testing.