🎯 A Structured Methodology for Security Testing
A systematic and structured methodology is the cornerstone of any successful security assessment, from bug bounty hunting to professional penetration testing. A well-defined process ensures comprehensive coverage, reproducibility, and a higher likelihood of discovering critical vulnerabilities.
This section outlines a phased approach that provides a clear roadmap for security testing engagements.
📈 The Three Phases of Testing
The methodology is broken down into three logical phases, each building upon the previous one:
1. Reconnaissance
Goal: To gather as much information as possible about the target organization and its digital footprint.
This is the initial intelligence-gathering phase. It involves passively and actively collecting data to understand the target's infrastructure, technologies, and potential attack vectors. The more thorough the reconnaissance, the more effective the subsequent phases will be.
➡️ Learn more in the Reconnaissance section
2. Enumeration
Goal: To actively probe and identify specific services, users, and potential vulnerabilities on the discovered assets.
Once the attack surface is mapped out, the next step is to zoom in and enumerate the details. This involves interacting with the target's systems to identify running services, open ports, user accounts, software versions, and misconfigurations.
➡️ Learn more in the Enumeration section
3. Exploitation
Goal: To validate and exploit the identified vulnerabilities in a controlled and ethical manner.
This is the phase where the discovered vulnerabilities are tested to confirm their impact. The focus is on demonstrating the risk to the organization, which can range from unauthorized data access to complete system compromise. This phase also includes post-exploitation activities, such as privilege escalation and lateral movement.
➡️ Learn more in the Exploitation Workflow section
By following this structured methodology, security researchers can conduct their testing in an organized, efficient, and effective manner.