Rebecca Kappel Staff answered 1 year ago | Aspect | External Penetration Testing | Internal Penetration Testing |
| Attack Origin | Attacks originate from outside the organization’s network boundaries. | Attacks originate from within the organization’s internal network. |
| Objectives | Identify and mitigate vulnerabilities that external attackers could exploit to breach the network perimeter. | Uncover vulnerabilities and weaknesses within the internal network infrastructure. |
| Assessment Methodology | Involves reconnaissance, vulnerability scanning, and exploitation of external-facing vulnerabilities. | Follows similar methodology but focuses on internal network infrastructure. |
| Testing Scenarios | Exploitation of vulnerabilities in publicly accessible services like web applications or email servers. | Simulates attacks such as lateral movement within the internal network, privilege escalation, or data exfiltration. |
External Penetration Testing vs. Internal Penetration Testing
Attack Origin
External Penetration Testing The attacks simulated in external penetration testing originate outside the organization’s network boundaries. This could include attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in public-facing services, such as web servers or email systems.
Internal Penetration Testing: Conversely, internal penetration testing focuses on attacks within the organization’s internal network. This could involve scenarios where an employee with legitimate access intentionally or unintentionally compromises the network’s security.
Objectives
External Penetration Testing: The primary objective of external penetration testing is to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities that could be exploited by external attackers to breach the organization’s network perimeter and gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or resources.
Internal Penetration Testing: Internal penetration testing aims to uncover vulnerabilities and weaknesses within the internal network infrastructure that could be exploited by malicious insiders or external attackers who have already gained access to the internal network. It helps assess the effectiveness of internal security controls and detect potential insider threats.
Assessment Methodology
External Penetration Testing: External penetration testing typically involves reconnaissance to gather information about the organization’s external network infrastructure, followed by vulnerability scanning and exploitation of identified vulnerabilities from an external perspective.
Internal Penetration Testing: Internal penetration testing follows a similar methodology but focuses on the internal network infrastructure. It includes reconnaissance to gather information about internal systems and networks, vulnerability assessment, and exploitation of vulnerabilities from within the organization’s internal network.
Testing Scenarios
External Penetration Testing: Testing scenarios in external penetration testing often involve attempting to exploit vulnerabilities in publicly accessible services, such as web applications, email servers, or remote access systems.
Internal Penetration Testing: Internal penetration testing scenarios may include simulating attacks such as lateral movement within the internal network, privilege escalation, or exfiltration of sensitive data from within the organization’s internal systems.
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