Let's learn about Penetration Testing via these 75 free blog posts. They are ordered by HackerNoon reader engagement data. Visit the Learn Repo or LearnRepo.com to find the most read blog posts about any technology.
Penetration testing, or pen testing, is a simulated cyberattack against a computer system to check for exploitable vulnerabilities. It matters for proactive cybersecurity, helping organizations identify and patch weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them.
1. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerabilities: Testing Strategies and Examples
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerabilities: Testing Strategies and Examples. Stored XSS, DOM-based XSS, Self-XSS, Reflected XSS, Prevention Techniques
2. Cybersecurity Tips: Vulnerability Scanners Essentials
Cybersecurity Vulnerability Scanners Essentials, OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite, Nessus, Sn1per, Metasploit, SQLMap.
3. All the Methods You Can Use to Hack into a Website
In this article, we are looking into various basic methods of hacking into a user's web account and the website's database itself by using some basic methods.
4. Top Resources to Learn Ethical Hacking
In this article, I will list the best resources all over the internet which will help you to be a hacker yourself.
5. UNCOVERING HIDDEN SSIDs
Before we move on to understand how an SSID attack is launched let us cover some basics first so that you know exactly what you are doing.
6. Inside the Secrets of Physical Penetration Testing
Not every pen tester hacks computers — physical pen testers use people skills, social engineering, and other physical methods to gain access. Here's how.
7. The Basics of Penetration Testing
Here is the detailed blog on penetration testing. Check it to know what it is, its steps, methods, and the best tools for penetration testing.
8. A Short Guide to Installing WSL2 and Kali Linux on Windows 10
This guide will show you how to install the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) on Windows 10 with Kali Linux.
9. How To Dockerize Your Pen-testing Lab [feat. Kali Linux]
Tools & Skills
10. What Is the GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN) Certification?
You need to ensure your resources are put to the best use. With that in mind, it is important to know more about what the GIAC Penetration Tester Certification
11. Ethical Hacking 101: The Basics
Introduction to Ethical Hacking
12. Penetration Testing Companies: Comparing The Top 5 Vendors
Read this blog to get the info you need about cost, pros, and more, to pick the best pen testing vendor for your unique needs.
13. Top Security Penetration Testing Companies
Cybercrime is one of the world’s fastest-growing threats, with malicious actors constantly elaborating their methods of undetectable intrusion. According to Verizon’s Business 2020 Data Breach Investigations report, there has been a 100% increase in web app breaches, and stolen credentials were used in more than 80% of these cases. These statistics are worrying for many businesses that actively move their processes to the cloud and deal heavily with customers’ personal data.
14. Installing KALI LINUX on a Virtual Machine [A Step by Step Guide]
There are a number of ways that you can use to run a different operational systems in the same hardware that you currently have. DVDs, USBs and hard disks are some of the options that you could go for. In this tutorial we are going to assume that you do not have a dedicated computer to run Kali Linux (or any other linux distribution), and therefore we will run it from a virtualised environment, which is the equivalent of a "Virtual PC".
15. Penetration Testing And Vulnerability Scanning
Dive into the realm of cybersecurity with our in-depth exploration of vulnerability scanning and penetration testing. Uncover the nuances, security issues, and
16. I Built an AI Copilot That Thinks in Exploits, Not Prompts
The story of how the AI pentesting assistant, RAWPA, evolved from a static toolkit into a dynamic, learning system.
17. A Comprehensive Guide to Penetration Testing
We'll go through the Top 5 Pen Testing Firms in this blog article, as well as what makes them special.
18. A tale of Red Team Operation (RTO) to hack a company remotely & pivot across the Cloud assets
Pulse VPN exploitation chained with other vulnerabilities during an ongoing Red Team Operation to hack the company remotely. By Dhanesh Dodia - HeyDanny
19. How To Integrate Security Testing Into Your Software Development Life Cycle
20. Explaining Info-Sec in Layman's Terms [Part II]
The reality of modern information security in enterprises around the world explained in layman's terms for the uninitiated to understand and visualise.
21. Red Team vs. Blue Team in Cybersecurity: A Quick Crash Course
Red and Blue teams are simulated real-world attacks used in organizations to test a company's current security rules. Each team aids in improving the security.
22. Nmap: From Movies to the Most Used Tool in the Industry
Nmap was seen in many successful movies, from Chloe to Rihanna and die-hard 4. Discover the tool from a technical perspective.
23. Web Application Penetration Testing: A Complete Guide
Your website can be the next ‘target’ if you don’t take the necessary steps to secure it. One of the most appropriate step is to conduct a penetration testing.
24. CVE-2022-31705: Bridged Creek Vulnerability Report
Information on the CVE-2022-31705 critical sandbox escape vulnerability announced by VMWare.
25. Ethical Hacking 101: Part 2
Ethical Hacking 101: Part 2
26. What Is Penetration Testing and How It’s Done
Penetration testing (also known as pentesting) is a form of ethical hacking. It involves breaking into a computer system, network, or web application to find security vulnerabilities that could be exposed by hackers.
27. Why Zero-Day Attacks are so Dangerous and How to Stop Them
Cybersecurity is becoming an internal and important part of a business's functioning as more and more enterprises are going online with their businesses.
28. Channel Your Inner Hacker By Breaking Into a System With Nothing But a Name
From initial information gathering to vulnerability identification and exploitation, we show how each phase builds on the last.
29. The Pen-Tester's Arsenal: ProjectDiscovery's CVEmap to Nuclei Template Mapping
How to bridge CVEmap and Nuclei for pen-testers.
30. Top Penetration Testing Tools for Professionals
Looking for penetration testing tools, which is good. Here is the list of some best tools with comparison. Check out this post.
31. Learn Pentesting/Hacking - The Red Team
All materials tested by myself
32. Everything You Need to Know About Web Application Penetration Testing Services
In this blog post, we'll discuss why it's important to have regular penetration tests performed on your web applications.
33. CVE-2022-42856: Adjoining Splittail Vulnerability Report
A look at CVE-2022-42856, reported by Apple as a vulnerability under active exploitation.
34. Creativity is the Heart of Cybersecurity
Insights from a Q&A with Deflect’s Founder, Kevin Voellmer
35. I Built an AI Copilot for Pentesting—Then Turned It Off
It wasn't a "get bugs quick scheme," but a companion to provide more ideas when your own list runs out.
36. "Vibe Hacking" and the Rise of the AI-Augmented Attacker
AI is helping attackers level up. Here’s how phishing, recon, and exploitation are evolving and why outdated defenses won’t cut it anymore.
37. Beyond Cracking the Handshake: A Technical Analysis of WPA2 Weaknesses and Router Exposure
A captured handshake. One Reddit comment. Full router access. See how weak security choices cascade into complete network compromise and how to stop it.
38. On Cyberattacks and Data Security Solutions with Eyal Wachsman
The US Government might be the latest victim of increasingly sophisticated global cyberattacks, but these breaches have long been a threat across all sectors.
39. What Is a Penetration Test and Why Do SAAS Companies Need It?
Discover the critical role of penetration testing in enhancing the security of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms.
40. The Importance of Web Penetration Testing
A pen test or penetration test is a modeled cyber-attack on your computer system to look for vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
41. How an Arts Graduate Ended Up Managing Cybersecurity and Penetration Testing Projects
You don't need a computer science degree to manage complex technical projects. Curiosity, structure, and persistence turned out to be enough.
42. 5 Popular Types of Penetration Testing for SaaS Businesses
If you are running a SaaS business, you know that security is everything. Nowadays, we can see many different cyberattacks and their variants targeting SaaS.
43. I Built an AI That Autonomously Penetration Tests a Target, Then Writes Its Own SIEM Defense Rules
VANGUARD is an open-source AI agent that autonomously pen-tests targets, explains its reasoning in real-time, and writes its own SIEM detection rules.
44. Ethical Hacking for Beginners: Penetration Testing 101
Penetration testing or ethical hacking is used to get access to resources. Hackers carry out attacks to uncover security vulnerabilities & assess their strength
45. How I Hacked a Colorfit Pro 4
How I hacked Colorfit pro 4 is a blog where I (iamatulsingh) shared how and why I did that.
46. So, You Want to be a Pen-Tester?
Have you ever wanted to know what it takes to be a pen tester? Join me and I will tell you a tale about my first experience being a pen tester.
47. The Future of Automated Security Testing
With vehicles becoming more software-defined, the need for higher quality and more automated security testing is evident.
48. Exploring Quality in Pentesting
Quality in pentesting can mean different things for different groups of people--from the prospective buyer to an existing customer
49. Hands-On With AWS’s New AI “Frontier” Security Reviewer
The AWS Security Agent is a new, AI-powered "frontier agent" that proactively secures applications throughout the entire development lifecycle.
50. Think Your Pentests Are Thorough Enough? Think Again!
Ways to improve penetration test coverage, discover hidden endpoints, request parameters, and application features.
51. My First Steps in Cybersecurity: What I Have Learned and Tools I'm Using
This text is an extract from what I studied in these past few days, and I hope it will inspire others in cybersecurity.
52. 10 Ways to Mitigate Cybersecurity Risks and Prevent Data Theft
Use the provided recommendations to make it as difficult as possible for cybercriminals to get into your system.
53. Top Penetration Testing Companies and Tools
Penetration testing, or 'pen tests' as they are colloquially known, basically consist of a hack or cyber-attack on one's system.
54. Ethical Hacking and Its Relevance To Cybersecurity
Ethical hacking, also known as penetration testing or pen testing, is getting legal authorization and access to breaking into computers, applications, etc.
55. Security For PMs: A Step-By-Step Guide
Cybersecurity is among the most significant trends over the last decade and has become even more important now, especially due to more remote work being done. From ransomware to cyber espionage, hackers have developed sophisticated techniques to break into your project/company data and get away with critical information or demand ransom.
Even well known organizations such as Canon, Garmin, Twitter, Honda, and Travelex have fallen victims to malicious actors. A data breach can be a disaster for your company/project, destroy the trust of your customers, and spoil your company’s reputation.
56. Read This Before You Panic About Your Penetration Report
Your pen test report is not a verdict. It's a conversation starter. The problem is that most people read it like a verdict - and then panic.
57. 3 Simple Python Tests to Check Your Web App’s Authentication Security
Catch common web app vulnerabilities with simple Python scripts. Learn to detect IDOR, path traversal, and unauthenticated API access before attackers do.
58. Everything From Rookie Mistakes to a New Feature: My Passion Project's Wildest Week
My passion project has completely hijacked my brain, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
59. A New Internet's Foundation or A Damp Squib: How can “Security's Game Changer” Be So Insecure?
60. Quality in Pentesting: Exploring Alignment and Expectations
61. Legacy Systems and CVEs: The Unseen Threat to Ghana's Digital Landscape
A security analysis of Ghanaian websites reveals critical flaws. Learn about GravexLabs' plan to fix it with free VAPT for businesses & free cybersecurity train
62. How We Built an M&A Security Playbook: From Due Diligence to Penetration Testing
A practical, 3-phase framework for running security assessments and pen testing during M&A - built from real acquisitions, not theory.
63. Our Testing Platform Can Enable a Researcher to Rapidly Establish and Experiment With ECU Networks
Here's how our testing platform can enable a researcher to rapidly establish and experiment with numerous ECU networks to support their security research.
64. Top Penetration Testing Providers: What You Need to Know Before Opting for One
In this blog post, we will take a look at the best penetration testing companies and explain what you need to know before opting for one.
65. How to Staff a Pentest: The Importance of Matching Resources to Requirements
66. Important Software Security Terms You Should Know
Everybody in the IT industry should be aware of software security basics. It doesn’t matter if you’re a developer, system engineer, or product manager; security is everyone’s responsibility. Here’s a guide to essential software security terms.
67. Shell Stabilization Guide: Fixing Reverse, Web, and Unstable Shells
Most reverse shells are unstable — no tab completion, broken arrow keys, CTRL+C kills everything. This guide covers practical techniques to stabilize any shell
68. Pro Tips For Crowdsourced Penetration Testing
Bug bounties, crowd-sourced penetration tests are increasingly becoming popular. See the top six tips for participating in a bug bounty program.
69. Reviewing the Security Posture of Web Session Management With Wireshark
Evaluating the security posture of the WEB session management and distinguishing common attack patterns and vulnerable conditions.
70. Hide an Admin User on Cisco IOS (Router/Switch) Platform [A How-To Guide]
Beginning Reminder: This article is written for research and experimentation purposes only. Only ever access devices you have written, legal authorization to access.
71. Automation Is Old News—The Future Is Autonomous Security Agents
RAWPA, the AI pentesting assistant, evolves with its most powerful feature yet: the Pentest Orchestrator.
72. Successful Collaboration in Cybersecurity: If the Only Tool You Have Is a Hammer…
If the hammer is the tool you are best with, I think you should use it as much as possible. I feel it would help collaboration
73. Pentesting Might Be the “Easy” Part: Here's Why
Even tho I am proud of the complex sjḱills and deep knowledge pentesting requires, I have to admit that it is sometimes the easy part.
74. 5 Tips for Better Cybersecurity in Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry is incredibly vulnerable to cyber attacks, but there's still hope. Here's how the industry can improve.
75. Penetration Testing Is Essential To Your IT Security Strategy
With the help of penetration testing, you can locate those vulnerabilities. Once discovered, your IT department can set about patching the vulnerable devices.
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