With the increasing number of cyber threats globally, understanding the differences between external and internal Penetration testing has become more crucial than ever. The struggle for most companies is not just about running these tests, but understanding which one is best suited for their organization. This blog post explores the subtle yet crucial differences between external and internal Penetration testing. A key understanding of 'external vs internal pen test' will guide you to implement the best security measures to safeguard your organization from potential threats.

The comparison will be based on several factors and considerations such as purpose, objectives, approach, scope, benefits, limitations, and more. Let's dive deeper and understand how these two methodologies differ, providing a different line of attack towards your organization's defense structures.

What is External Penetration Testing?

External Penetration testing or 'external pen test' refers to an exercise where the tester tries to identify and exploit vulnerabilities existing in a system, but from an external or outsider's perspective. It's a test simulating an attack from a cybercriminal targeting externally facing assets such as webservers, email servers, DNS, firewalls, etc.

What is Internal Penetration Testing?

Contrarily, internal Penetration testing or 'internal pen test' is a security measure where the tester acts as an authenticated entity or an internal user. They assess the contingencies of internal threats or attacks coming from an organization's users or stakeholders. The internal pen test could also simulate scenarios where an attacker has bypassed the external perimeter defense and has obtained internal access privilege.

External vs Internal Pen Test: Purpose and Objectives

In an 'external vs internal pen test', both have different purposes and objectives. An external penetration test is designed to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in an organization's security infrastructure that could be exploited by external attackers. Some of the objectives can be to uncover security issues in your firewall configuration, flaws in your servers, or vulnerabilities in your applications.

An internal pen test, on the other hand, is focused more on identifying how much damage can be inflicted by insiders or once an external attacker has breached the external defenses. It aims to discover vulnerabilities in the systems and processes in place that limit or prevent malicious activities by internal stakeholders or already authenticated users.

Differences in Approach

In an 'external vs internal pen test' scenario, we notice a significant difference in the approach. An external pen test typically begins with reconnaissance, where the tester gathers information about potential targets. It then moves into the scanning phase, exploiting, and finally reporting.

Internal pen tests often start with a mapping phase, where the tester, who already has access credentials, understands the environment. It then moves to vulnerability identification, exploitation, increase privileges, and finally, reporting. The tester attempts to mimic a malicious insider or an external attacker who has managed to infiltrate the network.

Scope, Benefits, and Limitations

When it comes to scope, an external pen test primarily focuses on the organization's externally facing assets, while the scope of an internal pen test can be vast, encompassing all internal systems and users.

Concerning benefits and limitations, an external pen test helps businesses find vulnerabilities in their public-facing assets before hackers do. However, it might not provide visibility into attacks that stem from within an organization. On the contrary, internal pen tests highlight potential insider threats but don’t give insights into external security breaches.

Conclusion: External and Internal Pen Test Compatibility

In conclusion, understanding the 'external vs internal pen test' differences highlights the importance of both assessment types in an organization's cybersecurity strategy. An organization should utilize both methods in tandem since they cover different areas of the system and network. A comprehensive security policy should incorporate both internal and external Penetration testing. This will ensure a well-rounded investigation of potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited internally or externally. A multi-dimensional approach towards cybersecurity involving both methodologies can add substantial value, improving the organization's resilience towards cyber threats.