What Are Penetration Testing Standards?


Penetration testing standards are structured guidelines that define best practices, methodologies, and procedures for executing security assessments. These standards ensure consistency, reliability, and quality in penetration testing by providing a framework that testers can follow. They cover various aspects of the testing process, including planning, execution, reporting, and post-assessment phases.

Standards help organizations assess vulnerabilities and ensure that testing processes are repeatable, transparent, and aligned with industry requirements. Using penetration testing standards also enables better communication between security teams, stakeholders, and regulatory bodies. These standards often address compliance needs and provide clear criteria for identifying security weaknesses

Notable Penetration Testing Standards and Methodologies


1. Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP)

The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is a globally recognized initiative that provides resources and guidelines for improving the security of web applications. Among OWASP's contributions is the Web Security Testing Guide (WSTG), which serves as a comprehensive framework for conducting penetration tests on web applications. This guide helps testers identify vulnerabilities across various areas, such as input validation, authentication mechanisms, session management, and configuration weaknesses.

Key guidelines for penetration testers from the OWASP WSTG include:

  • Conducting information gathering to understand the application's structure and potential attack surfaces.

  • Testing for vulnerabilities in authentication and authorization processes to prevent unauthorized access.

  • Assessing input validation mechanisms to mitigate injection attacks, such as SQL and command injection.

  • Analyzing session management to ensure secure handling of cookies and tokens.

  • Verifying configuration settings to eliminate unnecessary exposure of sensitive data and services.

2. Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES)

The Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES) defines best practices and methodologies for conducting penetration tests. It provides a structured approach that ensures consistency, thoroughness, and quality in security assessments. PTES covers the entire testing lifecycle, from pre-engagement interactions to post-engagement activities, emphasizing the importance of clear communication, well-defined objectives, and detailed reporting.

Key guidelines for penetration testers outlined by PTES include:

  • Pre-engagement interactions: Establishing the scope, goals, and rules of engagement before testing begins.

  • Intelligence gathering: Collecting information about the target environment to identify potential attack vectors.

  • Threat modeling: Analyzing the gathered data to predict how attackers might exploit vulnerabilities.

  • Vulnerability analysis: Identifying weaknesses that could be exploited and understanding their impact.

  • Exploitation: Attempting to exploit vulnerabilities to determine their practical risk.

  • Post-exploitation: Assessing the extent of access achieved and its implications for the organization.

  • Reporting: Providing clear, actionable findings and recommendations for remediation.

3. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST SP 800-115)

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s special publication 800-115 provides a guide for conducting technical information security tests and assessments, including penetration testing. NIST SP 800-115 outlines processes for planning, executing, and analyzing such tests within federally run systems, with its practices and principles adopted across different industries.

Key guidelines for penetration testers outlined by NIST SP 800-115 include:

  • Planning: Defining the scope, objectives, and rules of engagement for the testing activities.

  • Information gathering and discovery: Collecting data about the target systems to identify potential vulnerabilities and entry points.

  • Vulnerability identification: Systematically identifying and analyzing security weaknesses in the system.

  • Exploitation: Validating vulnerabilities by attempting to exploit them in a controlled and authorized manner.

  • Post-testing activities: Documenting findings, analyzing the impact, and providing actionable recommendations to stakeholders.

  • Reporting: Delivering a clear, concise report detailing the test methodology, identified vulnerabilities, and remediation steps.

4. Information System Security Assessment Framework (ISSAF)

The Information System Security Assessment Framework (ISSAF) offers a structured approach to assessing the security of information systems, incorporating principles of penetration testing. ISSAF covers technical testing, physical security assessments, and operational policies evaluations. This ensures that security evaluations address all potential vulnerabilities.

Key guidelines for penetration testers outlined by ISSAF include:

  • Pre-assessment planning: Clearly defining objectives, scope, and rules of engagement to align testing with organizational requirements.

  • Information gathering: Collecting data about the target environment, such as network topology, system details, and potential entry points.

  • Vulnerability analysis: Identifying and prioritizing weaknesses in the system based on their potential impact.

  • Exploitation: Attempting to exploit identified vulnerabilities in a controlled environment to assess their severity.

  • Post-exploitation analysis: Determining the extent of access gained and assessing the potential risks to the organization.

  • Reporting: Delivering findings with detailed recommendations for remediation and improvement.

5. MITRE ATT&CK Framework

The MITRE ATT&CK Framework is a knowledge base that categorizes tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by adversaries to compromise systems and achieve their objectives. It serves as a resource for penetration testers by offering insights into real-world attack methods and providing a structured approach to simulate and assess potential threats.

Key guidelines for penetration testers using the MITRE ATT&CK Framework include:

  • Threat simulation: Mapping penetration testing activities to adversarial tactics and techniques documented in the framework.

  • Gap analysis: Identifying gaps in the organization’s defensive capabilities against specific TTPs.

  • Scenario development: Designing realistic attack scenarios that align with the framework’s categorized techniques.

  • Testing and validation: Evaluating the effectiveness of security controls by executing mapped techniques in a controlled environment.

  • Reporting: Providing detailed findings linked to ATT&CK techniques, helping organizations understand and address their weaknesses.

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Mike Belton - Head of Service Delivery
With 25+ years in infosec, Michael excels in security, teaching, and leadership, with roles at Optiv, Rapid7, Pentera, and Madison College.
  • Tailor standards to industry-specific threats

    • Use penetration testing standards as a baseline but adjust your methodologies to reflect industry-specific risks. For example, financial services might emphasize web application security (leveraging OWASP), while healthcare might prioritize privacy-related assessments and endpoint protection using NIST SP 800-115.

  • Combine PTES with MITRE ATT&CK for threat emulation

    • PTES offers a structured approach to testing, but incorporating MITRE ATT&CK can help you simulate real-world adversarial tactics. Use MITRE ATT&CK’s techniques to enhance your threat modeling phase, especially for emulating advanced persistent threats (APTs) during testing.

  • Establish pre-engagement protocols based on standards

    • Use PTES or OSSTMM to define clear pre-engagement protocols, covering scope, legal implications, and communication channels. This helps prevent scope creep and ensures that all parties agree on the objectives and boundaries before testing begins.

  • Create compliance checklists mapped to NIST 800-115 and regulatory standards

    • To align penetration testing with regulatory requirements, map each phase of NIST SP 800-115 to specific compliance frameworks like PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or GDPR. This can help you efficiently demonstrate compliance during audits while also ensuring comprehensive testing.

  • Leverage OSSTMM for a metrics-based approach

    • OSSTMM’s focus on quantifiable metrics can bring objectivity to penetration testing. Use its guidelines to create measurable assessments of your security posture, such as “trust levels” for different zones in your network, which can help justify budget requests for security improvements.


Evolution of Penetration Testing Techniques and Standards


The domain of penetration testing is continuously evolving to keep pace with technological advancements and emerging threats. Techniques and standards adapt by incorporating new development paradigms.

Cloud and Infrastructure as Code Security Testing

Cloud and infrastructure as code (IaC) security testing have become integral as organizations shift towards cloud-native architectures. These approaches require tailored testing methodologies that account for the unique aspects of cloud services and automated infrastructure provisioning.

Penetration testing in this context focuses on misconfigurations, data exposure risks, and access control flaws introduced by IaC practices. It aims to ensure that security policies are embedded into the codebase, preventing vulnerabilities before deployment. IaC security testing improves collaboration between development and security teams.

DevSecOps Integration

Integrating penetration testing in DevSecOps embeds security into the software development lifecycle. This fosters a culture where security is treated as a shared responsibility among development, security, and operations teams. Continuous penetration testing becomes a component of the CI/CD pipeline, allowing for real-time security assessments and feedback on vulnerabilities as code is developed and released.

DevSecOps integration ensures that security controls evolve along with development practices, improving agility without compromising safety. Automated testing and security checks are embedded, reducing bottlenecks and enabling faster vulnerability remediation.

Automation in Penetration Testing

Automation in penetration testing relies on tools and scripts to replicate testing activities that traditionally required time-consuming manual effort. Automated solutions improve efficiency by performing repetitive tasks quickly and accurately, such as scanning for common vulnerabilities or conducting baseline assessments.

The shift to automation allows human testers to focus on complex, nuanced vulnerabilities that demand critical thinking and creative approaches. It improves scalability, enabling regular and extensive security assessments without overwhelming schedules. Automation also enables continuous testing, allowing for real-time feedback loops to assist expert analysis.

Continuous Penetration Testing

Continuous penetration testing is an approach that integrates regular, ongoing security testing into an organization’s operations to detect vulnerabilities and address them in near real time. Unlike traditional penetration testing, which is typically conducted periodically, continuous testing operates on a more frequent or constant basis, providing a dynamic assessment of security.

In continuous penetration testing, automated tools and processes monitor for security risks around the clock. This setup is often supported by integrations with CI/CD pipelines and other DevSecOps tools to align security assessments with rapid software development cycles. It enables frequent vulnerability scans and testing after each code update or deployment.

This approach is especially effective in cloud-native environments, where infrastructure changes frequently, and new security issues can arise from configuration updates or third-party dependencies.