Penetration Testing Standards

Penetration testing standard defines Penetration testing and provides a basic guideline to perform Penetration testing with effectiveness. From the initial phase of penetration testing, we must follow the correct path. We must have some basic checks to perform. But we may miss some of these basic checks. So, we can rely on commonly recognized penetration testing standards. All Audits in organizations are based on such standards.

There are many Penetration testing standards available. Each of them has its methodologies, pros, and cons. Which Standard should we choose? It depends on what we are testing, what we want to achieve, and some other factors.

Few common and most widely used Penetration testing standard are as follows:

  • NIST Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity
  • PTES (Penetration Testing Execution Standard)
  • ISSAF (Information System Security Assessment Framework)