Top Interview Questions Asked to a Penetration Tester

Are you ready to step into the world of cybersecurity as a penetration tester? Penetration testing is one of the most exciting and critical roles in cybersecurity, requiring a sharp mind and technical expertise. If you are preparing for an interview, it is important to know the top questions hiring managers might ask to assess your skills and experience.

Let us discuss the top 20 penetration testing interview questions and answers most commonly asked to a Penetration Tester.

Top Penetration Tester Interview Questions

Here is the list of the top 20 common interview questions for Penetration Testers.

1. Explain information security.

Information security is the practice of safeguarding information from unauthorized access, disclosure, use, interruption, alteration, or destruction. It involves implementing measures to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data, safeguarding against threats and vulnerabilities.

2. Describe buffer overflow.

Buffer overflow is a security vulnerability that occurs when a program or process attempts to store more data than the allocated buffer, which can cause overwritten memory and potential exploitation by attackers to execute malicious code.

3. What is traceroute?

Traceroute is a network diagnostic technique that maps the route traversed by packets from a source to a destination or target, revealing the intermediate points or devices and their response times. It helps to uncover potential vulnerabilities or misconfigurations along the route.

4. What are the types of penetration testing?

There are several types of penetration testing, including:

External Testing: Assessing the security of externally accessible systems and networks.
Internal Testing: Evaluating the security of internal systems and networks from within the organization.
Wireless Network Testing: Evaluating the security of wireless devices networks.
Web Application Testing: Focusing on identifying vulnerabilities specific to web applications.
Mobile Application Testing: Assessing the security of mobile applications running on different platforms.
Social Engineering Testing: Evaluating human vulnerabilities through manipulation and deception.
Physical Penetration Testing: Assessing the physical security controls of an organization, such as access controls and surveillance.

5. What methods are used to prevent brute force hacks?

There are several methods used to prevent brute force attacks:

Enforce strong password policies
Implement rate-limiting mechanisms
Implement CAPTCHA
Implement Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Deploy IDS or IPS solutions
Implement robust monitoring and logging mechanisms
Configure account lockout policies
Keep systems and applications updated with the latest security patches
User education and awareness

6. Define honeypot.

A honeypot is a security mechanism or system designed to attract and deceive potential attackers. It acts as a simulated target or resource to lure attackers into interacting with it. Its primary purpose is to gather information about an attacker’s tactics, techniques, and intentions, allowing security professionals to study and analyze their behavior.

7. Explain footprinting.

Footprinting is the process of collecting data about a target system, organization, or individual to gain an understanding of its infrastructure, systems, and potential vulnerabilities. It involves gathering data from public sources, such as websites, social media, DNS records, and search engines.

8. What is a security misconfiguration vulnerability?

Security misconfiguration vulnerability refers to insecure or incorrect configuration of software, systems, or network components, leading to potential security breaches.

9. What does the term “privilege escalation” mean?

Privilege escalation refers to gaining higher access or privileges on a system or network than initially intended or assigned. It involves exploiting vulnerabilities or misconfigurations to elevate one’s privileges from a restricted user account to a higher level, such as an administrator or root access.

10. What are the differences between a penetration test and a vulnerability scan?

Differences between penetration testing and a vulnerability scan are:

Penetration Test	Vulnerability Scan
It actively exploits vulnerabilities to assess system security.	It identifies known vulnerabilities in a system or network.
It simulates real-world attacks and attempts to gain unauthorized access.	Its automated scanning tools assess systems for known security weaknesses.
It provides detailed findings, including vulnerabilities, attack paths, and potential impact.	It provides a list of vulnerabilities, categorized by severity, with recommendations for remediation.
It evaluates both technical and human vulnerabilities.	It primarily focuses on technical vulnerabilities, not human or process-related issues.
It requires skilled testers to analyze and exploit vulnerabilities.	It can be performed by IT staff with basic knowledge of scanning tools.

11. What are black box and white box testing?

Black box and white box testing are penetration testing approaches.

Black box testing: In this testing approach, testers have zero knowledge of the system being tested and approach it as an external attacker. They assess the system’s functionality and security without any internal details.

White box testing: Testers have complete system knowledge in this testing approach, including architecture and source code. They assess the system’s internal workings, vulnerabilities, and security controls.

12. Describe network penetration testing.

Network penetration testing, also known as network security testing, is a systematic and proactive assessment of a network’s security posture. It involves simulating real-world attacks to detect vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and potential entry points within a network infrastructure.

13.Why is penetration testing crucial to an organization’s risk management plan?

Penetration testing is crucial to the risk management plan of an organization as it:

Identifies vulnerabilities and weaknesses before attackers exploit them
Enhances overall security posture
Assesses the effectiveness of security controls
Helps prioritize and allocate resources for mitigation
Validates the effectiveness of incident response procedures
Demonstrates compliance with regulatory requirements

14. Define vulnerability.

A vulnerability is a weakness in a system, software, or network that attackers can use. It creates a potential entry point for unauthorized access, data breaches, or other malicious activities.

15. What is data packet sniffing?

Data packet sniffing is the act of capturing and analyzing network traffic to intercept and view the data packets being transmitted, potentially exposing sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, or other confidential data.

16. What kind of systems can be subjected to penetration testing?

A wide range of systems can be subjected to penetration testing, including:

Network infrastructure: Firewalls, routers, switches, and other network devices.
Operating systems: Windows, Linux, macOS, etc.
Databases: SQL and NoSQL databases that contain sensitive data.
Wireless networks: Wi-Fi networks and their associated devices.
Web applications: Online platforms, e-commerce websites, and web services.
Mobile applications: Android and iOS apps running on smartphones and tablets.
Internet of Things (IoT) devices: Smart home devices, industrial systems, medical devices, etc.
Cloud infrastructure: Services and configurations within cloud environments like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.

17. Define STRIDE.

STRIDE is a threat modeling framework used in penetration testing to categorize and analyze potential security threats and vulnerabilities in a system. It categorizes threats into six types:

Spoofing
Tampering
Repudiation
Information Disclosure
Denial of Service
Elevation of Privilege

18. What is SSL stripping?

SSL stripping is a method where an attacker intercepts HTTPS connections and converts them to unencrypted HTTP, potentially disclosing sensitive information exchanged between the user and the website.

19. Define Local File Inclusion (LFI).

Local File Inclusion (LFI) is a vulnerability in web applications where an attacker can exploit improper input mechanisms to include and execute local files on the server, potentially accessing sensitive information or executing malicious code.

20.Explain the Broken Access Control vulnerability.

A Broken Access Control vulnerability is a security flaw that occurs when access controls and restrictions in a system are not adequately implemented or enforced. It allows unauthorized users to gain privileged access to resources, functionality, or data they should not be able to access. It can lead to unauthorized data exposure, data manipulation, or even full compromise of the system.

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