Penetration Definition and 88 Threads

A penetration test, colloquially known as a pen test, pentest or ethical hacking, is an authorized simulated cyberattack on a computer system, performed to evaluate the security of the system; this is not to be confused with a vulnerability assessment. The test is performed to identify weaknesses (also referred to as vulnerabilities), including the potential for unauthorized parties to gain access to the system's features and data, as well as strengths, enabling a full risk assessment to be completed.
The process typically identifies the target systems and a particular goal, then reviews available information and undertakes various means to attain that goal. A penetration test target may be a white box (about which background and system information are provided in advance to the tester) or a black box (about which only basic information—if any—other than the company name is provided). A gray box penetration test is a combination of the two (where limited knowledge of the target is shared with the auditor). A penetration test can help identify a system's vulnerabilities to attack and estimate how vulnerable it is.Security issues that the penetration test uncovers should be reported to the system owner. Penetration test reports may also assess potential impacts to the organization and suggest countermeasures to reduce the risk.The UK National Cyber Security Center describes penetration testing as: "A method for gaining assurance in the security of an IT system by attempting to breach some or all of that system's security, using the same tools and techniques as an adversary might."The goals of a penetration test vary depending on the type of approved activity for any given engagement, with the primary goal focused on finding vulnerabilities that could be exploited by a nefarious actor, and informing the client of those vulnerabilities along with recommended mitigation strategies.Penetration tests are a component of a full security audit. For example, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard requires penetration testing on a regular schedule, and after system changes.Several standard frameworks and methodologies exist for conducting penetration tests. These include the Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual (OSSTMM), the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES), the NIST Special Publication 800-115, the Information System Security Assessment Framework (ISSAF) and the OWASP Testing Guide.
Flaw hypothesis methodology is a systems analysis and penetration prediction technique where a list of hypothesized flaws in a software system are compiled through analysis of the specifications and documentation for the system. The list of hypothesized flaws is then prioritized on the basis of the estimated probability that a flaw actually exists, and on the ease of exploiting it to the extent of control or compromise. The prioritized list is used to direct the actual testing of the system.

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  1. N

    Depth of penetration of electromagnetic waves

    Hey everyone, Im doing this research and reading this http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/gamma.html" it had a diagram of the depth of penetration of different wavelengths into the eaths atmosphere... my question is, How come x-rays penetrate deeper than visible light - what is the...
  2. X

    Electromagnetic radiation penetration through solids?

    So I'm doing a presentation soon discussing the horribly inaccurate physics of the movie "The Core", and in particular how they were able to maintain radio contact to people on the Earth's surface from within the center of Earth. This is obviously simply not possible as radio waves do not...
  3. S

    Transmission coefficient in a barrier penetration.

    An electron having total energy E=4.46 eV approaches a rectangular energy barrier with U=5.02 eV and L=949 pm. Calculate this probability, which is the transmission coefficient. I thought this would be an easy one, given that T=e-2GL and G=\sqrt{\frac{2m(U-E)}{H}} where H is the...
  4. H

    EM waves amplitude's effecting penetration?

    If you held frequency constant, and changed the amplitude of EM waves coming from a source, then would the distance into a material the EM waves would penetrate change?
  5. M

    Can Wi-Fi reach a swimmer in a fresh water pool?

    Approximately how far will a signal penetrate a fresh water pool from the surface to a swimmer assuming current Wi-Fi standards? With at least 6-8" of water penetration I would purchase an iPod Touch and listen to streaming radio while doing laps. Thanks, Mark
  6. K

    EM Waves Penetration: Frequency Effects & Atmospheric Limitations

    When an EM wave has a higher frequency, it is able to penetrate materials more easily. However, why does a microwave able to penetrate haze while visible light can't? Why visible light is able to enter our atmosphere while those of gamma can't?
  7. M

    Penetration of certain objects

    Hi, I'm new to physics forums and I was wondering how to calculate the force required to penetrate objects of varying densities, for example an arrow shot at a plank of wood with a density of approximately 1.2 x 10^3 kg/m^3. Let's assume the arrowhead and the plank are perpendicular at the site...
  8. J

    Can radio waves pass through walls while visible light cannot?

    I couldn't sleep the other night because I was thinking about photons and their ability to penetrate materials. It can be argued that humans are photon detectors. This is true in more than just the sense of visible light because photons don't just enter our pupils. As an example, our bodies can...
  9. P

    Dimensional analysis of the london penetration depth

    hi guys. i have the london penetration depth defined as \lambda_l = \sqrt{\frac{m^{**}}{4\pi n_{s} e^{2}}}. i'm trying to figure out the dimensionality of it...surely it must be a length, but i get [(Kg)(m^{3})(A^{-1}s^{-1})]^{0.5} in SI units. am i doing something wrong? cheers.
  10. M

    How Thick Should a Concrete Wall Be to Safely Shield X-Rays in a Radiology Room?

    Homework Statement Calculate minimum thickness of concrete wall of radiation room (2X2X2) such that radiographer doesn't exceed dose limit. Use info below. X ray reading surface of patient (50 cm from source) = exposure= 4.29 X 10^{}-4 effective energy of x ray beam = 40 kev 40% of x rays...
  11. D

    London- vs Josephson penetration depth

    Hi everyone. What is the difference between the London penetration depth and the Josephson penetration depth? Both of them have to do with the penetration of a magnetic field into the superconductor as far as I can see...
  12. E

    Neutrinos penetration of neutron stars or white drawfs

    Neutrinos can pass through solid objects like the Earth easily, and a light-year of lead would only stop half of them from passing through. What about something very dense like a white drawf or neutron star? How readily can neutrinos penetrate that? What % flux reduction would be achievable...
  13. M

    Frequency and penetration depth

    why does the increase of sound frequency will decrease the penetration depth? how can this related to diffraction of sound?? Is it because they can be easily reflected?? need answer desperately, thx
  14. D

    Calculating Penetration Depth of Staple Shot Into PVC

    penetration depth??! How would I find the penetration depth of a staple shot into a material by a staple gun. It doesn't have to be specific to a staple. Material I am concerned with is pvc. Even a general approach is fine. I know the force opposing the staple going in is the friction of the...
  15. D

    Find Penetration Depth of Staple Gun in PVC

    Penetration depth? How would I find the penetration depth of a staple shot into a material by a staple gun. It doesn't have to be specific to a staple. Material I am concerned with is pvc. Even a general approach is fine. I know the force opposing the staple going in is the friction of...
  16. K

    Is My Projectile Penetration Equation Scientifically Valid?

    Right, so I've just created my Franken-Equation and it hungers for brains, as well as acceptance. Unfortunately for my monster, he was created by a man with only rudimentary knowledge of the nervous system and a budget consisting of earnings from his less than successful homemade mosquito...
  17. PrincePhoenix

    Why does the absorption of EM radiation vary with wavelength?

    Why does penetration increase with decrease in wavelength?
  18. B

    A ballistics question I have (regarding penetration)

    I've been wondering about this for quite some time, and I was hoping I'd get some answers here. Well, here goes: 2 projectiles (bullets) enter the same homogeneous medium (let's say concrete) at a 0 degree angle. Both projectiles have identical impact velocities, however, "Projectile 2" has a...
  19. M

    Bullet Penetration: Kinetic Energy vs Momentum

    Is kinetic energy or momentum a better indicator of bullet penetration?
  20. M

    Question about calculating bullet penetration

    I'm trying to disprove the movie Wanted for a less than obvious reason. In the final scene a .45 ACP round travels through 11 human heads. I was curious of how I could mathematically disprove this being possible. Would I use the energy of the bullet or the force? and with either, how would I go...
  21. O

    Penetration of an energy step when KE > U

    Homework Statement An electron with KE = 8eV is incident on the potential step of height 7eV. What's the probability the electron will be reflected from the step function? Homework Equations The wave equations and their derivatives: \psi_0(x) = A sin(k_0 x) + B cos( k_0 x) \psi_1(x)...
  22. T

    Projectile penetration in solid

    A simple modelling of projectile penetration in a fluid was simplee (drag), but with solids I'm having a little trouble. Would it be too crude an estimation to use the following model? F = \frac{E}{\delta{s}} F = projectile force E = kinetic energy s = depth in steps \tau =...
  23. P

    Can Radio Waves Penetrate Through a Solid Steel Box Enclosing an RF Transmitter?

    Can radio waves propagate through the walls of a solid steel (1/2" wall thickness) box that completely encloses the RF transmitter? Do lower frequencies work better? Any insight would be great. I'm a newbie her, so please be gentle.
  24. S

    Inertial load model penetration

    Hi, I have an FEA model where all my parts are bonded contacts (no contact surfaces). I am trying to fix one end of this model and apply inertial load on the other. However the heavy parts are penetrating into the soft ones. How do I avoid this model penetration? Thanks,
  25. B

    De Broglie wavelength and atom penetration

    Homework Statement Calculate the de broglie wavelength (DBW) of an electron with kinetic energy 60 GeV. What percentage of an atom's diameter can it penetrate? Homework Equations DBW = h/p p=mv The Attempt at a Solution Basically I have an electron traveling at the...
  26. T

    Mechanics problem (Bullet penetration)

    Homework Statement A 7.00g bullet, when ired from a gun into a 1.00kg block of wood held in a vise, penetrates the block to a depth of 8.00cm. This block of wood is placed on a frictionless horizontal surface, and a second 7.00g bullet is fired from the gun into the block. To what depth will...
  27. P

    How Does Layering Affect Beta Particle Penetration and Energy Loss?

    If we want to secure an area from beta particles, we could use absorbers, for example aluminum foils. Is it preferable to use one thick aluminum foil or several aluminum foils (with same total density as the first one of course) with free space between them? In other words, does a beta particle...
  28. R

    Momentum vs. KE - which determines projectile penetration?

    In Traditional Archery, there is a widely held belief that momentum is the best indicator of an arrow's capacity for penetration. The most important support for this theory comes from this document: The Ashby Report<---Link to document (PDF) This document has never been reviewed or proofed...
  29. B

    Handling Penetration in Physics Demo with Cubes

    Hi all, I'm currently trying to write a simple physics demo with cubes, and am looking for the best way to handle penetration. One method I was looking at is to back-track the collision detection till we find the point of intersection within some limit.. i.e. collision at dt, so we step...
  30. DaveC426913

    Water tripping GFI circuit without penetration

    Is it possible that simply getting an outdoor electrical cord wet, it can somehow trip a GFI circuit? I have a pool pump with its own waterproof cord (i.e. not an extension cord) and, as far as I can tell if the cord finds even a couple of feet of itself in a puddle of water, this will trip...
  31. N

    Superconducting helix penetration

    In the giant proximity effect of superconductors, the penetrating supercurrent can be modeled using bosons. During some project work, modeling this phenomena Using vortices, I was thinking, whether the bosons can penetrate the interface of the normal conducting material being modeled by a helix...
  32. B

    Momentum and penetration depth

    Many textbooks derive the relativistic momentum from the penetration depth of a bullet in a resistive media, considering that momentum is proportional with the penetration depth. Do you know a transparent and correct way to the problem?
  33. C

    HELP wavelength and object penetration

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- it is generally accepted that 800 mhz frequencies (longer wavelengths) travel farther and penetrate buildings better than 1900 mhz frequencies (shorter wavelengths) I have looked for hours on the Internet trying...
  34. S

    What is the best estimate for the penetration distance in quantum mechanics?

    We have a particle of energy E crossing a potential jump at x=0. for x<=0, V=0, for x>=0 V=V1 We get a wavefunction for x>=0 psi(x) = exp(-iEt/hbar)*exp(-Kx) where K = (2m(V1-E))^0.5/hbar N.b E<V1 so classically we get no transmission we are asked to estimate the penetration distance, and...
  35. R

    EM penetration of physical objects

    Why can just about all frequency/wavelength electromagnetic waves penetrate through physical objects (even if only a thin piece of wood or something) but light cant?
  36. J

    Finding Penetration Depth in a finite well

    The problem is as follows: A 50-eV electron is trapped between negligible-width capacitors charged to 200V (each with an exit hole). How far does its wave function extend beyond the capacitors? I know the answer is 1.6 x 10^-11 m, but I cannot get to that. Any ideas? -Jason
  37. Z

    Calculating Barrier Penetration with Proton KE & V

    I have a question to do but I am a bit confused about one thing. It invloves protons penetrating a barrier. The protons ae quoted to have a KE in the units of eV (which i will have to convert to joules in order to work in SI units). However the barriers height is given in volts. I assumed...
  38. F

    Electron Penetration in Acrylic: Energy & Equation

    Depending on energy, how far will an Electron penetrate a block of acrylic? If you have any clue or where I could begin to formulate the equation thank you.
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