Foreword

Penetration testing is becoming more and more difficult, with increasing technical difficulty, more directions, and higher safety awareness. Today, let's analyze the current penetration testing and the future penetration testing.

In the end, I will summarize the appropriate technical points and related certifications that I think are suitable for learning

Existing constraints of penetration testing

In the current rapidly developing network and technology environment, traditional penetration testing faces some constraints and challenges. The following are several main limiting factors:

1. Complex technical environment

• Cloud computing and virtualizationEnterprises are increasingly dependent on cloud computing and virtualization technologies, which makes penetration testing more complex. Traditional penetration testing tools and methods may not be suitable for cloud or virtualized environments, leading to potentially incomplete or inaccurate test results.
• Internet of Things (IoT)The surge in the number of IoT devices has introduced new attack surfaces, but these devices often have limited resources and cannot run traditional security tools. In addition, the diversity of IoT devices and the complex network topology also pose challenges to penetration testing.

2. Conflict between automation and continuous integration

• The acceleration of development speedWith the promotion of DevOps and CI/CD, the speed of development and deployment has significantly increased, and traditional penetration testing may not keep up with such a rhythm. Penetration testing usually takes a long time to complete, while the rapid development cycle requires more timely security feedback.
• Limitations of Automation Tools: Although automation tools are increasingly used in penetration testing, these tools usually can only detect known vulnerabilities, with limited capabilities in identifying complex, zero-day attacks, or vulnerabilities in specific environments.

3. Evolution of Advanced Persistent Threats (APT)

• Traditional penetration testing usually targets short-term vulnerability scanning and attack simulation, but modern advanced persistent threats (APT) often involve long-term潜伏 and multi-stage attacks, which are beyond the scope of traditional penetration testing capabilities.
• APT attackers may use complex social engineering, customized malware, and multi-vector attacks, which are difficult to fully simulate or detect in traditional penetration testing methods.

4. Changes in Regulations and Compliance Requirements

• Data privacy and security regulations around the world are becoming increasingly strict, requiring enterprises to conduct more frequent and in-depth penetration testing. However, traditional penetration testing methods may not meet the special requirements of some new regulations for data processing and privacy protection, leading to challenges for enterprises in terms of compliance.

5. Threats from Artificial Intelligence and Automation

• Attackers are also utilizing AI and automation technologies for penetration, automatically generating complex attack paths, bypassing detection and defense systems. Traditional penetration testing may not be effective against these intelligent attack tools.

6. Resource and Cost Constraints

• Penetration testing is typically resource-intensive, requiring specialized skills, time, and tools. With the complexity of the technical environment, the required resources and costs are also rising, but many enterprises may find it difficult to bear these expenses, especially when frequent testing is required.

7. Increasing Complexity of Network Defense

• With the advancement of network defense technology, enterprises have deployed more defense mechanisms, such as intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), behavioral analysis tools, and zero-trust architectures. These defense mechanisms may interfere with or limit the effectiveness of penetration testing, making it difficult for testers to simulate real-world attack scenarios.

8. Shortage of Professional Talent

• High-level penetration testing requires experienced security experts, but currently, there is a shortage of cybersecurity talent worldwide, especially in the field of penetration testing. This leads to many enterprises finding it difficult to find suitable personnel to perform high-quality penetration testing.

9. Expansion of Attack Surface

• As digital transformation progresses, the attack surface of enterprises is also expanding, including cloud services, APIs, mobile applications, Internet of Things devices, etc. These new attack surfaces increase the complexity of penetration testing, and traditional testing methods may not cover all these emerging fields.

Countermeasures

Future Penetration Testing

Application of Automation and AI Technology:

• With the development of AI and machine learning, many repetitive tasks in penetration testing will become more automated. AI can help identify common vulnerabilities, generate test scripts, and analyze attack results in real-time. This will improve the efficiency of penetration testing while possibly reducing the demand for advanced penetration testers.

Continuous Penetration Testing (Continuous Penetration Testing):

• Traditional penetration testing is usually carried out on a regular basis, but in the future, continuous penetration testing will be increasingly adopted. This approach integrates penetration testing into the continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) process, ensuring that security vulnerabilities are detected and repaired in a timely manner with each code change or system update.

Penetration testing in cloud environments:

• With enterprises gradually migrating to the cloud, the demand for penetration testing in cloud environments will increase significantly. This includes evaluating the security settings of cloud service providers and ensuring the security of applications and data in multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments.

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) Simulation:

• APT simulation will become an important field in penetration testing. By simulating highly complex and persistent attacks, test organizations can assess their ability to respond to persistent threats. This test is not limited to the technical level but also includes social engineering and physical intrusion means.

Zero Trust Architecture Penetration Testing:

• The promotion of zero-trust architecture requires the evolution of penetration testing methods. Future penetration testing will pay more attention to verifying user identity, device trust levels, and the implementation of the principle of least privilege to assess and enhance the security of zero-trust environments.

Regulatory compliance-driven penetration testing:

• With the increasingly strict regulations on data privacy and network security in various countries around the world, enterprises will need to conduct more penetration testing to ensure compliance. This will drive penetration testing from 'optional' to 'mandatory'.

Diversification and specialization of penetration testing tools:

• Penetration testing tools will continue to develop, covering more attack surfaces and optimizing for specific industries. For example, specialized penetration testing tools for key industries such as healthcare and finance will emerge to address the unique security challenges in these industries.

Human-machine cooperation testing mode:

• Although automation will play a greater role in penetration testing, the participation of human experts is still indispensable. Future penetration testing may adopt more human-machine cooperation, with machines handling repetitive and data-intensive tasks, while human experts focus on strategy formulation, complex attacks, and result analysis.

Future Penetration Testing Technology Learning

1. Technical Learning

• Cloud SecurityLearn the security configuration, vulnerability analysis, and penetration testing techniques of cloud computing platforms (such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud). Understand the security of cloud-native applications and be familiar with attack vectors in the cloud.
  • Recommended TechnologiesTerraform, Kubernetes security, Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tools.
• Application of AI and Machine Learning in SecurityLearn how to use AI and machine learning technologies to detect and defend against network attacks, as well as how to conduct penetration testing against AI-driven attacks.
  • Recommended TechnologiesPython programming, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, automated attack and defense tools.
• IoT SecurityMaster the firmware analysis of IoT devices, the security of communication protocols (such as MQTT, CoAP), and learn how to conduct penetration testing on resource-constrained devices.
  • Recommended TechnologiesFirmware reverse engineering, Zigbee, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) security.
• Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) SimulationAdvanced attack techniques, including multi-stage attacks, phishing attacks, and the simulation of persistence mechanisms.
  • Recommended TechnologiesPowerShell, Cobalt Strike, Metasploit Framework.
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) Security: Understand how to implement security controls and penetration testing in the DevOps environment.
  • Recommended Technologies: Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, Docker security, DevSecOps practices.
• Zero Trust Architecture: Learn the design principles of zero-trust network and security testing methods to ensure the minimum permissions for data access and the security of authentication.
  • Recommended Technologies: Identity and Access Management (IAM), network segmentation, micro-segmentation technology.

2. Recommended Certifications

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH): This is a basic penetration testing certification covering a wide range of network attack and defense technologies.
• Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP): This certification focuses on practical penetration testing skills with high practicality, and is an authoritative certification in the field of penetration testing.
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): This is a widely recognized security management and strategy certification, suitable for intermediate to senior security professionals.
• Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP): This certification focuses on the field of cloud security, suitable for individuals involved in cloud security and penetration testing.
• AWS Certified Security – Specialty: This certification is specifically for AWS cloud platform security, covering AWS security services and best practices.
• Certified Red Team Professional (CRTP): This certification is focused on red team activities, covering advanced penetration testing technologies.
• Certified DevSecOps Professional (CDP): Focused on security practices in DevSecOps environments, suitable for professionals who need to implement security testing in CI/CD pipelines.
• Certified IoT Security Practitioner (CIoTSP): This certification is designed for the security of the Internet of Things, suitable for individuals who need to conduct security assessments of IoT devices and networks.

By studying these technologies and obtaining the corresponding certifications, you will be better equipped to meet the challenges of the future penetration testing field and stand out in the industry.