Penetration Testing mailing list archives
RE: Opinions of automated testers
From: "Kevin Reiter" <KReiter () insidefsi net>
Date: Wed, 9 May 2007 16:59:53 -0400
You could always try WebGoat from OWASP (free) http://www.owasp.org -----Original Message----- From: listbounce () securityfocus com [mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com]On Behalf Of M. Groen Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2007 2:28 AM To: pen-test () securityfocus com Subject: RE: Opinions of automated testers Thanks for the clear explanation. One other question, does anyone happen to know if there are sites on which you can try "pen testing" products, like WebInspect, or Hailstorm? I mean a " playground" on which it is allowed to do pen-tensting (and make mistakes)? Mathijs
Zack, First of all, it depends on what you want in a pen-test tool. Second, it also depends on what you mean by pen-testing. In my opinion, unless there is an actual exploit leveraged and a payload or injection of some sort, you are talking Vulnerability Assessment and not pen-testing. It's a semantic difference to some but there is a procedural difference between identifying potential vulnerabilities and actively exploiting found vulnerabilities. The 3 tools you list are all web application-centric in their focus and are not what I would consider true pen-testing tools per se; they are more Application layer vulnerability scanners with limited exploit payloads to reduce false positive findings (XSS and SQL injection checks etc). Watchfire's AppScan, Cenzic's Hailstorm, and SPI's WebInspect are all great tools but they do not test the full gamut of OS or services. If you are focused solely on application layer assessment then any of these 3 should suit your needs. I personally prefer WebInspect due to some of the extra tools and functionality it provides, as well as the various customizable report patterns and compliancy-directed scanning but each has it's strong points. If you are looking for what most on the list would consider broad spectrum pen-testing tools you should take a look at Core Impact or Metasploit. There are other pen-testing tools available but these two are probably the most widely used. Core=commercial, Metasploit=OSS so if your organization needs support not found in a chat room or online forum Core is the way to go. I'm fond of how Impact's payload is a memory-resident compromise so there is no actual change to the target compromised system and it can use any exploited box found to search out other machines it can see which is valuable in moving your penetration farther into the private network. While automated tools are getting better and easier to use, nothing beats an experienced pen-testing services company. The better ones go beyond automated tool runs and can offer services that include social engineering, custom exploit coding, and other company-specific scope needs. Depending on your budget you may also want to look into that avenue. Hope that helps and welcome to the list. -- Erin Carroll Moderator SecurityFocus pen-test list "Do Not Taunt Happy-Fun Ball"-----Original Message----- From: listbounce () securityfocus com [mailto:listbounce () securityfocus com] On Behalf Of zackpeters75 () yahoo com Sent: Monday, May 07, 2007 8:58 PM To: pen-test () securityfocus com Subject: Opinions of automated testers Hi, My manager gave me our pen testing project and I'm still coming up to speed so forgive me if this question is not 100% list appropriate.From what I can tell the top 3 automated pen testingprograms are from SPI Dynamics, Cenzic and Watchfire. I haven't evaled any of them quite yet but they each seem to have their advantages and disadvantages. Cenzic is claiming to be the most accurate at least according to their 20/20 marketing program http://www.cenzic.com/forms/ec.php?pubid=10076 but I'm wondering what people have actually seen. And if any of you posters from SPI, Cenzic or Watchfire want to email me directly and tell me your benefits, that's fine. I don't want the thread to be a sales pitch, just looking to benefit from the knowledge of others. Thanks everyone! Zack -------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- This List Sponsored by: Cenzic Are you using SPI, Watchfire or WhiteHat? Consider getting clear vision with Cenzic See HOW Now with our 20/20 program! http://www.cenzic.com/c/2020 -------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This List Sponsored by: Cenzic Are you using SPI, Watchfire or WhiteHat? Consider getting clear vision with Cenzic See HOW Now with our 20/20 program! http://www.cenzic.com/c/2020 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Current thread:
- Opinions of automated testers zackpeters75 (May 07)
- RE: Opinions of automated testers Erin Carroll (May 07)
- RE: Opinions of automated testers M. Groen (May 09)
- RE: Opinions of automated testers Erin Carroll (May 09)
- Re: Opinions of automated testers Joern Ahrens (May 10)
- RE: Opinions of automated testers John Reno (May 09)
- Re: Opinions of automated testers Lee Lawson (May 10)
- RE: Opinions of automated testers M. Groen (May 09)
- RE: Opinions of automated testers Kevin Reiter (May 09)
- Re: Opinions of automated testers Benny Tsai (May 09)
- Re: Opinions of automated testers Joey Peloquin (May 10)
- RE: Opinions of automated testers Erin Carroll (May 07)
- RE: Opinions of automated testers Vishal Garg (May 10)
- Re: Opinions of automated testers rajat swarup (May 15)
- Re: Opinions of automated testers Lee Lawson (May 08)