White Box Penetration Testing: Advantages, Steps, Methodology & More

With the advanced techniques available cyber attacks can form all ends, and having an insecure development practice can make your system more susceptible. Identifying and rectifying vulnerabilities prior to introducing the software to users is important, this is where white box penetration testing stands out. 

Here pen testers are very well informed about the intricate internal structure of the system and once they simulate the hacker’s action testers can determine the potential vulnerabilities. Let’s explore white box penetration testing in detail.

Key Takeaways

• White box penetration testing requires complete knowledge about the system or software ensuring that there are no hidden areas the test won’t cover.
• White box testing is mostly carried out in the early developmental stage of software to ensure the system is flawless before they are launched for public use.
• From reviewing the source code to finally compiling the report white box testing steps are carried out with the help of 3 techniques Statement Coverage, Branch Coverage, and Path Coverage.

What is White Box Penetration Testing?

White box penetration testing is a type of penetration testing in which the tester is given complete access to the software and internal structure of the system. Here the tester follows the path of a hacker and detects potential vulnerabilities to understand the effectiveness of a security system.

This test is mostly carried out in critical parts of the system which catalogs data. For this extensive analysis of internal structure and full coverage of source code is required, in such cases white box penetration testing is more effective. Hence they are convenient for companies that develop their software or integrate multiple applications.

It is implemented in organizations such as banks and the military, where there is more focus on security for finding external and internal vulnerabilities that are often exploited by hackers.

Advantages of White Box Penetration Testing 

Let’s explore the advantages of this security assessment.

• During the software development, developers can leverage white box penetration testing before submitting the final version. This can help developers identify potential vulnerabilities as code errors and make necessary changes.
• It provides a comprehensive analysis of internal and external vulnerabilities, which is not offered by many other security assessments
• Unlike black box testing, white box penetration testing can detect weaknesses in source code, design, and logic. Thus detecting vulnerabilities at an early stage of app/ software development.
• As the tester is given complete access to the internal structure of the system they can precisely locate the vulnerabilities and any other security gaps
• Since the testers are informed well about the software they can easily navigate the system and can quickly identify potential vulnerabilities

Differences between White Box, Black Box, and Grey Box Penetration Testing

There are many security assessment methods to detect potential vulnerabilities some of them are black box, grey box, and white box penetration testing.

White Box Penetration Testing Techniques

The primary objective of white box penetration testing is to review the source code completely to detect any potential vulnerabilities. This is carried out with the help of  3 techniques: Statement Coverage, branch coverage, and path coverage.

1. Path Coverage

The path can be defined as the flow of execution to reach a particular location in the program by following the set of instructions. In path coverage, all possible paths are covered from start to finish to understand if any paths are crossed. Hence path coverage is more effective than branch coverage.

2. Statement Coverage

Statements are functionalities or programming building blocks upon which the program is run. An executable statement is when a statement is transferred to object code and executes the action. This detects unfinished codes and missing branches to ensure the program is logically correct. This technique helps to check if each functionality is tested at least once.

3. Branch Coverage

A branch is the path the code follows after decoding a decision statement. Branch coverage ensures that each branch code is tested. It ensures that all branch codes are properly executed and none of them lead to any flawed actions.

What Are the Steps In White Penetration Testing?

• Reviewing source code

This is the planning and preparation stage where the tester gathers more information about the internal structure and base code of the software or system. Testers review the source code to understand how the software works and to detect any possible weaknesses.

• Select the area for the test

In the source code review process, the tester needs to select the area for the test. As the tests are run code by code selecting a small area is more feasible than exploring a larger area. Covering a large area will require more effort, labor, time, and resources, hence such coverage is only recommended when necessary.

• White Box Vulnerability Scanning

With tools like Nmap, testers scan for vulnerabilities to gather more information about the system and its weaknesses. Scanning provides more information regarding operating systems, running software, and potential vulnerabilities.

• Identification

This stage focuses on visually mapping the code execution by: 

1. Identifying the functionalities of a system that the tester wants to test
2. Creating flow charts to specify the flow of code execution, processing stages, and output results
3. Tracing the output of each code segment in the flow chat and documenting them

Also Read:  What is Black Box Penetration Testing

• Writing test cases 

Writing test cases includes designing identified code segments and functionalities. Every step of the test case is written to include boundary testing, attack scenario simulations, and recording of testing outcomes and address vulnerabilities.

• Execute testing

At this stage testers rigorously conduct tests according to the schedule, documenting all the findings and checking for vulnerabilities. 

1. Putting your plan into action
2. Executing each test case and run down your plans accordingly
3. Continuous testing until every part of the system is thoroughly examined, leaving no errors behind

• Reporting

Gathering all the details, including the identified vulnerabilities, test results, the impact of the vulnerabilities, and remedies recommended for them, is all reported.

Disadvantages of Whitebox Penetration Testing

• Since a large quantity of data is available at their fingertips testers often take more time to draw out a conclusion
• The techniques and tools help to do an extensive analysis of the system it can be chaotic and can be impossible to complete 
• Information at hand can overwhelm testers 
• With the availability of extensive system details testers can often focus on particular vulnerabilities known to them resulting in a bias where certain other weak points are ignored, through which hackers can penetrate the system

White box penetration testing is a kind of risk assessment that requires complete knowledge of system infrastructure and helps to simulate a targeted attack on a system using as many possible vectors of attack.

Discover the many options for securing your system, to learn more about cyber security and penetration testing, check out Wattlecorp’s services.

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