Top Pen Tester Interview Questions
                     
Description
Pen testing is another name of penetration testing. It is a level of
assessment used to assess the security of a system or web 
application.  It is used to determine the faults or weaknesses of 
system features and  is also valuable for obtaining the 
comprehensive details of a target
system’s risk assessment. It is a  procedure that is part of 
a  comprehensive system security audit.
If you seek a job in penetration testing, you should prepare for the 
Pen  Tester interview. Each interview is indeed unique based on the 
job
profile. We have compiled a list of the most relevant Pen Tester 
interview  questions and answers to help you succeed in your 
interview.
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Top Pen Tester Interview Q & A
1.Explain Penetration testing and why is it 
important?
A Cybersecurity Specialist aims to discover and exploit weaknesses 
in a  computer system during penetration testing. A simulated attack 
aims to  find any vulnerabilities in a system’s defenses that attackers 
could
exploit. Penetration testing involves Security Analysts attempting 
to  access resources without knowing usernames, passwords, or 
other
traditional methods of access. Only the authorization granted by 
the  organization divides hackers from security specialists.
2.What are the Network Penetration Phases?
Penetration testing is divided into 5 phases:
Reconnaissance: It is the process of gathering information about 
the  target. It can be done in either a passive or active manner. 
During this  phase, you will discover more about the target business 
and how it
operates.
Scanning: This is an important stage of penetration testing. During 
this  step, scanning is performed to identify vulnerabilities in the 
network, as
well as software and operating systems utilized by devices. As a result 
of  this activity, the pen tester is familiar with services running, open 
ports,
firewall identification, weaknesses, software platforms, and so on.
Gaining access: During this stage, the Pen Tester begins carrying out 
the  attack by acquiring access to insecure devices and servers. This 
is made  possible by the application of tools.
As a Pen Tester gets access to a vulnerable system, he or she 
attempts  to retrieve as much data as possible while remaining 
covert.
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terarinin.cgom tracks: During this phase, the Pen Tester takes all required
efforts to conceal the intrusion and any controls that may have been 
left  behind for future interactions.
Top Pen Tester Interview Q & A
3.What is XSS, also known as Cross-Site Scripting?
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks are a sort of injection in which 
harmful  tools are injected into trustworthy websites. When an 
attacker uses an
online application to deliver the malicious script, usually in the form of 
a  browser-side script, to a different user, XSS assault occurs.
4. What are the benefits and drawbacks of Linux
and Windows?
Factors Linux Windows
Price Available for free Paid
Utilization Effort Difficult for beginners User-friendly
Reliability More reliable and secure Less reliable and secure
Software Installation Both premium and Both premium and 
free  software are free  software are 
available  for available  for 
installation. installation.
Hardware Initially, hardware compatibility Windows has never had
was a  problem. However, the a problem with
bulk of physical appliances hardware compatibility.
now support Linux.
Security Operating System Because inexperienced 
that  is extremely safe  users utilize this OS it 
is  vulnerable to 
attackers
Support Online community Microsoft support is  
support  is available to available online, and 
help with any  problem there  are numerous 
publications  available to 
help you  diagnose any 
problem
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Top Pen Tester Interview Q & A
5. With the Diffie-Hellman key exchange, what type
of penetration is possible?
Diffie–Hellman key exchange (DH), one of the original public-key
protocols, securely exchanges cryptographic keys over a public 
channel.  This protocol is commonly found in protocols such as IPSec 
and SSL/TLS.
Receiving and sending devices in a network uses this protocol 
to  generate a secret shared key that may be used to encrypt 
data.
6. What kinds of tools are available for 
packet
sniffing?
Packet sniffing collects network traffic and sees traffic on a 
complete
network or only a specific part of it. Here is the list of top packet 
Sniffing  tools:
• Auvik
• SolarWinds Network Packet Sniffer
• Wireshark
• Paessler PRTG
• ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer
• Tcpdump
• Windump
• NetworkMiner
• Colasoft Capsa
• Telerik Fiddler
• kismet
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Top Pen Tester Interview Q & A
7.What exactly is intrusion detection?
Intrusion detection protects IT infrastructure from cyber attacks.
It detects security breaches from the outside as well as inside a 
network.
Intrusion detection is responsible for a wide range of tasks, including
traffic monitoring and analysis, detecting attack patterns, verifying 
the  integrity of data on servers, checking for policy violations, and 
so on.
8. Make a list of the elements that can lead to
security flaws.
Vulnerabilities in security are caused by a variety of 
circumstances.  Here are a few examples:
• Weak passwords
• Input validation is not performed by the web application
• Sensitive information is stored in plain text
• The session ID does not modify it logging in
• Errors expose important infrastructure information
• The installed software has not been updated
9. List the advantages that an intrusion 
detection  system can bring.
Here are some advantages to employing an Intrusion Detection 
System  (IDS):
•Assists in the detection of security issues and Denial of Service 
attacks
•Examine the traffic for unusual and abstract behavior
•Detect cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and other types of threats
•To protect vulnerable assets, provide temporary updates for 
known  vulnerabilities.
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Top Pen Tester Interview Q & A
10.Define SQL injection?
It is an attack in which a person adds untrusted data into the 
program,  resulting in the leakage of confidential database 
information.
11.How does SSL/TLS work?
While data is transmitted from source to destination, the SSL/TLS 
layer  ensures confidentiality and integrity.
1.By typing the website address, the user initiates the connection. 
By  delivering a message to the website’s server, the browser 
establishes  SSL/TLS communication.
2.The public key or certificate is returned to the user’s browser by 
the  website’s server.
3. The browser of the user looks for a public key or a certificate. If
everything is in order, it generates a symmetric key and returns it to 
the  website’s server. The communication fails if the certificate is 
invalid.
4.When the website’s server receives the symmetric key, it delivers 
the  key and encrypts the required data.
5. The SSL/TLS handshake completes when the user’s browser 
decrypts
the material with a symmetric key. The user can now access the 
content  because the connection has been established.
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Top Pen Tester Interview Q & A
12.What certifications are most in-demand for
penetration testing?
There is no doubt that there is an infinite number of certifications
available in the Cybersecurity area. However, if a Pen Tester wants 
to  be acknowledged as the best in their area, the following 
certifications  are indeed:
• CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) certification
• Offensive Cyber Security certification
• CompTIA Pen Test+ certification
• Different Security Testing certification
13.What are the most commonly targeted 
ports  during penetration testing?
For the port scan, you can use the Nmap tool. Following is a list 
of  frequent ports to concentrate on during penetration testing:
•FTP (port 20, 21)
•SSH (port 22)
•Telnet (port 23)
•SMTP (port 25)
•HTTP (port 80)
•NTP (port 123)
•HTTPS (port 443)
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Top Pen Tester Interview Q & A
14.Why should we execute a penetration test if 
we  are currently undertaking vulnerability 
scanning?
In general, vulnerability scanning identifies flaws based on 
vulnerability
signatures accessible in the scanning program. While penetration 
testing  assists in determining the level of data destruction and risk in 
the event
of a cyber attack.
15.Is it possible for a penetration test to 
compromise  any system?
Every system has some kind of security flaw, which researchers may 
or  may not be aware of. No system is entirely secure, and thus if 
adequate  penetration testing is performed, every system can be 
broken by a
Security Analyst. If the network is more secure, it will take the Security
Analyst longer to break it, and likewise. Time can range from a few 
days  to months.
16.What are the objectives of a  pen testing 
exercise?
The objectives are as follows:
• To examine adherence to the organization’s security policies 
that  have been developed and executed.
• To examine employee proactivity and awareness of the 
security  environment in which they work.
• To completely understand how a company entity might be 
confronted  with a significant security breach, as well as how soon 
they respond to  it and resume normal business operations after 
being affected.
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Top Pen Tester Interview Q & A
17.What are the three types of pen 
testing  methodologies?
These are the three types:
• Black-box testing
• White-box testing
• Gray-box testing
Black-Box Testing: When a Pen Tester is operating in 
a black-box
environment, he or she has no idea what target(s) they will assault. 
As  a result, pentesting can take a long time, and automated 
approaches  are heavily relied on to expedite the process.
White-Box Testing: Clear-box testing is another term for this type 
of  pen test. In some circumstances, the Pen Tester has a thorough
understanding of the Web service they are about to attack, as well 
as  its basic source code.
Gray-Box Testing: This method of pentesting combines black-box 
and  white-box pentesting to uncover weaknesses. That is, they 
have a
good idea of what they’re going to attack.
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Top Pen Tester Interview Q & A
18.What are the teams capable of 
performing a  pentest?
The following are the teams:
• Red team
• Blue team
• Purple team
Red team: This team is in charge of launching the real threat in 
order  to breach the business’s or industry’s defenses and expose 
any holes  that are uncovered.
Blue team: The primary goal of the Blue Team is to prevent any
cyber-attacks launched by the Red Team. They adopt a 
proactive  approach while also keeping a high sense of security 
concern.
Purple team: This is a hybrid of the Red Team and the Blue Team. 
The  Purple Team’s main task is to help both of these teams. As a 
result, the  Purple Team’s Pen Testers cannot be influenced in any 
way and must  retain a neutral perspective.
19.Is social engineering performed by pen 
testing?
In general, social engineering does not come under the scope 
of  penetration testing. However, several organizations 
increasingly  consider social engineering when performing 
pen-testing.
20.Are denial-of-service assaults tested as 
well?
Penetration testing also includes Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks. 
There  are numerous methods available to determine whether a 
system is
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