Penetration Testing System with Dynamic Lateral Movement Strategy Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art penetration testing systems are limited by their inability to dynamically change lateral movement strategies during a campaign, leading to inconsistent results and potential missed vulnerabilities due to fixed strategies, especially in large networks with thousands of nodes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method and system for automated penetration testing that randomly selects a lateral movement strategy from a group of available strategies for each iteration, allowing for a 'chaotic' approach that ensures thorough vulnerability detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fixed lateral movement strategy is used in penetration testing, then the testing process is simple to implement, but the detection precision of vulnerabilities decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic strategy selection by randomly choosing from multiple lateral movement strategies during penetration testing campaigns. This allows the system to adapt its approach based on the specific network topology and vulnerability landscape, improving detection precision without requiring complex manual configuration for each testing scenario
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of lateral movement strategy selection from fixed to variable by maintaining multiple strategies and randomly selecting among them. This parameter change enables the system to explore different attack paths and improve vulnerability detection while keeping the implementation relatively simple through automated random selection
2Reliability
If multiple lateral movement strategies are implemented, then the reliability of penetration testing results improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects from multiple lateral movement strategies during penetration testing campaigns, allowing it to adapt to different network configurations and vulnerability patterns. This dynamic approach improves result reliability by exploring multiple attack vectors without requiring complex manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically selecting and executing appropriate lateral movement strategies without requiring expert human intervention. The automated random selection from multiple strategies ensures reliable testing results while keeping the system structure manageable through programmatic control
3Productivity
If automated penetration testing is implemented, then the productivity increases, but the measurement precision of vulnerability detection may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system dynamically selects from multiple lateral movement strategies during penetration testing, allowing it to adapt to different network topologies and vulnerability patterns. This dynamic strategy selection maintains high productivity through automation while improving detection precision by exploring multiple attack vectors that may reveal vulnerabilities missed by fixed approaches
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of strategy selection from fixed to variable through random selection among multiple strategies. This parameter change enables the automated system to maintain high testing speed while improving vulnerability detection accuracy by occasionally selecting strategies that are particularly effective for specific network configurations
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for carrying out campaigns of penetration testing for discovering and reporting security vulnerabilities of a networked system, the networked system comprising a plurality of network nodes interconnected by one or more networks.