Penetration Testing or Pentesting for short, is the process of thinking like an actual attacker in order to find vulnerabilities within systems so that they could be patched before actual bad actors discover them and exploit them.

How to start the journey?

To start the journey into the world pentesting, you’d need some prerequisite skills first:

• Knowledge in computer networks.
• Some programming and scripting knowledge in a programming language or two, we recommend C/C++ and Python.
• Report writing skills, this is very essential since as a pentester you need to document your findings properly so that your work is actual fruitful and understandable by the client.
• Finally, knowledge in Cybersecurity basics, such as what is a hash? what is the CIA triad, cryptography principles, certifications such as Security+ can cover these topics.

Red Teaming

Red Teaming is a full-scope simulation of real-world cyberattacks designed to test an organization’s detection and response capabilities — not just its technical defenses. While penetration testing focuses on identifying and reporting specific vulnerabilities within a defined scope (like a web app, network, or system), red teaming takes it a step further. It mimics the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of real adversaries to evaluate how well the blue team — the defenders — can detect, respond, and contain the threat. In short, penetration testing asks “Can we break in?”, while red teaming asks “Can you catch us if we do?”

Red Teaming jobs are usually every offensive security enthusiast’s dream, as they can include advanced techniques that are not usually used by penetration testers due to RoE (Rules of Engagement) or scope limitations, these advanced techniques include things such as phishing, social engineering, keystroke injection, mouse-jacking, and other techniques that include playing on the human weakness.