Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad B.Tech III Year ETHICAL HACKING Previous Question Paper (August/September - 2021 - R18)

Planning is the foundational phase of a penetration test, ensuring the engagement is structured, legal, and aligned with business objectives. The process involves the following steps:

• Defining Scope and Objectives: Clearly identifying the systems, networks, and applications to be tested. This includes determining whether the test is black-box, white-box, or grey-box.
• Legal Authorization: Obtaining written permission, such as a Rules of Engagement (RoE) document and a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), to prevent legal liabilities.
• Resource Allocation: Identifying the tools, personnel, and timeframes required for the assessment.
• Communication Plan: Establishing protocols for reporting critical vulnerabilities, emergency contact points, and the frequency of status updates between the tester and the client.
• Risk Assessment: Identifying potential operational risks to the target environment and creating mitigation strategies to ensure system stability during testing.

The process of information security is a continuous cycle designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA) of data. It is typically represented by the following systematic phases:

• Assessment: Identifying assets and evaluating the current security posture. This involves risk assessment and vulnerability scanning to understand the threat landscape.
• Policy Development: Defining the security framework, including organizational policies, standards, and guidelines that dictate how security controls should be implemented.
• Implementation (Defense): Deploying technical and administrative controls. This includes firewalls, encryption, access control mechanisms (IAM), and physical security measures to protect against identified threats.
• Monitoring and Detection: Utilizing tools such as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) to continuously monitor network traffic and system logs for suspicious activity.
• Incident Response: Establishing a structured approach to handle security breaches, including containment, eradication, and recovery to minimize damage and restore normal operations.
• Maintenance and Improvement: Regularly auditing security controls, patching vulnerabilities, and updating policies based on emerging threat intelligence to ensure the security posture remains effective over time.