Summary

During the course of this chapter, you have discovered various types of threats actors and their motivation for performing malicious cyber-attacks on persons and organizations. Furthermore, you have gained an understanding of some factors that are considered among threat actors and penetration testers as they affect the launching of a cyber-attack or performing a penetration testing assessment on target organizations. You have also acquired the knowledge to identify various key terminologies within the cybersecurity industry and have explored the stages of penetration testing and how it relates to the phases of hacking. Lastly, you have discovered various types of penetration tests that are conducted within organizations and have explored the Cyber Kill Chain framework as it relates to penetration testing.

I hope this chapter has been informative and helpful to you in your journey toward becoming a super awesome penetration tester and cybersecurity professional within the industry. In the next chapter, Chapter 2, Building a Penetration Testing Lab, you will learn how to build your very own penetration testing lab environment to hone your new skills in a safe space.