Select and customize techniques

- An important part of…planning technical security assessments is…selecting and customizing which…testing techniques will be used.…Criteria to determine which…techniques should be used include:…assessment objectives, testing viewpoint,…resource availability and testing technique risks.…The objectives of the assessment will…likely have the most influence on…which techniques are used.…For instance, testing systems for…exploitable vulnerabilities would require…all the testing techniques necessary for…a PCI compliance audit.…

Remember, security assessments can be…conducted from various viewpoints.…For instance, social engineering is a…more appropriate technique for a covert assessment and…log reviews are more often part of overt tests.…Resources such as time, money, and…staff with the right skills should also be…considered when selecting testing techniques.…If funding and time are less available,…then it makes more sense to use vulnerability scans…versus penetration tests since…pen tests take longer and are more expensive.…