Summary

In this chapter, you have learned about the importance and need for cybersecurity professionals and solutions around the world to safeguard assets from cyber criminals. Furthermore, you now have a better understanding of different types of threat actors and their reasons for performing cyber-attacks on their targets. In addition, you have explored what matters to threat actors and how various factors can affect their motives and determine whether it’s truly worth attacking a system or organization.

You have also learned about the various phases of penetration testing that are commonly used by threat actors. Each phase of penetration testing is important to ensure the ethical hacker and penetration tester is efficiently able to test the cyber defenses of a targeted organization and discover hidden security vulnerabilities.

I trust that the knowledge presented in this chapter has provided you with valuable insights, supporting your path toward becoming an ethical hacker and penetration tester in the dynamic field of cybersecurity. May this newfound understanding empower you in your journey, allowing you to navigate the industry with confidence and make significant contributions. In the next chapter, Chapter 2, Building a Penetration Testing Lab, you will learn how to design and build a virtualized penetration testing lab on your personal computer that will be used to hone your new skills in a safe environment.