Why Blackbox Testing Might Be All You Need Sometimes

Is Whitebox Testing Overrated for Real-World Scenarios?

There are many type of cybersecurity pentesting — but probably 2 of the most common method are blackbox and whitebox testing.

• Blackbox testing simulates an attack: real-world attackers trying to break into your system from the outside.
• In contrast, whitebox testing digs deep into the internal workings — the guts — of the system, essentially exposing the tester to the “under the hood.”

Now, here comes the interesting part. For most of those cases, one would say blackbox testing would do. If your system resists a blackbox attack, does it really need to get a whitebox test? And is whitebox giving you anything new or overkill?

Blackbox Testing

Blackbox testing mirrors real-world threats. Think about it — most hackers don’t have inside knowledge of your system. They’re probing from the outside, looking for weaknesses without knowing the specifics of your code or infrastructure.

When you run a blackbox test, you’re might be asking — “Could someone with no prior knowledge break into my system?”

If the answer is no, that’s a solid sign your defences are in good shape. This approach…