Why Pay a Pentester? The Shift to Automated Penetration Testing

The evolution of software always catches us by surprise. I remember betting against the IBM computer Deep Blue during its chess match against the grandmaster Garry Kasparov in 1997, only to be stunned when the machine claimed victory. Fast forward to today, would we have imagined just three years ago that a chatbot could write essays, handle customer support calls, and even craft commercial artwork? We continue to be amazed by what software can achieve—tasks we once thought were strictly human domains. Such is the surprise unfolding in the sphere of cybersecurity testing, like when it comes to Automated Penetration Testing… Hold on tight!

Demystifying Penetration Testing

If someone had told me 10 years ago that computer software could one day perform the work of an ethical hacker, I would have said ‘No way, Jose’. Penetration testing—PT for short—is when experts mimic hackers to test a company’s defenses. It’s a critical practice, mandated by major regulatory bodies like PCI DSS, HIPAA, and DORA to ensure network safety. Yet, despite its critical role, PT has been conducted in much the same way for decades.

We’ve Been Used to Paying the Bill

Traditional PT doesn’t come cheap, ranging from $30,000 for basic external web tests to $150,000 for complex cloud systems analyses. The process is lengthy, too often taking two to three months from the initial service request to final reporting, and only covering 5% to 10% of an organization’s assets at each pass.

Now consider the new economics: for the price of a single manual pentesting exercise one can perform automated daily exercises with ten times the scope in each run throughout the year. The financial argument for automation is truly disruptive. With software the cost per test run turns from the price of a BMW M4 to the price of a pair of Air Jordan sneakers. It’s that drastic.

The Brief History of Security Validation

While the broader cybersecurity field has seen rapid advancements, such as AI-driven endpoint security, PT has been slow to evolve. Pentera led the charge by introducing automated security testing capabilities back in 2015. That was the birth of algorithm-based security validation solutions. Its commercial debut was met with enthusiasm from a few early adopters and skepticism from many traditionalists. Nearly a decade later, Pentera, and several others, have expanded the envelope to fully automated infrastructure and application penetration testing with thousands of raving enterprise security professionals using the software daily.

Embracing Automated Solutions

The shift toward automation is gaining momentum, and the benefits of frequent and thorough testing are evident. While there’s still a place for the expert work of a master pentester for application testing, physical-cyber attack paths, and other advanced and bespoke scenarios, the need for broad coverage and frequent checks is clear. When it comes to addressing the world’s hundreds of millions of untested systems, software-based solutions offer unmatched efficiency and affordability. As cybersecurity challenges continue to grow, investing in automated PT isn’t just a smart move—it’s essential for maintaining robust security defenses without breaking the bank.

The Future of Cybersecurity Testing – is in Software. So, I ask: why pay a pentester?

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