If preparation is the key to success, then penetration testing is the key to IT security. Penetration Testers or Pen Testers conduct authorised, targeted, and simulated cyberattacks on an organisation’s computer systems to assess their level of security. By seeking, identifying, and exploiting vulnerabil... Continue Reading
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Explore Career If preparation is the key to success, then penetration testing is the key to IT security. Penetration Testers or Pen Testers conduct authorised, targeted, and simulated cyberattacks on an organisation’s computer systems to assess their level of security. By seeking, identifying, and exploiting vulnerabilities, they evaluate the potential outcomes of real-world attacks by malicious hackers and suggest risk mitigation strategies.
What are the typical responsibilities of a Pen Tester?
A Pen Tester would typically need to:
The work of Pen Testers is mainly office-based, whether at their employer’s or client’s facilities, depending on whether they work in cybersecurity consultancies or as in-house experts in corporate IT security teams. Specific workplaces depend on your role, the company, and industry within which you work and the project in which you are engaged.
Pen Testers can perform assessments remotely with the help of the latest technology. However, certain projects or tasks may require on-site security assessment, which includes visiting an organisation’s premises, data centres or physical IT infrastructure for deeper and more accurate insights into an organisation’s security posture.
Travel within the country or overseas to meet clients or attend industry events is possible.
Pen Testers typically work 40 hours a week in full-time roles. However, specific schedules depend on your organisation and project deadlines. Cybersecurity work typically requires professionals to remain flexible and available.
You may need to work longer hours, including evenings, weekends and holidays, when assessing infrastructural security or pen testing without disrupting daily operations, mitigating current or potential security threats and emergencies, staying on call, or working across different time zones on global projects.
Pen Testers who work remotely or from home have greater flexibility in scheduling their work hours. You may also opt for part-time roles, short-term contracts or freelance assignments.
With extensive experience and a robust network, you may launch your consultancy, giving you greater flexibility to manage your schedule, but you will likely need to manage client expectations expertly to safeguard your work-life balance.
Research suggests that flexible hours and generous telework policies appeal more than salary to the younger generation. There has been an incremental increase in employers willing to give promising employees a chance to adjust their schedules per the work pressure.
Finding a new job might seem challenging. Pen Testers can boost their job search by asking their network for referrals, contacting companies directly, using job search platforms, attending job fairs, leveraging social media and inquiring at staffing agencies.
You may also opt for self-employment or freelancing.
Pen Testers are generally employed by:
Professional associations and organisations, such as the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), are crucial for Pen Testers interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation.
Professional associations provide members with continuing education, networking opportunities and mentorship services. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.
While in high school, you may begin acquiring experience in the IT field by volunteering to work in your school’s technology lab or a coding club, which can also prepare you for college courses. Check with a teacher or counsellor about relevant work-based learning opportunities available in your school or community to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.
Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an interesting organisation, so you can have fun while learning about yourself and be directed toward a future career.
Read about the profession and interview or job shadow experts working in pen testing to prove your commitment to course providers and prospective employers.
Since IT security experience is vital in the field of pen testing, well-regarded cybersecurity degree programs are the ones that include a period of supervised experience, such as an internship, to learn about the industry and connect with experienced IT professionals.
Academic internships help you benefit from tasks outside the classroom that align with lessons inside it and may earn you college credits that help with early graduation, GPA, and tuition.
Summer internships, part-time work at an entry-level position, or short-term paid/voluntary work give you valuable insights into the career and how a company or institution operates, help build useful contacts, and improve your prospects of getting a permanent job.
The experience may also help determine whether the public, private, or voluntary sector is best suited to realise one’s ambitions. Your educational provider’s career service department can provide information about work placements, internships, and voluntary work opportunities in diverse sectors.
Some training programs also offer hands-on opportunities in simulated and safe environments to build and practise skills relevant to cybersecurity careers.
Aspiring Pen Testers typically start their careers in entry-level IT roles to acquire the experience and skills crucial to penetration testing, including knowledge of security systems and protocols, and the observation skills to detect flaws quickly.
While you work in your current IT role, sharpen your skills in pen testing by networking with other Pen Testers on diverse platforms, such as peer communities and professional associations, which can also help you find a mentor or even a job as a Pen Tester.
Taking up freelance projects allows you to learn and use the latest IT industry trends and pen testing tools and technologies. It also helps you build your resume to demonstrate your creativity, innovation, and experience to prospective employers.
Create blogs or YouTube videos to share your work, which might catch the attention of hiring managers.
Bug bounty programs are another avenue to practise your skills, gain experience, and build your network in the industry. Some companies offer cash bonuses to freelancing Pen Testers and other IT security professionals who analyse company code, identify flaws, and report them for the company to take action. Compensation is typically higher for participants who discover high-severity bugs than for those who identify relatively low-risk vulnerabilities.
Some websites, such as Hack the Box, Hack This Site, and WebGoat, are designed to allow you to practise and experiment with pen testing through legally permissible gamified experiences.
Aspiring Pen Testers may acquire a bachelor’s degree in computer science, cybersecurity, programming, or another field that builds a robust foundation in information technology (IT) and security systems.
You may opt for an IT or computer science degree with a major or emphasis in cybersecurity. Whichever program you choose, try to take courses in programming, application development, network administration, or computer security. Some advanced roles may require a master’s degree in cybersecurity or a related field.
The right academic qualifications can help you land an entry-level job in the field, from where you can work your way up to becoming capable of testing an organisation’s infrastructural vulnerabilities. However, not all pen testing jobs require a degree in computer science or related subjects. Your experience and proven ability to take a project through to completion are also valuable to employers.
While relevant certification is useful for all Pen Testers, it is of particular value to candidates who do not have a relevant degree to validate their cybersecurity knowledge and skills.
Specialised courses and training programs, such as the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate, help build the multiple skills that Pen Testers require. Cybersecurity or pen testing boot camps are especially useful to prepare you for the career. Those with a relevant bachelor’s degree may also benefit from boot camps as they help you update your skills and knowledge.
Some essential areas Pen Testers must build skills in include Linux, Windows and MacOS environments, and the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model with its seven layer-framework used by computer systems to communicate over a network. It is also useful to be thorough with pen test management platforms, application and network security, and security evaluation tools. Proficiency in programming for scripting using languages such as Python, BASH, Java, Ruby, and Perl is also essential. Make sure to understand and develop skills in threat modelling, technical writing and documentation, cryptography, cloud architecture, and remote access technologies.
Legal knowledge related to cybercrime is critical to help you deal appropriately with an organisation’s sensitive information and networks.
Aspiring Pen Testers may take high school courses in computer science, IT, mathematics, business, and related subjects. Ask your guidance counsellor for any additional tech-related courses your school can help you take. English and speech classes will help you develop your research, writing, and oral communication skills.
Remember that completing a particular academic course does not guarantee entry into the profession. Your professional qualifications and transferable skills may also open up more than one door.
Do your homework and look into all available options for education and employment before enrolling in a specific programme. Reliable sources that help you make an educated decision include associations and employers in your field.
Certification in penetration testing or ethical hacking demonstrates a Pen Tester’s competency in the relevant skill set, typically through work experience, training and passing an examination. When acquired from an objective and reputed organisation, it can help you stand out in a competitive job market and carry a significant salary premium of up to 18 per cent.
Successful certification programs protect public welfare by incorporating a Code of Ethics, particularly relevant to Pen Testers, as it ensures they do not misuse their hacking skills for illegal activities. Certification also demonstrates your efforts to stay current with the latest industry trends, tools and technologies.
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is a globally recognised information security certification from the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, also known as ISC2. It is helpful for Pen Testers as they typically work with sensitive data. The certification demonstrates their ability to effectively design, implement, and manage top-notch cybersecurity initiatives.
Pen Testers may also choose from a range of other relevant certifications, such as the following:
Pen Testers may also need to undergo an employment background check, including but not limited to a person’s work history, education, credit history, motor vehicle reports (MVRs), criminal record, medical history, use of social media and drug screening.
Performance, experience, and the acquisition of professional qualifications drive career progression. Employees with consistently high performance levels may be eligible for promotion every two to three years.
Pen Testers often launch their careers in entry-level IT or cybersecurity roles, such as Software Developer, Network or Systems Administrator, Cybercrime Analyst, or entry-level IT Auditor, focusing on security to build a foundation for penetration testing. With adequate experience in collaborating with other IT professionals and leading projects, you may advance into the field of pen testing.
As a Junior Pen Tester, you will learn the vulnerability assessment tools and technologies your client or employer uses and work under the guidance of senior members of the pen testing team. You will begin to scan vulnerabilities and use basic pen testing techniques.
It may take three to five years of experience to progress to Senior Pen Tester, who takes on more complex or extensive projects while mentoring junior Pen Testers and may also lead a pen testing team.
With further career progression, you may head to roles such as Lead Cybersecurity Specialist, Security Consultant or Security Architect. Transitioning into management, you may become an Information Security Manager and even climb further into executive roles, such as Chief Technology Officer.
Some Pen Testers specialise in web applications testing, wireless network security, IoT (Internet of Things) security, or other niche areas. You may also transition into the coding side of vulnerability assessments and pen testing if you are interested in the more technical aspects.
With extensive experience and a robust network in the industry, you may launch your cybersecurity consultancy or take up freelance work.
The desire to accelerate career growth and personal development has an increasing number of millennials choosing to job hop and build a scattershot resume that showcases ambition, motivation and the desire to learn a broad range of skills.
Studies prove that job hopping, earlier dismissed as “flaky” behaviour, can lead to greater job fulfilment. Employees searching for a positive culture and exciting work are willing to try out various roles and workplaces and learn valuable and transferable skills along the way.
Candidates with generalised or specialised hands-on pen testing experience and industry certifications in ethical hacking, penetration testing or other aspects of IT security have the best job prospects.
Continuing professional development (CPD) will help an active Pen Tester build personal skills and proficiency through work-based learning, a professional activity,
formal education or self-directed learning. It also enables the periodic renewal of desirable certifications, which increase one’s chances of advancement and becoming an independent consultant.
Pen Testers must constantly upskill to keep current with constantly evolving technology, the latest trends and best practices in the cybersecurity industry, commonly exploited vulnerabilities, hacking techniques, and emerging security threats.
If you have entered the field of pen testing without formal academic qualifications, you may consider acquiring a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity or a related field as part of continuing education (CE). If you already hold a bachelor’s degree, you may consider pursuing a master’s degree in cybersecurity to advance your career to lead pen testing teams and move into senior managerial and executive roles. While not necessary, formal educational qualifications give you an edge in the employment market, which is expected to become increasingly competitive.
Professionals wishing to diversify into research or academia may pursue a PhD in cybersecurity or related areas.
Whether or not you hold a degree, acquire relevant certifications demonstrating your knowledge, skills and experience in pen testing and related areas to help you build your portfolio and give you a competitive edge in the job market.
Learning Linux, a family of open-source operating systems, and a scripting language, such as Python, is advisable to simplify your work and make it more efficient.
You may also grow your technical and problem-solving skills and knowledge of the security landscape by participating in bug bounty programs, collecting open-source intelligence (OSINT), and developing proprietary attack programs, which also help you build recognition for yourself in the field.
Attend conferences, workshops, webinars, seminars and other industry events to share knowledge, expand your network and find mentorship to help you navigate your career progression.
It is critical for Pen Testers to stay up to date with legal requirements and ethical guidelines and to know how to get authorisation for pen testing.
You will find it useful to take courses in the fundamentals of business and management to understand corporate operations and objectives. Strengthening your oral and written communication skills will help you document your procedures and findings and present them to stakeholders through well-drafted and cohesive reports.
Some Definitions
Penetration testing (or pen testing) is a security exercise where a cybersecurity expert conducts simulated and ethical hacking attempts to find and exploit vulnerabilities in a computer system to enhance an organisation’s information security measures and security posture, acting according to organisational guidelines and within the defined and authorised scope. The goal is to identify security gaps and correct them in order of risk before unethical hackers can exploit them. Pen tests may focus on one or more areas of networks, systems, and applications.
Ethical hacking is an authorised attempt to hack a defined scope to uncover and rectify information security vulnerabilities.
Vulnerabilities are weak spots in a computer system’s defences that malicious attackers could take advantage of or exploit. Once cybercriminals gain unauthorised access to a system, they can run malicious code, install malware, and steal confidential and sensitive data.
Bug bounty programs offer a monetary reward to ethical hackers who identify a vulnerability or bug in an application across its development life cycle and report it to the app developer. Such programs leverage the hacker community's skills while reinforcing a company's penetration testing strategy and enhancing its security posture.
Malware refers to malicious software which is intrusive and developed by hackers and cybercriminals to access confidential data or damage and destroy computers and systems.
An organisation’s security posture refers to the totality of its cybersecurity readiness, which includes visibility into the security situation of its software, hardware, networks, services, and information.
Barriers to entry are physical barriers to an organisation’s premises and physical assets that prevent unauthorised access. They include locked doors that can be opened only with keys or authorised badges or by company receptionists and security guards.
How organisations respond to cyberattacks and data breaches constitutes incident response (IR). Responses include shutting down systems to thwart the attack,
examining logs to discover the timing of the attack and affected systems, informing affected stakeholders, and other investigations and decisions required to resume safe operations online.
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the enormous number of devices, running into billions, connected to the internet globally. IoT includes smart devices, such as household appliances or white goods, electronic toys, lighting, and security cameras, that may not require security measures or do not clarify their usage to users.
Ransomware is malware that tries to infect desktops, servers and other target systems or networks by blocking access to them and their data. It typically uses data encryption or sets passwords that block access. Unblocking is possible only when the affected user pays the fee stated in the displayed message.
A red team test, conducted by internal or external Pen Testers, uses diverse hacking and social engineering methods to attack an organisation’s systems to access its networks and confidential data.
A Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack refers to a threat wherein attackers place themselves between users and applications, aiming to eavesdrop or impersonate either of the parties, making it look as if the exchange of information is authentic. It is common to financial application users, SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) businesses, e-commerce, and other websites that require logging in. MITM attacks can result in the theft of personal information, including login credentials, account details, and credit card numbers.
The Penetration Testing Process
A penetration test methodology typically follows a structured approach that includes the phases of reconnaissance, scanning, vulnerability assessment, exploitation, and reporting.
Reconnaissance includes collecting information about the target system, either passively from publicly available resources or actively by interacting with the system. Scanning tools are then used to identify open ports. Running vulnerability assessments helps identify weaknesses in an organisation’s computer systems, networks, and applications, factoring in the data from reconnaissance and scanning. The process helps detect typical loopholes, such as misconfigurations, weak passwords, or outdated software, and more complex and sophisticated vulnerabilities that skilled and malicious attackers could leverage.
Based on the vulnerabilities that have been identified, Pen Testers research and develop new pen testing methodologies and simulated attacks, factoring in critical organisational variables, such as costs, complexities, risks, and resources involved.
They may customise authorised exploits on identified vulnerabilities by scripting and coding them or modifying existing pen testing tools. It is also vital to design and execute simulated social engineering attacks to assess the human element of security and to assess the physical security of systems, servers, and other network devices on the organisation’s premises.
Once all the necessary documentation is in place to ensure legal and ethical compliance, Pen Testers may launch remote or on-site simulated attacks while ensuring minimal impact on business operations. They document, analyse, and present the procedures and findings through detailed reports to IT and leadership teams and non-technical stakeholders. Along with describing the vulnerabilities and prioritising them based on their criticality, Pen Testers also recommend mitigation strategies, which they help implement and evaluate to enhance an organisation’s overall security posture.
Black-Box, White-Box & Grey-Box Testing
Black-box testing places Pen Testers in the position of the average hacker without sharing knowledge of the target system's internal features. Pen Testers using this technique do not have any architecture diagrams or source code that is not publicly available. Black-box testing aims to discover system vulnerabilities that may be exploited from outside the target network, using dynamic analysis of active programs and systems within it. However, if the testers do not succeed in breaching the perimeter, they cannot discover or fix internal vulnerabilities.
Grey-box testing allows testers the access and knowledge that users have and some awareness of a network’s internal features, such as its design and architecture documentation, and an internal account. This technique affords a more targeted and effective assessment of a network's security, particularly within its perimeter, than black-box testing. It simulates the position of a malicious attacker with longer-term network access than the average hacker.
White-box testing is also known as clear-box, open-box, auxiliary, or logic-driven testing. Diametrically opposite to black-box testing, it allows Pen Testers complete access to system features, such as source code and architecture documentation. However, given the available data to enable vulnerability assessment, white-box testing can be lengthy. It involves using static and dynamic analytical tools and techniques to evaluate a system’s internal and external vulnerabilities thoroughly.
Types of Penetration Testers
Network Penetration Testers specialise in testing servers, routers, switches, firewalls, and other network devices and scanning ports of entry. They aim to identify and exploit network infrastructure vulnerabilities, bypassing network security controls and gaining unauthorised access to understand how to strengthen network security measures. Some attacks they protect businesses from include firewall misconfiguration and bypass, database attacks, man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, and router attacks.
Web Application Penetration Testers focus on assessing, exploiting, and improving the security of websites, web portals, web-based services, and other web applications. Their tasks include architecture analysis, tests for typical vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, and validating the adequacy of web-based security controls. They identify vulnerabilities in databases, source code and backend networks, prioritise them, and suggest risk-mitigation techniques.
Mobile Application Penetration Testers work with mobile applications (except mobile APIs and servers), evaluating their operating environment and architecture, analysing their security and code, testing for mobile-app-related vulnerabilities, and checking the security of an app’s storage, communication, and authentication mechanisms. Static analysis methods perform reverse engineering on extracted source code and metadata to discover security gaps. Dynamic analysis detects the application’s vulnerabilities while it runs on a device or server.
Wireless Penetration Testers deal with wireless networks, including Wi-Fi networks. They identify and exploit vulnerabilities in the security configurations of wireless access points and encryption. They aim to try and enter the network through a security breach or intercept wireless communications to recommend measures to mitigate the risk of the misconfiguration of wireless routers, session reuse, and unauthorised wireless devices.
Social Engineering Penetration Testers specialise in exploiting human vulnerabilities through social engineering techniques, given that humans are viewed as the most vulnerable links in the security chain. These testers conduct phishing attacks, impersonate individuals to gain sensitive information, and assess the vulnerability of individuals, groups, or processes in an organisation to manipulation and deception.
Physical Penetration Testers attempt to gain entry into the restricted areas of an organisation’s physical premises by evading access controls, surveillance systems, security procedures, and security staff. Their purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of physical security controls, such as locks, doors, cameras, or sensors, in safeguarding a business’s physical assets and preventing access to sensitive zones, such as server rooms. They also try to prevent social engineering threats, tailgating, and badge cloning.
Red Team Penetration Testers work as ethical hackers and try to cause security breaches based on the findings of vulnerability assessments. Red team testing is based on military training exercises and uses an offensive or adversarial approach. The blue team responds with defensive security. Regular pen testing is typically limited by the task scope. However, red team pen testing entails simulated attacks using technical and non-technical methods in the physical, digital, and social contexts to help evaluate an organisation’s overall security posture.
IoT (Internet of Things) Penetration Testers probe and tackle vulnerabilities in smart home devices, industrial IoT systems, and other connected devices and data ecosystems. IOT pen testing can be complicated due to the use of diverse technologies and the numerous points of attack possible. IoT pen tests identify flaws in various layers to enhance the security of an object’s overall environment. You may audit the hardware software, APIs, and web and mobile interfaces or focus on a specific area with identified security issues.
Other types of Pen Testers include Cloud Penetration Testers (for cloud-based infrastructure and environments), Blockchain Penetration Testers (for decentralised applications (DApps), smart contracts and blockchain networks), Embedded System Penetration Testers (for medical devices and automotive and industrial control systems), and Thick Client Application Penetration Testers (for desktop or standalone applications).
Penetration Testers vs Ethical Hackers
With their titles often used interchangeably, the roles and objectives of Penetration Testers and ethical hackers have several overlaps as both are vital contributors to
strengthening an organisation’s cybersecurity defences. However, ethical hacking is a broader field, with penetration testing as one of its areas.
Like Pen Testers, ethical hackers, also termed white hat hackers, are cybersecurity experts who conduct authorised assessments to identify security flaws and vulnerabilities in an organisation’s security posture, including its computer systems, networks, and applications. However, while Pen Testers tend to follow a relatively structured methodology, ethical hackers may stretch their repertoire to include innovative and even unconventional approaches to reveal vulnerabilities that may have been missed in earlier assessments.
Professionals in the field may go by either title, depending on their organisation, certifications, skill set, interests, and projects.
Penetration Tests vs Vulnerability Scans/Assessments
Isolated and automated vulnerability scans or assessments generate a list of vulnerabilities, but they are passive because they only report security gaps, leaving it to the stakeholders and their IT teams to fix them on priority or confirm whether they are false positives and need a scan rerun.
Pen tests cannot be automated but need Pen Testers to use the identified vulnerabilities from vulnerability scans to plan and implement appropriate, authorised, and simulated cyberattacks on an organisation’s systems, networks, and applications. Using detailed pen testing procedures to detect security lapses, thorough analysis and systematic reporting, Pen Testers can prioritise and recommend effective risk management strategies and remediations to organisations.
Some Pen Testing Tools
The wide range of tools that make the work of Pen Testers faster and more efficient include Kali Linux (a popular operating system for pen testing), Nmap (a port scanner for network discovery), Wireshark (a packet sniffer to analyse traffic on your network), John the Ripper (an open-source password cracker), Burp Suite (to test application security), Nessus (a vulnerability assessment tool), and OWASP ZAP Proxy (a web application security scanner).
White, Black & Grey Hat Hackers
White hat hackers are ethical hackers authorised to exploit computer systems to probe, uncover, and fix an organisation’s security vulnerabilities. Although they access sensitive information, they do not aim to exploit it or disrupt the system and company operations for personal gain. Their overarching aim is to protect their clients' or employers’ systems and networks by securing the loopholes they discover before unethical hackers find and exploit them.
Black hat hackers are unethical hackers not hired by organisations to look for vulnerabilities but still do so to exploit them for financial gain, for instance, by accessing the credit card information of a business’s customers. Some work for rogue nations to cause infrastructure and other disruptions in enemy nations.
Grey hat hackers fall between the two categories of white and black hat hackers. While their work can be useful, it may still be viewed as ethically doubtful.
Why Some Employers Use the Services of Pen Testers
Software development firms, cybersecurity consultancies, network infrastructure specialists, and other technology companies typically have their in-house teams of Pen Testers to ensure that their systems and products are secure.
Cybersecurity consultancies provide penetration testing to clients across diverse industries as part of their specialised services. Their Pen Testers work with clients to conduct vulnerability assessments, conduct authorised and simulated cyberattacks, and recommend security posture enhancements based on their findings.
Pen Testers employed by government agencies engaged in critical areas, such as defence, intelligence, and legislation, help assess and enhance the security of their information systems and infrastructure.
Financial institutions, such as banks and insurance companies, employ Pen Testers to secure the robustness of their cybersecurity measures and also ensure regulatory compliance.
E-commerce, online payment processing, and digital services must strictly secure customer data to uphold trust and protect the business from financial damage. Pen Testers help mitigate the risk of data breaches by assessing and identifying threats and preventing them.
Since protecting sensitive patient data from cyberattacks and data breaches is critical, healthcare providers and medical research institutions employ Pen Testers to probe, detect and resolve vulnerabilities in their networks, applications, and medical devices.
Energy and utility companies employ Pen Testers to assess and enhance the security of their critical infrastructure to stall off current and potential threats.
Current Scenario
The employment outlook of a particular profession may be impacted by diverse factors, such as the time of year (for seasonal jobs), location, employment turnover (when people leave current jobs), occupational growth (when new roles are created), size of the occupation and industry-specific trends and events that affect overall employment.
As networks, applications, information management needs, and systems grow more complex and critical, their vulnerabilities also increase. Pen Testers will continue to be needed to leverage technology in preventing potential cyberattacks and preparing for and minimising their impact if they do occur.
Despite growing educational pathways to specialise in cybersecurity, professionals remain in short supply. However, cybersecurity specialists in related areas, such as applications, IoT, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), or blockchain pen testing, will remain in high demand with companies to test their products and ensure legal compliance.
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Forewarned is forearmed. Pen Testers contribute to an organisation’s cybersecurity strategy by conducting planned and ethical simulations of cyberattacks. They pinpoint and fix vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure before malicious attackers exploit them. It is vital that Pen Testers update their skills to counteract evolving cyberattack threats and minimise the risk of data breaches and consequent financial harm to businesses.
If you already work in an IT role in a company, a creative and economical way to build and practise your pen test toolkit is to convert an older or unused PC or laptop into a test system. You may also use virtualised software to access and test multiple systems from a single test system.
In IT, a "patch", like the one used to mend a clothing item, is a modification made to programs to enhance their security or performance. It may also be called a "bug fix", as it often fixes a defect identified by developers or users.
What do Pen Testers do?
A Pen Tester would typically need to:
Accredited
$102,048
