What Is Automated Penetration Testing? A Complete Guide

Automated penetration testing, also known as automated security testing, revolutionizes the process of assessing the security of systems, networks, or applications. 

By leveraging advanced software tools and techniques, it streamlines the evaluation process, enhances efficiency, and delivers comprehensive results.

One of the key advantages of automated penetration testing is its speed and efficiency. Unlike manual testing, which can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, automated tools can perform tests continuously and rapidly. 

This enables organizations to assess their systems’ security posture on a regular basis, detect vulnerabilities promptly, and take proactive measures to mitigate risks.

Furthermore, automated penetration testing offers a cost-effective alternative to manual testing. By reducing the reliance on human testers, organizations can achieve substantial cost savings while maintaining a high level of security assessment. 

The initial investment in automated tools and setup is often offset by the long-term benefits of increased efficiency and reduced testing time.

What Is Automated Penetration Testing?

With automated penetration testing, the repetitive tasks traditionally performed by human penetration testers are automated. 

These tasks include scanning for vulnerabilities, attempting to exploit them, and generating detailed reports on the findings. 

By replacing manual efforts with automated software programs, organizations can save significant time and resources while still ensuring robust security testing.

Automated penetration testing typically involves the following steps:

1. Discovery: The automated tool scans the system or network to identify potential targets, such as open ports or services.

2. Vulnerability Assessment: The tool then performs automated tests to identify vulnerabilities, such as weak passwords, outdated software, or misconfigured servers.

3. Exploitation: If vulnerabilities are found, the tool attempts to exploit them to gain access to the system or network.

4. Reporting: The tool generates a report that details the vulnerabilities found, along with recommendations for remediation.

Automated penetration testing can be a useful tool for organizations to assess their security posture, as it provides a quick and efficient way to identify potential security risks.

However, it is important to note that automated tools are not a substitute for manual testing, and they may not be able to detect all vulnerabilities.

Manual Vs Automated Pentesting

Manual and automated penetration testing are two different approaches to testing security. Here are some major distinctions between the both.

Manual Testing	Automation Testing
Testing performed manually by a human tester	Testing is performed automatically using software tools and scripts
Requires a human tester to execute test cases and scenarios	Test cases and scenarios are executed automatically by software tools and scripts
Useful for exploratory testing, where the tester can explore the software and identify potential issues	Useful for repetitive testing, such as regression testing
Requires a higher level of human expertise, intuition, and creativity	Requires expertise in test automation and scripting
Effective in situations where the software is complex, the requirements are changing frequently, or the user experience is critical	Effective in situations where the software has a large number of repetitive tasks or is subject to frequent changes
Time-consuming and expensive in the long run	Faster execution and turnaround time
Provides detailed feedback on the user experience and usability of the software	Limited ability to identify defects related to the user experience or usability
Limited scalability and coverage of testing	Improved accuracy and coverage of testing
Higher risk of human error and inconsistencies in testing	Consistency and repeatability of test results
Suitable for ad hoc and one-time testing	Suitable for long-term and repetitive testing
Limited ability to test under high volumes of traffic or user activity	Useful in load testing, where the software is tested under high volumes of traffic or user activity

It’s worth noting that the choice between manual testing and automation testing depends on the specific context and goals of the testing, and a combination of both may be the most effective approach in many situations.

What Does Automated Penetration Testing Covers?

Automated penetration testing covers a wide range of areas to test the security of a system or network. Here are some of the common areas that automated penetration testing may cover.

1. Network security: This involves testing the security of the network infrastructure, such as firewalls, routers, and switches, to identify potential vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.
2. Web application security: This involves testing the security of web applications, such as login forms, search functions, and shopping carts, to identify vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and input validation issues.
3. Mobile application security: This involves testing the security of mobile applications, such as Android or iOS apps, to identify vulnerabilities such as insecure storage of sensitive data, insecure communication protocols, and weak authentication mechanisms.
4. Operating system security: This involves testing the security of the operating system, such as Windows or Linux, to identify vulnerabilities such as weak passwords, unpatched software, and misconfigured services.
5. Cloud security: This involves testing the security of cloud infrastructure, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure, to identify vulnerabilities such as weak access controls, data leakage, and insecure network configurations.
6. Social engineering: This involves testing the susceptibility of employees to social engineering attacks, such as phishing emails, phone calls, or physical access to restricted areas.

Automated penetration testing can help identify potential security risks and vulnerabilities in a system or network, providing valuable insights into how to improve the security posture of the organization.

However, it’s important to note that automated tools are not a substitute for manual testing, and they may not be able to detect all vulnerabilities.

Summing Up

While automated penetration testing is the way for the future of penetration testing and is considered to be a cost-effective and advanced approach, manual penetration testing is often considered better than automated penetration testing.

That’s because it allows for the use of human intelligence, experience, and creativity to discover vulnerabilities that may be missed by automated tools.

A skilled penetration tester can think outside the box and use various techniques to uncover security flaws that automated tools may not be able to detect. Additionally, manual testing allows for a deeper analysis of vulnerabilities, which can result in more comprehensive and accurate reports.

Penetration testers can adjust their testing approach based on the specific risks and requirements of the target system, which can lead to more effective testing and more accurate results.

Finally, manual testing allows for a better understanding of the context of the target system, which can help identify potential vulnerabilities that may be missed by automated tools. While automated testing is more efficient, consistent, and scalable, manual testing remains a critical component of comprehensive security testing.

SecureLayer7 caters to your approach with experienced top-notch manual testers who hold expertise in a broad set of scenarios.

You might not always rely on algorithms but you can always rely on our in-house team of pen testers who can provide you with a tailored approach as per your requirements and can make the process hassle-free for you.

Try out SecureLayer7 today to fortify your organization from threats and to have a great experience with your pen testing journey.