Pen Testing By Numbers: Tracking Pen Testing Trends and Challenges

Over the years, penetration testing^[1]
has had to change and adapt alongside the IT environments and
technology that need to be assessed.

Broad cybersecurity issues often influence the strategy and
growth of pen-testing. In such a fast-paced field, organizations
get real value from learning about others’ penetration testing
experiences, identifying trends, and the role they play in today’s
threat landscape.

While there is much to be gained from a single snapshot,
additional value can come from long term data collection and year
over year comparisons. We can see whether the effects that recent
trends have on pen testing are long term, or simply a temporary
shift, and how they affect the continuing evolution of penetration
testing. For instance, 2020 saw a massive influx of remote
work.

Unfortunately, the convenience of working safely from home
increased the risk of a breach as countless new attack vectors
opened up, both from the way employees connected to networks, as
well as the devices they connected. VPNs, whose purpose is to
ensure a secure connection, became a popular target for
attackers.

Additionally, phishing attacks also surged as threat attackers
took advantage of a global crisis, knowing employees were more
prone to open emails that seemed to offer information about the
pandemic.

A year full of such upheaval may be full of anomalies, or it
could be the beginning of a permanent shift. Will organizations
return to in-office work, or will network pen testers need to
assume that the security perimeter includes the homes of
employees?

Organizations may only need to temporarily prioritize social
engineering penetration tests they have third parties run, or they
may need to consider a long-term strategy, like having their
internal security team use a pen-testing tool to run regular pen
testing simulation campaigns.

In order to track these changes year over year, Core Security, a
HelpSystems Company, is launching the 2021 Penetration
Testing Survey^[2].

Comparing the results with those of last year’s inaugural survey
will help show the true impact that 2020 had on the organization’s
pen testing behaviors. It will also provide data for analysis and
insight to show the influence these new trends have on the years
ahead, as well as the general evolution and advancement of the
penetration testing field.

If you are involved in pen testing in your organization, we want
to hear from you. By participating, you will be joining a community
of like-minded cybersecurity experts in discussing ethical hacking
program effectiveness and the resources required to deploy
them.

Want to take part in this anonymous survey that will provide
valuable research findings on pen testing? Take the survey
now.^[3]