{"id":12961,"date":"2021-10-11T07:18:29","date_gmt":"2021-10-11T14:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/?p=12961"},"modified":"2023-08-18T08:37:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T15:37:13","slug":"how-to-become-a-penetration-tester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/cybersecurity\/how-to-become-a-penetration-tester\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Become a Penetration Tester"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Penetration testers are ethical hackers who attempt to breach an organization’s digital systems to improve its security posture. They are hired by organizations to probe vulnerabilities in their security systems that could be exploited by malicious agents. Penetration testers, or assurance validators, simulate cyberattacks on computer networks so that they can identify system vulnerabilities before criminal hackers can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Penetration testers\u2014often shortened to pen testers\u2014are an integral part of any organization’s digital security team. Their hacking expertise is necessary to prevent future cyberattacks that may cause serious financial, legal, and reputation losses for the company. According to a large-scale investigative report by IBM<\/a>, the average cost of a data breach in 2021 is higher than ever before. As a result, skilled penetration testers are some of the most highly sought-after digital security professionals in the world today. Based on statistics released by The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of information security analysts\u2014including penetration testers\u2014is projected to grow 31%<\/a> from 2019 to 2029.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As cyberattacks continue to grow in scale and complexity, penetration testers need to master sophisticated technical skills to secure an organization’s information systems. Here is a comprehensive guide to the role\u2014including key skills, job responsibilities, and six steps to help you become a penetration tester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is a Penetration Tester?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Penetration testers are hackers who test, modify, and execute data breach techniques<\/a> with complete authorization from the employing organization. Their primary objective is to find ways to break or bypass the company’s security network. Organizations routinely hire pen testers to identify critical flaws in their IT security strategy. The insights generated from these ethical hacking practices help organizations secure their digital assets in the long run. Industries that handle large amounts of personal, proprietary, sensitive, or classified information on a regular basis tend to employ the most penetration testers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pen testers constantly look for innovative ways to breach security protocols\u2014similar to how a malicious hacker may approach the task. Once a weak point in network security has been identified, pen testers document the hacking process and provide suggestions for countering similar attacks in the future. A penetration tester job description also includes regular engagement with teams of security consultants, vulnerability analysts, and compliance analysts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Required Penetration Tester Skills<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Penetration testers use a combination of automatic tools and custom scripts to detect security vulnerabilities in the system. When existing hacking strategies are not enough to carry out a data breach, pen testers must devise their own tools. To be successful in the role, penetration testers need advanced knowledge of the following frameworks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n