Automated Penetration Testing

Automated penetration testing describes the identification of security exposures, such as vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, using an automated tool.  Manual penetration testing performed by an ethical hacker can be slow and is often narrow in scope. Automated penetration testing is faster to perform and widens the scope of testing programs. 

Manual penetration testing is performed by human ethical hackers. Automated penetration testing complements manual assessments by broadening the scope and scale of testing programs. The outcomes of manual penetration testing can vary depending on the skills of a tester.  Automated tests provide consistent validation and metrics that can be used to track changes to an organization’s security posture more reliably.

No. The Picus platform automates security validation, meaning specialist ethical hacking skills are not required to simulate threats. This makes Picus an ideal choice for security teams that want consistent offensive security insights. For professionals with offensive security skills, the platform offers advanced features, such as threat customization, which help scale testing programs.

Automated Penetration Testing and Breach and Attack Simulation are terms used interchangeably to describe solutions that simulate threats. The main difference between tools is that some are specialized in addressing specific use cases such as 

vulnerability management, security control validation, and attack path management.  The Picus Platform has capabilities to address an extensive range of validation requirements.

Due to constant changes in the threat landscape and within IT environments, it is recommended that penetration testing should be performed on at least a weekly basis and after infrastructure changes. Annual or quarterly penetration testing might satisfy some compliance requirements but is not enough to ensure swift identification and mitigation of exposures.

Yes. Penetration testing can be performed safely in production environments if it is appropriately scoped to minimize any risks. 

Picus performs attack simulations using agents and does not target production systems. Any changes made to an environment are rolled back to their original state once an assessment is completed.