Penetration Tester Job Description: Duties & Skills 2024!

What is Penetration Testing?

A pen tester simulates an attack on computer systems, networks, or apps to find vulnerabilities and flaws. A penetration test evaluates a system's security and attackability.

Companies and government agencies use these experts to assess their security against malevolent, unethical hackers. 

Penetration testing may be part of a regular security evaluation after a system upgrade or compliance requirements. A successful pen test can demonstrate an organization's security commitment and prevent breaches.

What Does a Penetration Tester Do?

Cybersecurity professionals, called penetration testers or ethical hackers, simulate cyberattacks on systems, networks, and applications and find flaws before hackers do. 

Instead of hacking for personal gain or malice, penetration testers work with the organization's consent. They identify vulnerabilities and suggest security improvements. 

Based on technical knowledge and creativity, penetration testers simulate software exploits and social engineering attacks.  

Their goal is to identify system vulnerabilities and assess the effects of such breaches. After examining these vulnerabilities, dangers, and mitigation methods, they write extensive reports. 

Penetration Testing vs Ethical Hacking

Since penetration testing and ethical hacking are similar, they are often used interchangeably. Penetration testing attacks an organization's computer systems and infrastructure defenses. However, ethical hacking encompasses all hacking and computer assault methods. So, along with uncovering security flaws and vulnerabilities and ensuring target system security, it is beyond hacking but with authorization to protect future security. It's an umbrella word; penetration testing is part of ethical hacking.

Penetration Tester Responsibilities

Penetration tester responsibilities include:

• Work with enterprise programs on penetration testing and online application security.
• Responsible for scoping and conducting penetration tests on various technologies, including online, mobile, and infrastructure.
• Offer global network and application vulnerability assessment and penetration testing services, detecting system weaknesses and making recommendations for mitigation.
• Provide individual and global assessments to enhance security posture across the organization.
• Proven proficiency in computer network vulnerability assessment and penetration testing.
• Provide expertise in penetration testing for Enterprise Information Security (EIS) and the firm.
• As the firm's subject matter expert, they handle all penetration testing components.
• Individually contribute to the enterprise-wide penetration testing program and its components.
• Collaborate with application developers, management, and project management.
• Evaluate current penetration testing methods, identify risks, and implement solutions.

Penetration Tester Job Description

As part of their job description, penetration testers must operate at the forefront of cybersecurity defenses. In this section, let’s try to understand the penetration tester Job description:

Conducting Tests on Networks and Applications

To find security flaws, you must create tests that can breach protected networks, systems, and web applications.

Writing Security Assessment Reports

Document your results, prepare security reports, and discuss solutions with IT and management teams after doing your study and tests.

Initiate a Highly Efficient Security Measure

It requires a physical inspection of server and network device security. During these hands-on evaluations, you'll look for security flaws and develop countermeasures to threats, including extreme weather, vandalism, humidity, and temperature changes.

Learn Penetration Testing

The cybersecurity landscape evolves. Thus, penetration testers must stay updated on vulnerabilities, hacking methods, and tools. Their jobs require ongoing training and certification renewals.

Analyzes Security Policies

Organizations execute security policies that govern IT resource access and use. You will evaluate these policies, recommend adjustments, and improve methodology.

Collecting Data and Deploying Testing Methodology

A systematic plan should outline every penetration test's methodology, tools, and prospective emphasis areas. Penetration testers plan their testing to guarantee it's thorough and ethical.

Exploit Vulnerabilities

After finding vulnerabilities, the penetration tester will try to exploit them to obtain access or inflict damage. This may entail social engineering, phishing, or network attacks.

Identify Vulnerabilities in Systems

The penetration tester examines various computer systems, networks, and applications to find security flaws. Manual testing and automated tools like vulnerability scanners may be employed.

Information Security

All businesses, especially those handling state secrets like military suppliers and national security groups, must prioritize information security.

Security

This involves penetration, web application, and social engineering testing.

Experiment

Penetration testers use vulnerabilities to measure the severity of attacks.

Planning Penetration Tests

The penetration test team must determine the program's access level when planning. The penetration tester behaves like an attacker to uncover and exploit vulnerabilities within the limits of the Rules of Engagement.

Engineering

Pen testers must combine open-source threat knowledge with a bespoke phishing exposure evaluation. They will test cyber defenses by using spearphishing to target chosen employees.

Review the Code for Security Vulnerabilities

Secure code reviews find and fix code-level security issues. This includes finding SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and other security flaws attackers could exploit.

Uncover Vulnerabilities Before Cybercriminals Exploit Them

Automatic scanning technologies can find known flaws but can't match human attackers' originality and adaptability. Penetration testing uses automated and manual testing to find vulnerabilities and assess security.

Penetration Tester Skills

Key Soft Skills

• A willingness to learn: Cybercriminals adapt their methods as technology advances. Penetration testers must follow both fronts.
• Teamwork: Penetration testers collaborate in teams, with younger members reporting to senior members and doing lower-level chores.
• Effective verbal communication: Team members should communicate findings simply to non-technical individuals.
• Report Writing: Good report writing abilities benefit penetration testing experts who provide reports for management and executives.

Key Hard Skills

• Deep Exploit and Vulnerability Knowledge: Employers value candidates who go beyond automated approaches.
• Testers with scripting and coding skills save time on evaluations.
• Strong Operating System Understanding: Penetration testers must have extensive knowledge of the operating systems they analyze.
• Penetration testers must understand networking protocols such as TCP/IP, UDP, ARP, DNS, and DHCP to investigate hackers and cybercriminals effectively.

Salary of a Penetration Tester

According to, the average penetration tester salary in the US is around $87,440 per year. Entry-level can start around $60,000, while mid-level can reach $90,000 to $120,000. The average salary for a Penetration Tester with Cyber Security skills in India is ₹554811 in 2024.

Based on information from Payscale, the average salary for penetration testers in the US is approximately $87,440 per year. Entry-level positions may start at around $60,000, while mid-level positions can range from $90,000 to $120,000. As per Payscale, In India, the average salary for a Penetration Tester with Cyber Security skills is projected to be ₹554811 in 2024.

Companies Hiring Penetration Tester

As the scope of threat in cybersecurity continues to expand, the demand for skilled penetration testers is rising across various industries. Major tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple consistently seek experts to fortify their digital defenses. Financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs also prioritize hiring penetration testers to protect sensitive financial data. Additionally, cybersecurity firms like FireEye, Palo Alto Networks, and CrowdStrike are prime employers, offering specialized roles focused on offensive security measures.

Government agencies, including the NSA and the Department of Defense, recruit penetration testers to secure national infrastructure. The universal need for robust security ensures that penetration tester opportunities span diverse sectors, ensuring a dynamic and promising career path.

Related Career Paths

Penetration testing is just one aspect of the broader field of cybersecurity, offering various related career paths for professionals looking to diversify their skills and expertise.

• Cybersecurity Analyst: Focus on monitoring and defending against security threats and vulnerabilities.
• Incident Responder: Specialize in responding to and mitigating security breaches and incidents.
• Security Consultant: Provide expert advice on improving an organization's overall security posture.
• Security Engineer: Design, implement, and maintain security systems and infrastructure.
• Forensic Analyst: Investigate cybercrimes and analyze digital evidence to understand breaches.

Conclusion

Penetration testers need IT knowledge, practical experience, and a willingness to learn. Certifications and degrees in cybersecurity, such as the CEH (v12) - Certified Ethical Hacker course, can help you stand out to companies. Being an effective penetration tester requires an understanding of ethical hacking. All you understand is that the penetration testing job description requires technical expertise, ethics, and ongoing learning. Understanding this role's complexities is crucial for organizations seeking to protect their digital assets as cyber threats advance.

FAQs

1. What is the career progression for a penetration tester?

The career progression for a penetration tester typically starts with roles like Junior Penetration tester and Security Analyst. It advances to Penetration tester and Senior Penetration tester positions. Further progression leads to roles such as Security Consultant or Security Architect. Eventually, one can move into leadership positions like Security Manager/Director or Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

2. What are common challenges faced by penetration testers?

Penetration testers often encounter issues such as outdated software, insecure encryption, exhaustion, inaccurate job descriptions, testing in silos, and error messages.

3. What are some common misconceptions about penetration testing?

Common misconceptions about penetration testing procedures include: 

• Confusion with vulnerability scanning
• 100% security guarantee
• One-time activity
• Standardized and uniform methodology

4. What are the key differences between network and application penetration testing?

Network penetration testing is done to find security holes in a network's hardware, including servers, routers, and switches. Web application penetration testing investigates security flaws in web applications, such as cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection.

5. What are some famous tools used in penetration testing?

The famous penetration testing tools are NMap, W3AF, Tenable Nessus, OnSecurity, Wireshark, OWASP ZAP, and GitHub.