Become a Penetration Tester

Last year, penetration testers ranked as one of the three most in-demand jobs in the growing cybersecurity job market. To become a penetration tester, a college degree is not necessary since it’s a skills-based profession. Employers want professionals who can demonstrate the required skills, regardless of education. Cybrary offers realistic, virtual lab environments where you will gain real-world, hands-on skills you will use as a penetration tester.
107
53
M
Time
intermediate
difficulty
0
ceu/cpe

Overview

What Are Some Penetration Tester Roles and Responsibilities?

Penetration testers seek to identify security vulnerabilities in an organization’s networks and then resolve them, sometimes creating new or improved security protocols. Your job would involve many responsibilities and tasks.

As a penetration tester, you will likely be required to:

  • Perform penetration tests on computer systems, networks, and applications
  • Create new testing methods to identify vulnerabilities
  • Perform physical security assessments of systems, servers, and other network devices to identify areas that require physical protection
  • Pinpoint methods and entry points that attackers may use to exploit vulnerabilities or weaknesses
  • Search for weaknesses in common software, web applications, and proprietary systems
  • Research, evaluate, document, and discuss findings with IT teams and management
  • Review and provide feedback for information security fixes
  • Establish improvements for existing security services, including hardware, software, policies, and procedures
  • Identify areas where improvement is needed in security education and awareness for users
  • Be sensitive to corporate considerations when performing testing (minimize downtime and loss of employee productivity)
  • Stay updated on the latest malware and security threats
  • While the above are typical responsibilities for a penetration tester, you may have additional duties depending on the organization you work for. Sometimes there is overlap in IT positions, so it is essential to be flexible and to work as part of a cohesive team.

    What Are Some Penetration Tester Job Requirements?

    While it may be possible to find a job as a penetration tester based solely on having the right set of skills, most employers prefer to hire penetration testers who have previous relevant work experience. Some employers want employees who have at least a bachelor’s degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that employers prefer to fill entry-level positions in the field of information security analysis with applicants who have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information security, or another comparable field of study. Some employers may want penetration testers to have programming skills in specific programming languages and operating systems. Additionally, employers may require that penetration testers have certification in ethical hacking and other IT security areas.

    Most employers will want penetration testers to have excellent computer skills so they can attempt hacking systems. Penetration testers require solid analytical skills to evaluate and analyze the processes involved in resolving existing and potential security threats. It’s also important for penetration testers to have proficient communication skills as they will be writing reports and working closely with other IT professionals and departments. Most importantly, penetration testers must have exceptional problem-solving skills to determine the best course of action when resolving issues and protecting networks from potential threats or breaches.

    What is a Typical Penetration Tester Job Description?

    As a penetration tester, you will be responsible for protecting computer information systems from adversaries. Your role will include running tests on applications, networks, and software. You will attempt to hack in, allowing you to access data that should not be accessible to unauthorized individuals. You will be responsible for identifying any potential weaknesses in existing systems and collaborating with other departments and professionals to determine the most effective and efficient way to resolve them. This may require adding new or additional security measures and rewriting program code.

    Additional duties for a penetration tester includes reviewing any security system incidents, documenting threats, and completing reports concerning your findings. You may also be asked to design improved security protocols and policies.

    Ultimately, you will utilize your knowledge to find vulnerabilities in networks, internal systems, and applications. This may include automated testing but may also require manually attempting to breach security. It may also include creating new tests to identify system weaknesses and pinpointing entry points for adversaries. When vulnerabilities are identified, you will be responsible for advising managers or executives on how to make systems more secure.

    A Day in the Life of a Penetration Tester

    What a typical day as a penetration tester looks like will depend on your employer. Some may travel between different sites or be required to work evenings and weekends to not disrupt the company’s workflow, or they may be able to perform some duties remotely or by telecommuting. The heart of the penetration tester position is identifying security system vulnerabilities by attempting to exploit them and then coming up with solutions to resolve the weaknesses to keep their organization’s information safe.

    A typical day for a penetration tester may include the following tasks:

  • Plan a specific penetration test
  • Create or select the appropriate testing tools
  • Perform the penetration test on networks, applications, or systems
  • Document methodologies
  • Identify vulnerabilities using the data gathered
  • Review and evaluate findings
  • Establish possible solutions for the weaknesses
  • Provide feedback and recommendations to management or clients

    Frequently Asked Questions
    No items found.

    How Long Will It Take To Be Job Ready?

    If you can dedicate
    hours per week, you can be certified in just...
    2 months
    What Will I Learn?
    Foundations
    Focused on the core IT competencies that cybersecurity professionals need to succeed in any career path.
    Defensive Security
    Focused on trying to find the bad guys. Topics such as threat intelligence, threat hunting, network monitoring, incident response. Defensive security is a reactive measure taken once a vulnerability is found through prevention, detection, and response.
    Engineering and Operations
    Focused on building and operating information systems.
    Governance, Risk, and Compliance
    Focused on the core IT competencies that cybersecurity professionals need to succeed in any career path.
    Leadership and Management
    Focused on program design and oversight. Covers project and program management.
    Offensive Security
    Focused on validating security controls by trying to break them (i.e. penetration testing or ethical hacking). Topics such as Kali Linux, metasploit, scanning, and privilege escalation. Offensive security seeks out the problem or vulnerability through ethical hacking and finds a solution to disable the operation.
    Offensive Security
    Focused on the core IT competencies that cybersecurity professionals need to succeed in any career path.

    Course Outline

    No items found.

    Words from our users

    We're proud of our happy customers. Hear what our team customers have to say about their experiences with our courses.

    I've been having concerns on how to start in terms of building my #cybercareer with a sustained path. So I got introduced to Cybrary and I was able to enroll and startup early last week and I have gone through two sessions, getting to know Cybrary and also a view of what cybersecurity is from their perspective. That gave me an overall view of what jobs are found in the space, their general responsibilities, required skills, necessary certifications and their average salary pay... Cybrary has given me a greater reason to pursue my hearts desire at all cost.

    Jamal O.
    Student

    Thanks to Cybrary I'm now a more complete professional! Everyone in [the] cybersecurity area should consider enrollment in any Cybrary courses.

    João S.
    IT Administrator - CISSP

    The interviewer said the certifications and training I had completed on my own time showed that I was a quick learner, and they gave me a job offer.

    Justin B.
    IT Specialist

    Our partnership with Cybrary has given us the opportunity to provide world-class training materials at no cost to our clients, thanks to the funding we’ve received from the government. Cybrary offers a proven method for building a more skilled cybersecurity workforce.

    Katie Adams
    Senior Director

    All of the knowledge, skills, and abilities gained through the program were essential to me impressing the employer during the interview.

    Gabby H.
    Senior Security Analyst

    Cybrary is a one-stop-shop for my cybersecurity learning needs. Courses on vulnerability management, threat intelligence, and SIEM solutions were key for my early roles. As I grow into leadership roles influencing business policy, I’m confident Cybrary will continue developing the knowledge and skills I need to succeed.

    No Name
    Senior Cybersecurity Consultant and Virtual CISO

    After tens of minutes, I proudly have achieved my certificate of continuing education for Intro to Infosec... Doing everything I can to avoid retaking the CISSP test! Thanks Cybrary - 1 CPE at a time!

    Alex H.

    We’ve had six students this summer, all with different schedules, so we’ve been trying to balance their learning experience with some practical work. It’s not like they’re all sitting in a classroom at the same time, so the ability for them to learn at their own pace without any additional support has probably been the biggest benefit of using Cybrary.

    Collin Ricker
    Business Development Manager

    Just finished the third out of four MITRE ATT&CK Defender courses on Cybrary... If anyone is interested in learning how to do ATT&CK based SOC assessments I would definitely recommend this course. The best part is that it is FREE!

    Eric T.
    AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

    Excellent new series of courses from Cybrary, each course covers a different CVE, demonstrates vulnerability and its mitigation.

    Raul C.
    Cybersecurity Specialist

    I've successfully completed the career path provided by Cybrary to become a SOC Analyst - Level 2. Eventually, do what you love, and do it well - that's much more meaningful than any metric.

    Wissal Ayari
    SOC Analyst

    Cybrary is helping me proactively build skills and advance my career. Labs put concepts immediately into practice, reinforcing the content (and saving me time not having to spin up my own VM). Career paths lay everything out clearly, so I know what skills to prioritize.

    No Name
    Enterprise Analyst

    I got a job as a cybersecurity analyst at Radware with a salary I've never even dreamed about AND with no prior experience.

    Alexei Z.
    Cybersecurity Analyst

    Thank you to Cybrary for providing this opportunity to complete the Cybrary Orientation Certification program with such sleekness and detail-oriented learning.

    Ganesh Y.

    So far I have really been enjoying Cybrary's SOC Analyst Training, it has been very informative. I just finished up with the command line section and now I'm on to the more fun stuff (Malware Analysis). I think it's so dope that platforms like this exist. This is a game changer.

    Tobias Castleberry
    SOC Analyst, Security+ Certified

    I decided to check out Cybrary and the courses they had to offer after seeing a few posts from people who had completed their courses. I'm happy to say that their instructors are knowledgeable and clear, and their course catalogues are extensive and offer relevant career path courses.

    Nazli S.
    AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

    Glad to have discovered Cybrary they are such a great tool to use to help diversify your knowledge through lessons, assessments and practices. All compact[ed] into highly detailed and informative chunks of information. Feeling very content with the results.

    Temi B.
    Cisco Certified Network Associate

    Well, it took a long time, yet I struggled hard to complete the course "Become a SOC Analyst - Level 2" by Cybrary. Cybrary is the best platform that I have ever come across. Tons of virtual labs, great in-depth insights from the experts, and the best career path/learning modules.

    Madiraju Pranay Kashyap
    Programmar Analyst Trainee

    I am currently working in a restaurant and going to school full time. But it is not stopping me from working on gaining more and more skills. I have already spent more than 30 hours on Become a SOC Analyst level 1 [with] Cybrary and still have 67 hours to go.

    Abibou F.
    SOC Analyst Level 1 Learner