Continuous Penetration Testing – A Consultant’s Perspective

Source: SANS Blog Author: unknown URL: https://www.sans.org/blog/continuous-penetration-testing-a-consultants-perspective/

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:

Continuous penetration testing provides more value than fixed-time assessments by identifying vulnerabilities earlier and allowing timely remediation.

MAIN POINTS:

  1. Fixed-time penetration tests often fail due to project delays, preventing timely identification and remediation of vulnerabilities.
  2. A smart toy assessment revealed security flaws too late, forcing the company to release a vulnerable product.
  3. Continuous penetration testing would have identified the toy’s Bluetooth vulnerability earlier, allowing fixes before production.
  4. An assumed breach assessment failed because the customer allocated excessive resources, creating an unrealistic security scenario.
  5. Continuous testing would provide a more accurate assessment of an organization’s real-world security posture.
  6. Scheduling a penetration test can be complex, especially when teams lack clarity on testing priorities and readiness.
  7. A financial technology customer failed to complete a security assessment due to scheduling misalignment among teams.
  8. Continuous penetration testing integrates security assessments into the development cycle, minimizing delays and improving security outcomes.
  9. Transitioning to continuous testing increases costs but provides a more comprehensive and valuable security assessment.
  10. Organizations benefit from early vulnerability detection, better compliance, and stronger security posture with continuous penetration testing.

TAKEAWAYS:

  1. Fixed-time penetration tests often fail due to delays, leading to security risks in final products.
  2. Continuous penetration testing allows vulnerabilities to be detected and remediated earlier in the development cycle.
  3. A realistic security assessment requires testing under normal conditions, not during artificially heightened monitoring.
  4. Integrating security testing into development reduces disruptions and enhances overall security effectiveness.
  5. While costlier, continuous penetration testing provides a more valuable and comprehensive security assessment.