Penetration Tester

Penetration Testers are critical in identifying weaknesses in cyber security systems, helping businesses to keep their data and networks safe.

Learn more about the skills and training you need to become a penetration tester, and the role they play within an organisation. 

How to become an Penetration Tester Get in touch to upskill your team in Cyber
Job specification

The role of a Penetration Tester

What is a penetration tester?

A penetration tester is responsible for attempting to exploit vulnerabilities in an organisation's systems, applications, services or network. They are sometimes called a 'white hat' ethical hacker, due to their role in testing and improving a businesses' security. 

Their role is to conduct in-depth analysis of software code, reverse engineering, and fuzz testing, with the aim of uncovering additional weak areas that an attacker could seek to exploit. 

Why are Penetration Testers critical for businesses?

Penetration Testers asses security measures and provide recommendations for improvement.

When they complete penetration tests or vulnerability assessments, this helps to identify, quantify, and prioritise vulnerabilities in an organisation’s digital assets.

They ensure that an organisation understands where their security posture might be lacking, so it can determine its risk appetite and take steps to remediate as needed.

Why it matters

Penetration tester insights

£70k
Average salary for cyber security analysts
29k
Job openings
68%
Job satisfaction
Essential skills

How to become a penetration tester

Explore the people and technical skills that can support a career in cyber security, or view our penetration testing training and learning paths. 

Technical skills

These are the key technical skills that may be required by penetration testers:

  • Python, Bash, and PowerShell scripting
  • Linux & Windows operating systems
  • Networking & cloud platforms
  • Coding language Python, Ruby, C & Java
  • Threat modelling
  • Mobile operating systems (iOS & Android)
  • Software engineering security
  • Reverse engineering
  • Malware analysis investigation
  • Open-source intelligence (OSINT)

Soft skills

Here are some of the key personal and interpersonal skills that may be required for this role: 

  • Critical thinking
  • Analytical problem solving
  • Constant curious mindset
  • Collaboration & communication
  • Research and analysis
  • Creative thinkers
  • Report writing

Cyber Security learning paths

Want to boost your career in cyber security? Click on the roles below to see QA's learning pathways, specially designed to give you the skills to succeed.

= Required
= Certification
AI Security
Application Security
Cyber Blue Team
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)
Cloud Security
DFIR Digital Forensics & Incident Response
Industrial Controls & OT Security
Information Security Management
NIST Pathway
Offensive Security
Privacy Professional
Reverse Engineer
Secure Coding
Security Auditor
Security Architect
Security Risk
Security Tech Generalist
Vulnerability Assessment & Penetration Testing
What our experts say

Insights from the experts

"Penetration testers play a critical role in identifying and mitigating security vulnerabilities and ensuring that organisations are better prepared to defend against cyber threats. Often taking part in bug bounty or vulnerability reward initiatives to find and ethically report security issues."

"Skilled professionals in this field are essential for maintaining robust security postures and proactively addressing potential risks and ensuring the resilience of digital systems in an increasingly threat-filled landscape."

Richard Beck

Cyber Security Portfolio Director

Useful reads on Cyber Security

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