How can you conduct a thorough penetration test while still saving time?

1 Plan your scope and objectives

Before you start your penetration test, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what you need to test. Define your scope and objectives based on the risk profile, the business requirements, and the legal and ethical boundaries of your testing. This will help you focus on the most relevant and critical aspects of your IT systems and avoid wasting time on unnecessary or out-of-scope testing.

2 Use automated tools and frameworks

Automated tools and frameworks can help you speed up your penetration testing by performing tasks such as scanning, enumeration, exploitation, and reporting. However, you should not rely on them blindly or exclusively. You should also use manual techniques and your own judgment to verify, validate, and complement the results of the automated tools. Moreover, you should choose the tools and frameworks that suit your specific needs and objectives, and customize them accordingly.

6 Practice your skills and challenge yourself

Penetration testing is a practical and hands-on activity that requires you to apply your skills and knowledge in real-world scenarios. To improve your skills and confidence, and to save time in your testing, you should practice your skills and challenge yourself regularly. You can use online platforms, labs, and resources where you can test your skills against various targets and levels of difficulty. You can also participate in competitions, events, and challenges where you can test your skills against other penetration testers and learn from their strategies and solutions.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?