Manual Penetration Testing vs. Automated Penetration Testing

Manual Penetration Testing

Until recently, penetration testing has been a very complex manual process that could be performed only by a select few security specialists with years of experience. Testers typically must write their own exploits, master tools from the public domain, and perform many tedious, time-consuming tasks. While it can be comprehensive, manual penetration testing usually requires an extensive team of professionals possessing diverse skill sets, which most organizations cannot afford.

Automated Penetration Testing

A good automated penetration testing product is produced by a team of security experts that combines safe exploits into a simple, easy-to-use package. By thoroughly testing all workstations and servers across entire networks, an automated penetration testing product can provide a clear, comprehensive view of an organization's security posture.

	Manual Penetration Testing	Automated Penetration Testing
Testing Process	Labor-intensive, inconsistent and error -prone, with no specific quality standards. Requires many disparate tools. Results can vary significantly from test to test. Generally requires expert security personnel to run and interpret tests.	Fast, easy and safe. Eliminates errors and tedious manual tasks. Centralized and standardized to produce consistent and repeatable results. Easy to use and provides clear, actionable reports.
Network Modification	Often many changes are made to systems.	Systems are not changed.
Exploit Development and Management	Developing and maintaining an exploit database is time-consuming and requires significant expertise. Public exploits are suspect and can be unsafe to run. Re-writing and porting code is necessary for cross-platform functionality.	Product vendor develops and maintains all exploits. Exploits are continually updated for maximum effectiveness. Exploits are professionally developed, thoroughly tested, and safe to run. Exploits are written and optimized for a variety of platforms and attack vectors.
Cleanup	Tester must remember and undo all changes. Back doors can be left behind.	Leading products offer comprehensive cleanup with one click and backdoors are never installed.
Pivoting / Privilege Escalation	Requires altering the system since code must be uploaded and compiled on compromised machines.	Users can quickly probe deeper into a network. Code never has to be uploaded, and tests can be run remotely.
Reporting	Requires significant effort, recording and collating all results manually. All reports must be generated by hand.	Comprehensive history and findings reports are automatically produced. Reports are customizable.
Logging / Auditing	Slow, cumbersome, often inaccurate process.	Automatically records a detailed record of all activity.
Training	Testers need to learn non-standardized, ad-hoc testing methods.	Users can learn and install in as little as one day.

Manual Penetration Testing vs. Automated Penetration Testing