How many years does it take to become a penetration tester?

4 Years. Most often, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree to become a penetration tester. At many universities that takes around 4 years.

How much do penetration testers make?

As of May 2021, PayScale reports that the median annual penetration tester salary is around $86,000. A host of factors impact the salary, including education, experience, job type and job location. For example, penetration testers with 10 to 20 years of experience in the field can earn more than $120,000 yearly.

Is penetration tester a good career?

Penetration testing is an unusual job. You break into companies through their technology and then show them where their weaknesses lie so they can fix them. It’s a job for good people with the ability to do bad things. I started penetration testing in the late 1990s and eventually founded a consulting company.

What is a certified penetration tester?

Certified Penetration Tester (CPT) The CPT certification is designed to certify that candidates have working knowledge and skills in relation to the field of penetration testing. The CPT consists of 9 domains directly relating to job duties of penetration testers.

What does a penetration tester do?

Penetration testers also use out-of-the-box applications that automate testing. The goal is to automate the hacking process, but testers can also manually make attempts to breach security. Once vulnerabilities are found, the penetration testers advise business managers how to better secure their systems.

What is a penetration test plan?

Penetration test. The test is performed to identify both weaknesses (also referred to as vulnerabilities), including the potential for unauthorized parties to gain access to the system’s features and data, as well as strengths, enabling a full risk assessment to be completed.

What is external penetration testing?

External penetration testing consists of a review of vulnerabilities that could be exploited by external users without credentials or the appropriate rights to access a system.