A penetration and vulnerability tester, or pen tester, uses their hacking knowledge to test digital security systems for flaws. A pen tester simulates cyberattacks to help security experts find and close vulnerabilities against malicious attacks.
Pen testers work directly with cybersecurity personnel and software engineers. They may not communicate with security before certain tests to simulate real cyberattacks, otherwise known as double-blind testing. After conducting tests, a pen tester summarizes the results and presents their findings to the security department.
Discover our recommended podcast to listen about Penetration Tester!
1. Trust Me, I’m Certified: Breaking and building your way to an infosec career with Chris Elgee
As a self-taught programmer since elementary school, Chris Elgee is no stranger to learning by trial and error. Now a challenge developer and penetration tester, he shares advice on how to build a career you’re passionate about.
In this episode, Elgee discusses the importance of creating a strong network, both in local communities and throughout the industry, as well as the critical role of education and certifications in developing skills. He also stresses the importance of pursuing your passions in a playful way by building challenges and completing CTFs.
2. The Cybersecurity Podcast
Welcome to The Cyber Security Podcast, a podcast to help people who are interested in entering the cyber security industry.
The cyber security industry can be confusing, there is no standard path to get into it, there are no standard job titles or job descriptions and finding a way in can sometimes seem impossible. This podcast aims to clear some of the fog by talking to industry insiders about their history and experience, the roles they are currently in and their tips for someone trying to join. Hopefully, people will realise that there is no “normal” way to get in, that there actually are multiple. Also that everyone has taken a completely different journey and that the industry isn’t so complex after all.
Each podcast aims to cover: Their journey, their current role, their likes and dislikes about their current role and their tips to get into the industry
3. The Joe Marler Show
Meet Joe, a sports star who has played in World Cup finals but who now wants to explore the weirdest, most wonderful parts of our culture. Meet Tom Fordyce, who can think of nothing more enjoyable than going along with him.
The Joe Marler Show hangs out with the people you always wanted to hang out with. The most fascinating celebrities, for sure, but also people you’ve never heard of who you’ll now never be able to forget: prison governors, bomb disposal experts, Britain’s one-time most wanted man. Funny, sometimes daft, touching and always honest, this is a podcast that takes you on a tour that you’ll never forget. You’re never quite sure what’s coming and you’re never quite sure where these two will go, not least as Joe and Tom don’t know either. Because life is not what you think it is.
4. Cyber Podcast
Hacking. Hackers. Disinformation campaigns. Encryption. The Cyber. This stuff gets complicated really fast, but Motherboard spends its time embedded in the infosec world so you don’t have to. Host Matthew Gault talks every week to Motherboard reporters about the stories they’re breaking and to the industry’s most famous hackers and researchers about the biggest news in cybersecurity.
5. Cyber Security Heroes
Penetration testing, also known as pen testing, is a subset of cybersecurity where an individual simulates a cyber attack to evaluate the effectiveness of a system’s security. If you’re considering moving into penetration testing, you have to build up a cache of knowledge first, but that doesn’t mean you have to start from square one. Phillip Wylie, senior cloud penetration tester at US Bank, has worked in penetration testing for nearly a decade. Overall, he has a combined IT and cybersecurity career spanning several decades.