7 Things That A Pentester Can, Automated Tools Can't

In the world of cybersecurity, automated tools have become increasingly popular. They are lauded for their ability to save time and resources. But there is one area of security where automated tools cannot replace the human element, and that is penetration testing. Here are seven reasons why you still need a pentester despite the availability of automated tools.

Please Note: The purpose of this article is not to argue that pentesting is better than using automated security tools. Rather, it aims to provide reasons why you should consider conducting a pentest at least once per year in addition to utilising products like our continuous security scanner.

1. Identifying Attack Surfaces

A human pentester knows how to identify an organization's attack surfaces—the places where an attacker might try to gain entry into your system. Automated tools can't always identify these surfaces completely because they don't have the same contextual understanding of the system that a human does. As a result, they might miss potential vulnerabilities that a human would easily be able to spot.

2. Fingerprinting

Fingerprinting is the process of identifying the specific software and versions that are running on a system. This is important because it allows pentesters to tailor their attacks to the specific weaknesses of the system they're targeting. Automated tools can't always accurately fingerprint systems, which means they might end up trying to exploit vulnerabilities that don't exist.

3. Deeper Understanding of Vulnerabilities

When a pentester finds a vulnerability, they will attempt to understand it as deeply as possible. This includes understanding how the vulnerability can be exploited and what impact it could have on the system if exploited successfully. Automated tools can't always provide this level of understanding because they lack the ability to think creatively like humans do. As a result, they might miss potential implications of vulnerabilities that a human would easily be able to spot.

4. Combining Vulnerabilities

One of the most powerful ways to exploit a system is by combining multiple vulnerabilities together. This is known as "chaining" vulnerabilities and it's something that automated tools are not good at doing because they lack the ability to see connections between different vulnerabilities. Only a human pentester has the creativity and critical thinking skills necessary to chain vulnerabilities together in order to create powerful attacks.

5. Thinking Like an Attacker

The goal of penetration testing is to identify potential weaknesses in your system so they can be addressed before a real attacker finds them. A human pentester has the ability to think like an attacker and anticipate their next move, whereas automated tools can only scan for known vulnerabilities. This means human intuition plays a role in uncovering threats that automated tools might miss.

6. Social Engineering

Social engineering is one of the most common methods attackers use to gain access to a system. It relies on manipulating people into revealing sensitive information or making them to do something that gives the attackers access. Automated tools can't replicate this kind of attack, or at least at realist as a pentester which means you need a human pentester to test for social engineering vulnerabilities.

7. Writing Reports

The pentesting process isn't complete until the findings have been documented in a well-written report that can be shared with decision makers and stakeholders. Automated tools can't do this because they lack the necessary communication skills to explain their findings in a clear, concise manner. Only humans have the ability to write reports that provide actionable insights and recommendations.

Ultimately, automated tools are a great addition to any security program, but they can't replace the value provided by skilled human pentesters. You need to still use a vulnerability scanning tool preferably an automated and continuous one to make sure that your apps are safe from up-to-date and well-known weaknesses. You can read more from our 6 Reasons to Use Automated Vulnerability Scanning Services blog post. However, Human-led testing is essential for uncovering potential threats that automated tools might miss, as well as providing actionable insights and recommendations that can be used to improve an organization's security posture.

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