Budgeting for pentesting is no longer a simple choice between buying a tool or hiring an outside firm once a year.
Pentesting, or searching for vulnerabilities in one’s cybersecurity defenses by launching a mock cyberattack against it, has become a fundamental method of improving an organization’s security posture. Budgeting for it can present some unique challenges, however, as it’s become increasingly complicated to balance tools like XBOW with expert services.
Today, cybersecurity teams need to decide which risks require continuous automated validation, which scenarios need human-led testing, and how to fit both into a broader security program. To address these needs, the best budgets often combine tools and services so teams can scale routine testing while preserving expert review for compliance needs, high-risk systems, and other issues that benefit from human oversight.
Pentesting Budgets: Start With Risk, Not Tooling
Tempting as it may be to identify potential tools as soon as possible, it’s often best that organizations start budgeting by identifying the systems most likely to negatively impact their business if compromised.
