Automating Cybersecurity Risk Assessments with a Modern Penetration Testing Approach (PenTest Pro)

Penetration testing is critical for securing any organization’s systems or networks. This chapter describes PenTest Pro, an automated cybersecurity risk assessment tool with a modern penetration testing approach. PenTest Pro provides comprehensive coverage for any system, starting with gathering information, identifying vulnerabilities, exploiting weaknesses, and reporting them clearly and in a structured format. PenTest Pro follows four main phases based on the NIST 800–150 standard: Planning, discovery, attack, and reporting. While many penetration testing frameworks offer similar services, they often gather information and report vulnerabilities in non-standardized ways. PenTest Pro aims to deliver a comprehensive penetration testing service with added features to evaluate and predict cyberattacks and potential malicious actors before they occur. Furthermore, it measures the security level of systems using cybersecurity principles to provide detailed insights into the system’s status. PenTest Pro integrates heterogeneous tools, linking them to deliver the best testing results while reducing false positives by leveraging various tools’ functionalities and types. Another key feature is the standardization of testing and reporting techniques. Reporting is designed to be semi-automated, where testers audit tool outputs to minimize errors and ensure accuracy.