The Job Market For Penetration Testers in 2020

Penetration testers — or pen testers — perform simulated external and internal tests on a company’s infrastructure to find the vulnerabilities. The goal is for those professionals to locate the issues before malicious hackers exploit them. They provide clients with written reports so that those parties can take prompt action.

Someone interested in this career path would understandably want to know about the penetration testing market outlook for this year. Here are some essential things to keep in mind.

Faster Than Average Job Growth

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not put pen testers into a dedicated category. However, the work these cybersecurity professionals do falls under the Information Systems Analyst section. The people in that group “…carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems.”

Data from the BLS anticipates employment of these individuals to grow 32% from 2018 to 2028. The organization’s information also notes that such an outlook indicates a much faster growth compared to that of all other industries. It also mentions that these professionals will remain in very high demand as they aid companies in protecting their networks from hackers.

A Need for Penetration Testing

Companies depend on a variety of strategies to keep networks safe. Some of them invest in advanced threat detection powered by artificial intelligence (AI), while others focus on access control to reduce the likelihood of employees carrying out insider threats. Those approaches are undoubtedly important, but using them does not mean businesses should overlook hiring pen testers.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns, people are more dependent on online resources than ever. They use the internet to work, shop, stay entertained, connect with friends and more. A website outage can cause catastrophes for companies at any time. They’re especially noticeable and problematic, however, when many consumers have no other choice but to do things online.

Besides showing brands where problems exist, a penetration tester offers information about how a client can most effectively fix the identified issues. These cybersecurity specialists examine systems as a cybercriminal would, but give insights before those dangerous infiltrators attack.

Successfully managing vulnerabilities requires a multistep process, including ranking the issues by threat level and mitigating them. Pen testers help companies enhance their cybersecurity by finding the problems to fix. If businesses did not have that kind of assistance, they’d likely waste time and money.

A report published at the end of 2018 warned that cyberattacks are the fastest-growing crimes in the United States, and they’re getting more sophisticated. Cybercrime will cost $6 trillion annually by 2021 — double the 2015 amount. These statistics show why pen testers can confidently speak of the essential nature of their services. If these professionals also take steps to earn pen testing certifications, their marketability will go up even more.

Salaries Vary With Experience

A pen testing career is like most others in that the amounts people earn tend to go up as they gain experience. Data indicates that $84,314 is the average annual penetration tester salary in the United States, an impressive amount to earn in itself.

However, a 2020 salary report about various cybersecurity careers took an in-depth look. It discovered that 72% of penetration testers with 1 to 3 years of experience earned less than $50,000. Only 14% of people earned paychecks of less than $50,000 per year after working in the role for 9 to 15 years, however.

Experience is not the sole factor determining how much someone earns. Certain characteristics, such as a good attitude and strong communication skills, help excellent pen testers stand out from their peers and earn more. The industry associated with the company hiring the pen tester can also make a difference in overall earnings.

A Proactive Approach Requires Pen Testers

One of the reasons for the favorable penetration market outlook relates to a growing concern about cyber attacks. Even company representatives that have not yet dealt with major issues can merely look at recent headlines and see how cybersecurity flaws cause massive breaches, erode public trust, and put a company’s team members under strain.

There is no single way to safeguard against all kinds of cyber threats. However, pen testers are crucial aspects of a company’s all-encompassing approach. These professionals have the practical skills and up-to-date knowledge that pays off in significantly reducing risks.